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Great! While I do think plant-based diets are at their most delicious and healthy when they don't try to imitate animal products, I think it's a reality that ma

Great! While I do think plant-based diets are at their most delicious and healthy when they don't try to imitate animal products, I think it's a reality that many people (who want to avoid/minimise animal products) don't want to change the type of food they eat, just the components. I've really been enjoying the Burger King impossible burger - they've much better texture, flavour and juicyness compared to Burger King's beef patties (not a particularly high bar, mind you!). They're definitely at their best prepared with a slice of cheese, though. Perhaps Impossible will tackle that soon... Edited: to note that I was referring to people who didn't want to eat meat, not the general public

jariel 6y ago
"I think it's a reality that people don't want to change the type of food they eat, just the components." Why do you think this is true? Why would people who enjoy a good burger want to change anything about it, and why would someone proclaim that 'most people do want to change it'?
- techsupporter 6y ago
  > Why would people who enjoy a good burger want to change anything about it If you are eating the burger specifically and solely for the beef, perhaps you don't. But for many people "cheeseburger" is a unit of food all on its own and the patty inside is more of a toppings-and-condiments delivery device. So if there's a plant-based substitute that's mildly healthier (Impossible is not a "low calorie, low sodium, low fat" substitute by any means) and a lot better on the environment, I suspect OP is correct. Many people would switch, or at least not mind the switch as much.
  - jariel 6y ago
    Yes, some people would change, there's no doubt. The point being: why does the author think that 'most' people would feel this way? Because I suspect that the vast majority of people don't. My suspicion is that the vast majority of people would view a 'regular burger' as 'more healthy' than most plant-based alternatives (even if they were roughly the same), and that all even if things were 'equal' or even slightly favourable to the veggie burger for 'health', they would prefer meat. You folks do realize that probably the majority of food in the US is probably unhealthy? And that people aren't really making their choices based on health so much? I believe that 'people like us' mostly live in bubbles and have a hard time grasping what 'most people' like. Every time I visit my 'very normal' family members I am reminded. If there is a dramatic difference in price I can see change, but otherwise, people will want their regular burgers. I would even go a step further: the more 'regular people' can be convinced the meat is 'real' and of 'high quality' - the more they will value it. Not less.
    - Alupis 6y ago
      I think the phenomenon you're observing here isn't really to do with health, but more of naturalness - or more specifically, perceived naturalness. Obviously a hamburger isn't literally natural, but it's made from beef and mostly nothing extra. An "Impossible Meat" burger was born out of a lab - researched, developed, tested, and finally manufactured. There's nothing "natural" about it, which can turn a lot of people off.
techsupporter 6y ago
> I've really been enjoying the Burger King impossible burger - they've much better texture, flavour and juicyness compared to Burger King's beef patties I like the Impossible Whopper as well and I'm more than a little put out that all of the Burger King stores around me are closed to people who do not have a car. Almost all other foodservice places have reopened for walk-up takeaway but the two Burger King places I can easily get to have stubbornly insisted on remaining car-driver-only.
copperx 6y ago
Dayia cheese is in my opinion, superior than cheese in applications such as burgers. However, looking at the ingredients it looks unhealthier gram by gram vs cheese. But if it spares the suffering of one animal I'm all for it.
- OJFord 6y ago
  I've never heard of it before, but having just had a look, it seems like an imitation of the worst kinds of 'cheese'. I don't doubt it can beat squares of plasticy crap and bags of shredded rubber, but do you think it's superior to actual cheese, that isn't artificially coloured or machined into a weird shape and texture?
  - copperx 6y ago
    Better than gourmet cheese? No. But in certain foods where cheese is not the main ingredient, such as burgers, sandwiches, and pizzas, yes, it can be superior.
    - OJFord 6y ago
      I didn't say 'gourmet' though, I just wouldn't personally put one of those rubber squares or anything out of a bag even on a burger, because I think its horrid. I would use real cheese cut from a block that hasn't been coloured some rancid colour, even if cheap decidedly non-gourmet cheese. This stuff looks like it's modelled off the horrid stuff, rather than imitating anything that I would want to eat, so I just wondered what you were comparing it to in saying it's superior.
notsuoh 6y ago
I ordered an Impossible Whopper and a regular Whopper a couple months ago to try back to back. I thought they were comparable, if not very similar. I'm sure the toppings help blur the taste line. I don't eat fast food much, but when I'm craving a fast food burger, I have been going for the Impossible Whopper.
- toomuchtodo 6y ago
  Had you never had a beef whopper, do you think you’d feel like you were missing out? As our kids get older, I wonder if I can give them better defaults than we had growing up.
  - notsuoh 6y ago
    In a vacuum, I don't think so, no more than someone who never had a Wendy's burger because their default was a Big Mac is missing out. It's really just a different default and from a taste or "missing out" perspective is no better or worse. Though in other ways I think the impossible stuff is better objectively and subjectively. However, in the real world (caveat: I don't have children myself quite yet), I'd personally probably be fairly loose with their defaults, let them try whatever they want, and be a good example myself of eating a mostly vegetarian diet. There will be some social pressure to have eaten a beef hamburger, for example, and I don't want them to feel like they're missing out or feeling self righteous for not having eaten beef. I think the ideal would be that they try beef hamburgers and eat them occasionally, but largely choose not to. Side note: the butcher shop I use does make hamburgers, they're super good and from ethically raised animals so I don't have ethical qualms about getting them, but also wow are they expensive. I want to say $8-10 for a patty.
    - toomuchtodo 6y ago
      Great advice, thank you.

jariel 6y ago

"I think it's a reality that people don't want to change the type of food they eat, just the components." Why do you think this is true? Why would people who enjoy a good burger want to change anything about it, and why would someone proclaim that 'most people do want to change it'?

techsupporter 6y ago
> Why would people who enjoy a good burger want to change anything about it If you are eating the burger specifically and solely for the beef, perhaps you don't. But for many people "cheeseburger" is a unit of food all on its own and the patty inside is more of a toppings-and-condiments delivery device. So if there's a plant-based substitute that's mildly healthier (Impossible is not a "low calorie, low sodium, low fat" substitute by any means) and a lot better on the environment, I suspect OP is correct. Many people would switch, or at least not mind the switch as much.
- jariel 6y ago
  Yes, some people would change, there's no doubt. The point being: why does the author think that 'most' people would feel this way? Because I suspect that the vast majority of people don't. My suspicion is that the vast majority of people would view a 'regular burger' as 'more healthy' than most plant-based alternatives (even if they were roughly the same), and that all even if things were 'equal' or even slightly favourable to the veggie burger for 'health', they would prefer meat. You folks do realize that probably the majority of food in the US is probably unhealthy? And that people aren't really making their choices based on health so much? I believe that 'people like us' mostly live in bubbles and have a hard time grasping what 'most people' like. Every time I visit my 'very normal' family members I am reminded. If there is a dramatic difference in price I can see change, but otherwise, people will want their regular burgers. I would even go a step further: the more 'regular people' can be convinced the meat is 'real' and of 'high quality' - the more they will value it. Not less.
  - Alupis 6y ago
    I think the phenomenon you're observing here isn't really to do with health, but more of naturalness - or more specifically, perceived naturalness. Obviously a hamburger isn't literally natural, but it's made from beef and mostly nothing extra. An "Impossible Meat" burger was born out of a lab - researched, developed, tested, and finally manufactured. There's nothing "natural" about it, which can turn a lot of people off.

techsupporter 6y ago

> I've really been enjoying the Burger King impossible burger - they've much better texture, flavour and juicyness compared to Burger King's beef patties I like the Impossible Whopper as well and I'm more than a little put out that all of the Burger King stores around me are closed to people who do not have a car. Almost all other foodservice places have reopened for walk-up takeaway but the two Burger King places I can easily get to have stubbornly insisted on remaining car-driver-only.

copperx 6y ago

Dayia cheese is in my opinion, superior than cheese in applications such as burgers. However, looking at the ingredients it looks unhealthier gram by gram vs cheese. But if it spares the suffering of one animal I'm all for it.

OJFord 6y ago
I've never heard of it before, but having just had a look, it seems like an imitation of the worst kinds of 'cheese'. I don't doubt it can beat squares of plasticy crap and bags of shredded rubber, but do you think it's superior to actual cheese, that isn't artificially coloured or machined into a weird shape and texture?
- copperx 6y ago
  Better than gourmet cheese? No. But in certain foods where cheese is not the main ingredient, such as burgers, sandwiches, and pizzas, yes, it can be superior.
  - OJFord 6y ago
    I didn't say 'gourmet' though, I just wouldn't personally put one of those rubber squares or anything out of a bag even on a burger, because I think its horrid. I would use real cheese cut from a block that hasn't been coloured some rancid colour, even if cheap decidedly non-gourmet cheese. This stuff looks like it's modelled off the horrid stuff, rather than imitating anything that I would want to eat, so I just wondered what you were comparing it to in saying it's superior.

notsuoh 6y ago

I ordered an Impossible Whopper and a regular Whopper a couple months ago to try back to back. I thought they were comparable, if not very similar. I'm sure the toppings help blur the taste line. I don't eat fast food much, but when I'm craving a fast food burger, I have been going for the Impossible Whopper.

toomuchtodo 6y ago
Had you never had a beef whopper, do you think you’d feel like you were missing out? As our kids get older, I wonder if I can give them better defaults than we had growing up.
- notsuoh 6y ago
  In a vacuum, I don't think so, no more than someone who never had a Wendy's burger because their default was a Big Mac is missing out. It's really just a different default and from a taste or "missing out" perspective is no better or worse. Though in other ways I think the impossible stuff is better objectively and subjectively. However, in the real world (caveat: I don't have children myself quite yet), I'd personally probably be fairly loose with their defaults, let them try whatever they want, and be a good example myself of eating a mostly vegetarian diet. There will be some social pressure to have eaten a beef hamburger, for example, and I don't want them to feel like they're missing out or feeling self righteous for not having eaten beef. I think the ideal would be that they try beef hamburgers and eat them occasionally, but largely choose not to. Side note: the butcher shop I use does make hamburgers, they're super good and from ethically raised animals so I don't have ethical qualms about getting them, but also wow are they expensive. I want to say $8-10 for a patty.
  - toomuchtodo 6y ago
    Great advice, thank you.