A quick thought about perception and meat subs(titutes)

Wyrmrest Accord
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At time of writing, I’m currently enjoying (and slightly regretting) the first real meal I’ve had in about two weeks whilst watching a video about White Castle, purveyor of my favorite fast food burger. By happenstance, it got me thinking of impossible meats.

So far, I’ve tried two instances of plant-based synth-meats in my life; the aforementioned restaurant’s Impossible Slyder and some frozen nuggets from I brand I can no longer recall by name. The latter were quite foul compared to the other brands of frozen nuggets I’ve bought. I can hardly even judge their authenticity; such was the quality of their overall taste that the topic was rendered virtually moot.

The Slyder was a different story. Generally tasty, though I couldn’t shake the idea that something was off about it. Every time I think back to that experience and consider the various factors that go into how we experience taste, I wonder if my foreknowledge corrupts my ability to judge these products as I’d like; that is to say, that these products will never fully taste like real meat to me, because I already know it isn’t.

Of course, it could also just be on the brands themselves, at least to some extent. Perhaps plant-based subs just aren’t quite there yet for those not already weaned off the taste of the real thing. Honestly, who can say. Perhaps I just need to keep trying.

…And now that I’ve freed this particular thought, I’ll just leave you folks to do whatever about it.

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My supermarket has vegetarian peking duck in a can I wanna try it so bad I bet it is completely rancid

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I’m not vegetarian but I have no problem eating fake meats and I love tofu. For me it’s the texture, if the texture isn’t like meat it’s just too obvious to me but if the taste is good who cares I’ll eat it anyway.

Otherwise people sleep on tofu, there’s a lot of great recipes.

One of my lazy go to meals during hot weather is silken tofu with chili sauce, some black bean sauce, bit of fish sauce, boat loads of shredded green onions, cilantro and bonito. Maybe 5 mins to prep and very filling.

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plant-based meat recreations are kinda mid, generally, which is why i’ve preferred looking at asian cuisine for vegan + vegetarian options. India and Thailand in particular have high populations of vegetarians, so their foods have evolved to better suit a meatless diet. Tofu, chickpeas, lentils, and other soybean products are pretty great options.

just inspiration from asian flavors tends to go a long way towards making really good vegan meals. or meals with meat, honestly, b/c i do eat meat. that i prefer tofu in my curry is more because it genuinely tastes good rather than dietary restrictions. thinking of tofu less as “meat replacement” and more as its own food has kinda elevated it in all my cooking.

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