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I think you're ultimately right, but let's not forget food has historically been used to signal status as much as anything else.
by Falling3 5y ago
I think you're ultimately right, but let's not forget food has historically been used to signal status as much as anything else.
- vidarh 5y agoTo an extent, but you can do that with lab-grown meat too, by producing "limited edition" meats that are arbitrarily exclusive. Want a steak that is "designed molecule by molecule" by a top chef? That'll cost you.
- scoopertrooper 5y agoAs my parent comment quite rightly said, humans (like other animals) definitely use food to signal status and other social cues. Lab-grown meat will no-doubt eventually become a common ingredient once it is economically viable. However it'll likely start off in highly processed foods where consumers are not especially discerning or seeking to signal status through consumption. This would include products like ready-made frozen meals and fast food. It may eventually enter fine dining, but it won't obtain market dominance in our life times. People just get too set in their ways as they age, for instance the elderly in Japan drive demand for Whale meat. Older people tend to have the disposable income required for fine dining.