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Even vegan restaurants hardly sell good food. In their attempt to make a shoddy substitute for meat dishes, they completely butcher the innate capabilities of

by screye 7y ago

Even vegan restaurants hardly sell good food. In their attempt to make a shoddy substitute for meat dishes, they completely butcher the innate capabilities of the vegetables. I know that sounds a bit snooty, but western cuisines simply do not lend themselves well to vegetarian ingredients. India is obviously the most familiar with good veg food, but most cuisines in Asia have good vegetarian offerings. Everything from China, Thailand, Iran, Lebanon and even Eastern Africa have some if not many great veg offerings. Any cuisine that is based around spices (not necessarily the hot ones, but spice in general) is much better suited to vegetarian ingredients. What we need is for people to become slightly adventurous in the way they eat, and stop living in their food bubbles.

derefr 7y ago
> What we need is for people to become slightly adventurous in the way they eat, and stop living in their food bubbles. If the choice is between inventing food picky people are willing to eat, and making people less picky, inventing food seems far easier. (See also: https://slatestarcodex.com/2014/09/10/society-is-fixed-biology-is-mutable/ https://slatestarcodex.com/2014/09/10/society-is-fixed-biolo...)
wavefunction 7y ago
The vegan/veg restaurants I've tried even in the US focused on fresh vegetables and grains in interesting and delicious ways. I've never gone to one of those places and seen fake meat though I have to admit the number of vegan/veg restaurants I've gone to in the US can be counted on one hand. I'm omnivorous by practice.
Djvacto 7y ago
Counter-anecdote: I have a couple of vegan restaurants near me which make dishes that are definitely imitative of meat-based dishes, but are amazing and I would rate as one of the top restaurants including all vegan or non-vegan restaurants. One does Southern Kitchen/Soul Food type stuff, and the other is turkish/middle-eastern cuisine. Not trying to detract from any points about Indian and other Asian cuisines being phenomenal for veggie dishes, just that it's not a rule that western cuisine does not lend itself well to vegetarian ingredients, but more that it's just not as developed here.
pvelagal 7y ago
"western cuisines simply do not lend themselves well to vegetarian ingredients." - Well, Italian food - pizzas, pastas etc with those tasty sauces are essentially vegetarian, if you don't add meat.

by screye 7y ago

derefr 7y ago

> What we need is for people to become slightly adventurous in the way they eat, and stop living in their food bubbles. If the choice is between inventing food picky people are willing to eat, and making people less picky, inventing food seems far easier. (See also: https://slatestarcodex.com/2014/09/10/society-is-fixed-biology-is-mutable/ https://slatestarcodex.com/2014/09/10/society-is-fixed-biolo...)

wavefunction 7y ago

The vegan/veg restaurants I've tried even in the US focused on fresh vegetables and grains in interesting and delicious ways. I've never gone to one of those places and seen fake meat though I have to admit the number of vegan/veg restaurants I've gone to in the US can be counted on one hand. I'm omnivorous by practice.

Djvacto 7y ago

Counter-anecdote: I have a couple of vegan restaurants near me which make dishes that are definitely imitative of meat-based dishes, but are amazing and I would rate as one of the top restaurants including all vegan or non-vegan restaurants. One does Southern Kitchen/Soul Food type stuff, and the other is turkish/middle-eastern cuisine. Not trying to detract from any points about Indian and other Asian cuisines being phenomenal for veggie dishes, just that it's not a rule that western cuisine does not lend itself well to vegetarian ingredients, but more that it's just not as developed here.

pvelagal 7y ago

"western cuisines simply do not lend themselves well to vegetarian ingredients." - Well, Italian food - pizzas, pastas etc with those tasty sauces are essentially vegetarian, if you don't add meat.