Why do vegetarians like food that basically replicates meat?

Question

e.g. Vegeburgers etc.

Answer 1

My daughter turned veggie at the age of 7 when she realised that when you eat chicken, you are actually eating the animal of the same name. The same with lamb, and, when she realised that beef is a cow and pork is a pig, she stopped eating all meat.
However, she had previously enjoyed the taste of meat and so now enjoys similar taste and texture but without going against her abhorrence at the thought of eating a dead animal.
Furthermore, these meat-substitutes are a good source of protein.

Answer 2

Humans get used to the general flavor and texture of meat and our bodies crave it. At the same time, vegetarians feel that eating meat is wrong. Therefore, meatless products that simulate meat satisfy both desires.

Personally, I am not a vegetarian. I just understand the human mind and am the daughter of a vegetarian, so I eat a lot of vegetarian food and experiment with vegetarian products. Now if they could come up with a decent meatless version of steak-umms... then I could go vegetarian. So, yes, I am so shallow as to choose taste.

Actually, though, that's not my only reason. My reasoning is very complex and I have no desire to talk anyone into or out of being a vegetarian. I am simply providing advice on good flavor choices for vegetarians.

Answer 3

I do not eat meat on moral grounds. However, you enjoy the food you eat due to the taste, why else would you eat it!? There are now many more options for Vegetarians than there used to be and a great number of these are very tasty. You may eat sausages because you like the taste of pork etc, I eat the Vegetarian version because I like the taste of those. The fact that Vegetarian food replicates meat is all down to marketing and consumer demands - if burgers and sausages sell for meat eaters why not for Vegetarians?

Answer 4

Many do not like these alternatives as they remind them too much of the suffering (even though it's veggie) that they've given up. Here are my theories:

- It's meant to replace the meat in your meals. I.E. with the cliched view of a meal being "meat and two veg" - rather than vegetarians having a somewhat empty plate of just the "two veg" or some unusual concoction to fill the space, fake meats are intended to be easily integrated into a vegetarian menu.

- Lentils are an acquired taste, and a taste after three years of veganism I am yet to acquire!

- Many meat alternatives such as mushrooms and tofu have a naturally meaty style - it's easiest for food production companies to work with this when making products from them.

Many veggie burgers do not try to replicate meat - not all, but a fair few are obviously vegetables with some sort of herb based mixture binding it into a burger shape!

- I'm yet to meet a vegetarian who misses meat (and I've been looking for eight years), but I would guess there is a market for that out there too.

- Furthermore, veggie burgers are not just for vegetarians. Meat eaters who want a healthier diet / to reduce their consumption of meat may opt for them, and as such making them taste like lettuce would be slightly counter-productive!

If vegetarians don't associate the taste with the "production" (too clean a word in my opinion to describe it, but I'll restrain myself momentarilly) of meat, there needn't be a problem. However, there is a difference (whether better or worse is up to individual taste) in the taste of veggie products normally, reminding many vegetarians and vegans that it's not meat!

Answer 5

I have this theory in which the vegetarians raised as omnivores never really learn to cook vegetables and experiment with expanding their diet to many different foods that they haven't tried before.

I think that many vegetarians are looking to replicate the diet they once had as an omnivore because they simply don't know how to do it any way else.

It's a shame really, and it's not that way with every vegetarian, and not with most vegans, but it still happens a lot. People should come to love their fruits and vegetables

Answer 6

Some of them don't. Especially if they became vegetarian at a young age. I like it because I can use it as a sub for meat in family recipes that bring me fond memories of home. Veggie burgers are becoming more common in restaurants, it's easy for them to make a veggie meal by just substituting I guess. And as someone else stated it is a very easy way to get protein.

Answer 7

why is it wierd ?

A meat-eater generalising about vegetarians. How typical !

In what way does a round disc look like meat ?

Meat-eaters don't have the monopoly on shapes you know.

veggie meat -substitutes are great for new-veggies and those with veggie visitors. because the world is so meat-centric many people cannot comprehend a vegetarian dish without a meat centrepiece. These fake-meats fill that void.

Long term veggies tend to steer clear as we prefer the taste of meals made from raw ingredients.

Occassionally though, i dive in, and don't think "i'll eat this because it looks like meat" I eat it because its convinient and tasty.

We serve the veggie sausages and bacon in our veggie B&B and no-one comments how its wierd or strange, its just a shape.

Answer 8

I am a vegetarian because of digestive problems. I crave meat like crazy. All of the time. Even though the substitutes made with veggies are not as good, they help reduce cravings.

Answer 9

just because it say vegeburger etc its not replacing meat. its just veggie fast food for when your in a hurry.personally i do not eat this crap. i prefer to eat proper veggie meals from scat ch. slow food cooking its called. and i work 12 hour shifts and i still do it. it chills me out.

Answer 10

Many people give up meat to spare animals severe suffering as a result of factory farming. Why not eat meat substitutes if no animals suffered in the making?