At the risk of offending vegetarians....

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Replies

  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    I am not vegetarian, but the logical answer seems that they were probably raised on meat and want to continue eating favorite foods without killing an animal to do it.
  • sinistras
    sinistras Posts: 244 Member
    The the shaping into "meat shape" really is all about the bun! And for crying out loud, what is a "real" chicken nugget supposed to resemble? ?
    :-p
  • Kalico66
    Kalico66 Posts: 2 Member
    It's because nobody would like to eat a veggie coleslaw that's shaped like a cube, smart *kitten*. LOL JK!! And if by saying "your food" you mean that you've never eaten a vegetable, thats a bit weird! but really, some people who convert to this lifestyle just need something old to cling on too. Also, just because the food in it is different doesn't mean you have to change the shape of it. I mean, if a chocolate bar was made limited addition mint chocolate flavoured, should you change the shape from a rectangle too a circle? No. there's no point. The exact same goes for our food. Hope this helps!
    ~anonymous vegetarian
  • Kalico66
    Kalico66 Posts: 2 Member
    Agreed, my friend!
  • curly1986
    curly1986 Posts: 98 Member
    Why is mince or sausages assumed to be meat. Its just a shape that meat gets put into. Why can't vegetarian foods be put into the same shape? If we want a burger well then it makes sense for it to be burger shaped, if we want something in place of a sausage, well it just makes sense for it to be sausage shaped. No point getting crazy with the shapes of of food to make the look like non-meat! Im veggie but not because I didn't like meat. Just didnt like the idea of animals being slaughtered (often in awful slaughterhouses) for me to enjoy a roast dinner or a steak etc.
  • jenilla1
    jenilla1 Posts: 11,118 Member
    I'm not a vegetarian, but I only eat birds and fish. I have trouble digesting dairy and red meat. Personally, I think fake processed meat products are just as gross as real processed meat products. Chicken nuggets, ground beef, hotdogs and all that crap (real or fake) are just nasty to me. I avoid them both. :sick:
  • JesterMFP
    JesterMFP Posts: 3,596 Member
    ....why the F**K would you make your food look like meat?

    Vegetarian bacon, chops, mince, sausages, burgers, kievs, Hot dogs.....WHY??????

    We carnivores don't make veg shaped meat products.....
    I'm not a vegetarian, but I'm guessing because some people give up meat for ethical reasons, but still like the taste/texture of meat. And if you're making something that tastes and feels like meat, why not shape it to look like the original product too?

    As a non vegetarian, I don't need veg shaped products because I eat actual vegetables.
  • arghbowl
    arghbowl Posts: 1,179 Member
    I was a veg in high school for about 3 days. It was 3 days of cheese pizza bliss because everyone in my family were meat eaters. I gave in with a delicious pulled pork sammich.

    But really, I think it comes down to aesthetics. Who wants to eat a disgusting looking piece of processed vegetable mush? We've been "trained" to think that something looks tasty in X, Y, or Z form, hence veggie patties, veggie hot dogs, and veggie bacon.... If our food looks "familiar," we're more likely to eat it.
  • SailorKnightWing
    SailorKnightWing Posts: 875 Member
    I'm not a vegetarian, but I actually prefer the taste of veggie burgers to most normal beef burgers. If I didn't make them look like meat, how would I fit it on a bun? :bigsmile:
  • tumblyweed
    tumblyweed Posts: 416 Member
    Meat eaters do the same. For example, when you eat chicken nuggets at quiet a few fast food places the nuggets are fairly uniform and 'chicken nugget shaped'.

    I think it's a mental thing. However, I cannot eat anything shaped like meat. I think it's odd. I prefer vegetables that are comfortable just the way they are. :bigsmile:
  • SpeSHul_SnoflEHk
    SpeSHul_SnoflEHk Posts: 6,256 Member
    ham_meat_head_halloween.jpg

    I wouldeat this.
  • scottaworley
    scottaworley Posts: 871 Member
    Jim Gaffigan already addressed this

    He's as funny as cancer.

    ....... keep listening to Dane Cook.
  • Miss_Meliss86
    Miss_Meliss86 Posts: 372 Member
    ....why the F**K would you make your food look like meat?

    Vegetarian bacon, chops, mince, sausages, burgers, kievs, Hot dogs.....WHY??????

    We carnivores don't make veg shaped meat products.....

    The only time I eat anything that looks like meat is when I have a veggie burger on the bbq during the summer. Other than that, I stay away from anything vegetarian that looks like "meat". It just seems...odd.
  • TrailRunner61
    TrailRunner61 Posts: 2,505 Member
    Good question. I have another... Why do the chicken commercials (Tyson I think, idk for sure) say that their chickens are fed a vegetarian diet only?
  • scottaworley
    scottaworley Posts: 871 Member
    Good question. I have another... Why do the chicken commercials (Tyson I think, idk for sure) say that their chickens are fed a vegetarian diet only?

    A) Chickens are vegetarian. B) People have problems with chickens that eat chicken.
  • ChetThaker
    ChetThaker Posts: 186 Member
    ....why the F**K would you make your food look like meat?

    Vegetarian bacon, chops, mince, sausages, burgers, kievs, Hot dogs.....WHY??????

    We carnivores don't make veg shaped meat products.....

    I think the vegetarians just buy this stuff but the question is probably better directed to the manufacturers of the products. However, this is probably more for the ex-carnivores who miss the taste & texture etc.
  • wolverine66
    wolverine66 Posts: 3,779 Member
    Good question. I have another... Why do the chicken commercials (Tyson I think, idk for sure) say that their chickens are fed a vegetarian diet only?

    This looks like a "gotcha" question, but I'm not sure what the desired outcome is...
  • arghbowl
    arghbowl Posts: 1,179 Member
    Good question. I have another... Why do the chicken commercials (Tyson I think, idk for sure) say that their chickens are fed a vegetarian diet only?

    A) Chickens are vegetarian. B) People have problems with chickens that eat chicken.

    But a chicken that ate chicken would taste more chickeny.
  • SpeSHul_SnoflEHk
    SpeSHul_SnoflEHk Posts: 6,256 Member
    When did we decide animals should be meat shaped and cooked into things like hamburgers, hot dogs, deli slices? These are constructs of the human imagination that formed a massive animal into another product/image. We are just applying the same construction by using different ingredients. Now are those highly processed faux meats all that great for you? That's another story altogether.

    I think, if I remember correctly, that the construct of the shapes of our food came from the days when we were not a throwaway society, and waste was frowned upon. Y'know back in the day when people knew where their food came from, and it wasn't a grocery store.

    In those days, nothing was wasted on an animal and it was all used in some fashion. Once you got beyond the convenient ribs, steaks, chops, hams, roasts, etc. You still had scraps of meat and fat that were left over. These were generally ground up and in some cases mixed with grains and spices and stuffed into the intestinal lining to form sausages. That's where that shape came from.

    Ground beef is still made by taking the scrap meat, and adding fat to it and grinding it to a mass. The easiest way to cook that mass? Mash it all together into a ball so it doesn't ccrumble and fall apart. The flattening of the ball into a patty allows the meat to be be cooked thoroughly and evenly in a short amount of time.

    There are still those constructs of heating and cooking evenly that apply to vegetarian foods. There is also the concept of follwoing tradition. Much like most sausages today aren't made of intestinal casings (only the tastiest are) yet we continue to package our sausages in tubes.
  • scottaworley
    scottaworley Posts: 871 Member
    Good question. I have another... Why do the chicken commercials (Tyson I think, idk for sure) say that their chickens are fed a vegetarian diet only?

    A) Chickens are vegetarian. B) People have problems with chickens that eat chicken.

    But a chicken that ate chicken would taste more chickeny.

    PEOPLE have problems with chicken that eat chickens. I'm not people. Preachin to the choir.
  • arghbowl
    arghbowl Posts: 1,179 Member
    Good question. I have another... Why do the chicken commercials (Tyson I think, idk for sure) say that their chickens are fed a vegetarian diet only?

    A) Chickens are vegetarian. B) People have problems with chickens that eat chicken.

    But a chicken that ate chicken would taste more chickeny.

    PEOPLE have problems with chicken that eat chickens. I'm not people. Preachin to the choir.

    .... touche.
  • UsedToBeHusky
    UsedToBeHusky Posts: 15,228 Member
    Good question. I have another... Why do the chicken commercials (Tyson I think, idk for sure) say that their chickens are fed a vegetarian diet only?

    A) Chickens are vegetarian. B) People have problems with chickens that eat chicken.

    But a chicken that ate chicken would taste more chickeny.

    I know this was a joke, but I wanted to point out that cannibalism, in any species, leads to disease... AKA mad cow disease.
  • As a former vegetarian...the key to offending them is to open your mouth and have sound come out. They will take it personally.





    Also, hypocrisy seems to be the primary reason for meat shaped non-meat. But I'm not bitter about my own stupidity. I'm FINE.
    Seriously?

    Yes, seriously.

    Do you know how many "ethical" vegetarians eat meat when no one is looking? People who decide not to eat meat for other reasons are usually misinformed about quality protein, from my experience.

    By definition, no vegetarian will eat meat, no matter who is "looking". If they sneak meat..They're sneaky meat-eaters. There are many liars, cheats, and sneaks in this world, but they are their own worst enemies. ...

    By the way, are you always this bitter, or just when you discuss your "former vegetarian" life?
  • soldier4242
    soldier4242 Posts: 1,368 Member
    Jim Gaffigan already addressed this
    He's as funny as cancer.
    You sir have just lost all credibility. Jim Gaffigan is one of the funniest comedians of all time.
  • scottaworley
    scottaworley Posts: 871 Member
    Jim Gaffigan already addressed this
    He's as funny as cancer.
    You sir have just lost all credibility. Jim Gaffigan is one of the funniest comedians of all time.

    Is he going to do that voice the whole time?
  • ....why the F**K would you make your food look like meat?

    Vegetarian bacon, chops, mince, sausages, burgers, kievs, Hot dogs.....WHY??????

    We carnivores don't make veg shaped meat products.....

    It's convenient...Don't eat a lot of it, but: Tortillas, sandwich rolls, hot dog buns etc, all lend themselves to the fajita shape, the sausage shape, the patty. When we grill with flesh eaters we can all use the same grain-based products to keep from burning our hands.
  • dianeellen2
    dianeellen2 Posts: 259 Member
    Hi

    Veggie here (since the age of 5)

    All i can add to this is that i use 'fake' meat in our house as all the meals look similar.

    We have meat eaters and vegetarians in our house so if we are having a spaghetti bolognese for example then its easy to use 'real' meat for the meat eaters and 'fake' meat for the non-meat eaters - everyones happy and everyone is having a similar meal!

    Also - not seing how a chicken nugget shape can be defined as a 'meat' shape - not sure i have ever seen a chicken nugget shaped chicken? (or a hot dog shaped dog?) surely these are generic shapes used for 'food'??

    Sometimes its easy to pick on certain 'life style' choice - perhaps you should find a better subject matter?

    :flowerforyou: :flowerforyou: :flowerforyou:
  • Mslmesq
    Mslmesq Posts: 1,000 Member
    ....why the F**K would you make your food look like meat?

    Vegetarian bacon, chops, mince, sausages, burgers, kievs, Hot dogs.....WHY??????

    We carnivores don't make veg shaped meat products.....

    Lmao. Ok, you are now defining what 'meat' looks like. Processed and ground up animal carcasses have become defined as 'meat' in your mind because the modern food industry serves them up that way. Sorry, but hot dogs do not actually resemble a pig. And ground beef does not actually resemble a cow.

    And btw, you are an omnivore, not a carnivore, unless you are a dog..... (?)
  • lithezebra
    lithezebra Posts: 3,670 Member
    Soy sausage is delicious, and that is reason enough for it to exist. Also, if the world were fair, and not driven by marketing, meat alternatives would be cheaper than meat, and would provide viable, nutritious alternatives for low cost meals. Veggie protein adds texture to veggie chili, for example.
  • Hexahedra
    Hexahedra Posts: 894 Member
    So, basically the reasons are:
    1. Ethical vegetarians who still love the taste of meat.
    2. Fitting in with meat eaters for social events.
    3. Convenience.
This discussion has been closed.