Cows are very tasty, are they not?

Question

OK, I'm not here to judge and I'm not here to start a riot. You all have your own reasons for not eating meat, and I respect that. I just have a question.

Last night, I was talking to a vegetarian and she refused to admit that the meat of cows was incredibly tasty. So I'm wondering, can any of you, even though you don't eat them for ecological, health, or political reasons, admit that cows are very tasty animals? And if they weren't, do you think the world would have more vegetarians?

Answer 1

I never really liked beef, even before I was a vegetarian. I think it was the texture more than the taste, because I enjoy eating soy burgers. They have a different texture than real beef. I was quite fond of--I'll admit it openly--baked chicken (My mom would cook it in herbs and pepper and a great sauce, all over rice.), seafood (I grew up, and still live, in a rural "fishing village."), and pork that was baked with herbs and peppercorns, but the thought of eating meat makes me sick now. It's just been too long since I've eaten it, that I've almost forgotten the taste of real meat. My faint memory of eating bacon for the last time makes me sick because of the thought of the grease and the taste. I don't think I'd enjoy eating meat now, just because my tastes have changed over the years without meat.
I think the world would have a lot more vegetarians if meat didn't taste good.
(I also want to thank you for asking your question in a civil manner. There are too many rude people asking rude questions on here.)

Answer 2

No, I'm not into the flavor- and omg the smell of raw hamburger cooking is hideous- my dad doesn't even like it and he's a full-on red meat lover. I've been a strict veg for 10+ years now- I can and do admit to the tastiness of a chicken pot pie, and of chicken noodle soup, and of lobster, and of lots and lots of fish, which I used to love. But I do COOK meat occasionally even, but not for myself! My love of cooking supercedes my personal vegetarianism. I do want to mention that flavor is based on more than simply actual taste bud reaction. Think of how the Japanese eat (and love the "taste" of) eel bladder and sea urchin and cow brains. Even Anglo-Saxons have a long history of enjoying foods like sweetbreads and tripe and haggis and kidney and blood pudding. Would you yourself love the flavors of those foods? Would you just dig right in and be a cowbrain convert? Hmmm, probably not, because preferred foods are an acquired taste, based on culture and parental influences. So I must say that to use the phrasing "wouldn't admit" is skewed, as we all tend to like and dislike certain foods, even chocolate! Yes, there are people who don't like it, and it's not a matter of "admitting" that they do... I think that the main way the world would have more vegetarians would be if parents who ate meat decided to raise vegetarian children. Also, your question implies that the world doesn't have many vegetarians- you realize that entire cultures' eating patterns are based on religion right? Think of what Hindus, Buddhists, Muslims, and even Jewish cultures eat, and avoid. Would the world eat more cow if there were less Hindus? lol Most cultures can't afford to waste valuable agricultural space on such beasts of burden.

Answer 3

eh, i was never a big beef fan anyway. i preferred chicken over beef 95% of the time.

i think chicken was tasty. now i'm pretty grossed out about it, especially when i see their bodies wrapped in the plastic trays at the market with the blood collecting at the bottom. ick...

i believe that the #1 reason people continue to eat meat is the fact that it tastes good (and that it's so convenient). if meat wasn't as good to the tastebuds, then i do believe more people would be vegetarian.

Answer 4

I would say you are making too many assumptions.

I used to eat beef, but I haven't eaten it for more than twenty years. When I smell meat cooking it actually smells nasty to me. I'm not making it up. The smell of bacon is particularly repulsive to me.

Whether something is "tasty" is purely subjective. It's a matter of personal preference, culture and conditioning. When the lady you refer to said she didn't think it tasted good I'm absolutely sure she was telling the truth.

Some people from other cultures eat worms, bats, dogs, insects, snakes and I'm sure they all say it's "tasty." It doesn't mean anything.

My wife is from India and she cooks something called bitter gourd. I can't say I liked the stuff the first time I ate it, but I have acquired a taste for it over time and now I really do enjoy it. If it was not possible for taste to change, adults would still be eating nasty candy that they liked when they were children. I still like chocolate; but I can't imagine actually tasting some of those jaw breakers, Sweet Tarts and Kool Aide that I liked when I was in grade school.

Answer 5

Good question! Personally, before I gave up meat, my dad (the only one who could cook meat for me that I would eat) always had to season the heck out of any meat for it to taste good to any of us. He has yet to give up meat but I'm sure my parents still go through the Lawry's like it's candy. So, my answer is no, not tasty.

Answer 6

I'm sure many people find cows to be tasty animals.
I do not. To me, there is nothing tasty about dead animal flesh. It's just not appetizing.
I cannot get over the way they are treated long enough to enjoy any types of "savory" flavors.
Sorry.

Answer 7

Even though meat can be described as being tasty and many vegetarians/vegans will say it is, your vegetarian friend probably has been vegetarian long enough and fines meat so repulsive that she cannot imagine it to be tasty or delightful.

Answer 8

I have grown away from the lure of meat... it has no draw to me nor does it smell favorable when it is cooking. So I have to say no.

Besides... I am a vegetarian so I prefer to pet the animals, not eat the animals.

And to the self proclaimed "Texan" above me a couple on the list...

Living in Texas does not a Texan make... I'm glad you are proud of your new state, but me as a "Son of Texas" can't seem to understand why on earth you think that you call your self a "Texan" and beyond that... that you have the right to speak for Texans in your ideas.

Answer 9

I admit that they used to be tasty (wow i had to debate how to spell that..stupid fergie! lol) to me and I'm sure they are to many others--but honestly, now, only after 6 months, I would VOMIT if I tried to eat a hamburger.

I was nauseous at school the other day just from smelling hotdogs in the cafeteria--it's quite dramatic.

hmm, that's a tough one, because i'm sure they tasted like sh** raw when cavemen/cavewomen started eating them..unless they cooked them over a fire. they probably got sick all the time from it..that just says to me that we aren't made to eat meat (but that's just my opinion) i think that meat was a taste that was acquired over generations. lots of little kids don't like meat.

so....i'd say that i don't think there would be more vegetarians..considering the things i just said AND vegetarians hardly go veggie just because they don't like the taste

Answer 10

Take ground beef and cook it in the microwave, do not add any spices or sauces or anything. Just eat the beef by itself. That is not tasty, at least to me. If you have to add spices and sauces then you are not eating just the cow.