Hey fellow veggies, let me ask you something..............?

Question

I see a lot of asking about fake meat, or veggie burgers, or what is it... quorn. I've never had any of those things and I'm curious... I have never missed meat since I stopped eating it, but does eating things that resemble the taste or smell ever tempt you or make you miss meat? I'm just curious.... tell me about it.

so veggie burgers don't taste like hamburgers? That's the whole reason I never tried them... I thought they were all meant to mimic the taste of meat? which ones are good?

Answer 1

Some of the veggie burgers do taste quite a bit like meat. Morningstar Farms Vegan Grillers, for example, taste very much like a barbecued patty.
And then there are some brands that don't try to mimic the taste of meat, but just provide a nice filling for a sandwich and those are my favorite. Here are my top three...
Fantastic World Foods' Nature Burger: a dry mix that you add water to, shape into patties and then fry or bake. They don't take but a smidgen of oil to fry up crisp on the stovetop. They are made of grain and spices. There is some soy protein in there, but it's way down on the list. About $2 .50 a box (roughly 6 patties). P.S. I use their taco filling and sloppy joe mix, too, and it's incredible.
Sunshine Burgers: Made from ground sunflower seeds and beans mostly. These are a bit mushier than the Nature Burgers, but I love them, especially the Garden Herb flavor with thouand island and some sprouts. I love that there are only a few ingredients to these. They are frozen three to a pack for about $4
Dr. Praegers: A bean and veggie patty. Tex Mex is my favorite flavor (add some sliced avocado...yum!). It's very vegetabley. A four pack of frozen patties is about $4.

I'd steer clear of Quorn. It seems too mysterious for me (try to find a picture of the "mycoprotein" before it's processed - I dare you!). Unless of course you REALLY want something that tastes like chicken, in which case, it fits the bill.

I have not had any cravings for meat, really, but I have been curious about some of the fake meat foods. I have had some substitutes that were pretty good facsimiles, but they didn't trigger any remorse that I didn't have the real thing anymore, they just made me not want to eat them again. There were some riblet things I tried in the very beginning and those kind of grossed me out with how "real" they tasted/felt. Today I went to an all vegan place and had a "chick'n" sandwich that was good, but it was a little too realistic for me, too (The Veggie Grill in Irvine - I was impressed with everything else - GO if you're in So Cal!).
I like foods that are familiar from my old diet, like a burger with the bun and tomato and sauce and pickles and all that, but I don't want the MEAT part. So something like the Nature Burger sort of rounds out a vegan burger very nicely.

You should give some of the veg meat foods a try just to satisfy your curiosity. That's why I try most of the things I do. For example, I was never fond of sausages in my old life, but Tofurkey's sun dried tomato "sausage" on a roll with sauteed red peppers and onions with a bunch of mustard is one of my family's new favorite meals.

You won't like everything you try, but you just might find something you really like.

Wow - top contributer in the V&V section. You've come a long way. *high five*

Answer 2

I'm not big on fake meats, actually, even though I missed meat a little for the first few months or so after I stopped eating it. By the way, a lot of fake meats don't really taste like meat and aren't even meant to. Those ones are my favorites for some reason I'm not sure of. Gardenburger is the only example that comes to mind...Yves is pretty good. Incidentally, I ate some real-tasting fake stuff a while back and it was actually rather revolting, but I don't know if that's because it tasted like meat or because it was really greasy. :)

Answer 3

People who find out that I haven't eaten meat in 15 years (since I was 11) always ask if I miss it. I honestly don't. I do eat the veggie meat, I think it tastes good. I especially love veggie sausage links and veggie corn dogs. I'm never tempted to eat meat, nor do I miss the taste. People who become vegetarians usually do so for the principle and when you truly believe what you are doing is the right thing, you aren't tempted otherwise.

Answer 4

We seldom eat meat analogs these days although we had them a lot for the 1st couple years after my SO became veg. They never made me miss real meat & I actually preferred the ones that don't taste or smell 'authentic'. I've never had a real interest in analogs that mimic beef & we seldom have veggie burgers as sandwich filling-- just sundried tomato or curry patties that don't pretend to be anything but veggies.

Answer 5

They've never made me miss meat.

Although I've definitely examined the contradiction of eating fake meats. I am on my way to eating no processed foods.

Why should I continue supporting the craving of the taste of meat by eating alternatives? They usually aren't that great for you, plus once you refrain from them, the craving is soon gone.

Overall, it doesn't make me crave actual meat, but it does continue the craving for the taste, which wouldn't exist on our earth unless you ate meat. Since I'd much rather eat how I feel we were 'meant' to eat, I'll stick with things that come from the ground!

Answer 6

Not really at all. Aleast for me, the smell of meat and the feel of meat is quite oily. When I started becoming a vegetarian a few years ago, I'd allow myself to have meat when I desired it. This actually strengthened my resolve NOT to eat it bc I noticed that when I ate it, I felt like someone had actually WD-40'd my insides, not in a good way. Sometimes, I do get a whiff of steaks or hamburgers in the summer though and feel reminiscent but then I have to get away from it, hahaha...

Answer 7

I grew up in a family that had meat for every meal. I do use fake meat and make my own seitan. I never crave meat anymore, haven't for years. I have been veg*an for 18 years.

But these products allow me to make meals similar to those my mom used to make - comfort food.

After going for a long time without meat, you may find these products taste a lot like the real thing. But, I don't believe it will make you crave or desire meat again.

Enjoy!!

Answer 8

I never missed it. I used the faux meat to have different things every night. I was having a hard time finding new and exciting recipes that didn't seem like the same thing all the time, so i used the fake meat to basically make anything I wanted.

Answer 9

I use the meat substitutes here and there just to switch things up a bit. It doesn't make me want to eat meat again. And no, by and large none of it tastes like meat (except MorningStar Chick'n nuggets. They taste just like the chicken nuggets we ate in the grade school cafeteria).
I have an understanding that I've turned a corner with my veg lifestyle and I don't eat it to take the place of meat. (b/c that would imply that I still want to eat it and I don't).
It's just fun to use it as a source of protein and get creative with it.

Answer 10

They don't taste or smell like meat (my meat eating brother hates all of my "mock" food). I don't miss meat. I can't eat tofu for the rest of my life. lol

Try Morningstar Farms http://www.seeveggiesdifferently.com/ (good veggie burgers)
Veggie Patch http://www.veggiepatch.com/ (I don't like their veggie burgers, but they have other great products) and Light Life (they have good pepperoni) http://www.lightlife.com/products.html

U can also get "chicken" protein rolls and fry it or do whatever u want to it. I usually stay away from any type of "mock" bacon (they taste bad to me).