4 ms·

I was wondering this the other day when eating a saag paneer curry instead of my normal meat-based order: why would anyone go through the motions to have fake c

by pea 4y ago

I was wondering this the other day when eating a saag paneer curry instead of my normal meat-based order: why would anyone go through the motions to have fake chicken when you have multitudes of vegetarian options which can be treated similarly to how we treat meat in cooking. Paneer is not 'trying to be chicken', but it can be put in a curry or fried, so can serve a similar purpose -- but is distinctly delicious in its own right!

cnity 4y ago
Same with tofu. I have fried tofu sandwiches with gochujang and spring onions. Treat your meat-free foods as the unique items they all are!
imdsm 4y ago
A chap I worked with years ago had his wife cook us some food for a week or so, and brought it into work each day in little plastic tubs. Lentil curry, chickpea curry, all sorts of vegetarian food, and it was amazing. One was even a soya-chunk curry, which tasted better than meat, and zero chance of bones. I think playing to the strengths of the vegetables is always going to work better than creating stuff like facon and such. It always looks so...unappealing. That being said, perhaps the reason we eat so much meat in the UK & USA is because we're also taught that to cook vegetables you boil them...in water. Nowhere else in the world do they think it's a good idea to do this. They have flavours, they incorporate vegetables into meals, not just a spoon of boiled carrots, a spoon of boiled broccoli, and a spoon of peas.
parkingrift 4y ago
>why would anyone go through the motions to have fake chicken when you have multitudes of vegetarian options Because meat tastes better, and I want it. If I can have that taste without an animal involved then it’s all the better. If not then I’ll continue eating meat. Vegetarians and vegans just don’t seem to understand this. Food is all about personal preference but the extreme majority of people eat and enjoy meat. They enjoy it because they find it delicious. If people felt vegetarian options were as delicious as meat we wouldn’t be having these discussions. People who don’t have a taste preference for meat are obviously not the target for plant based meat.
- maccard 4y ago
  Vegetarian here, you're wrong. Boil a chicken breast and eat it and tell me it tastes better. If you handed me a plate of boiled peas and a spoon I'd probably hand them back to you too. Good _food_ tastes good. Most times you eat it's complemented with sauces, marinades, etc. Cooking vegetarian requires the same effort. People who slather a Midwestern meatloaf in ketchup likely wouldn't even notice if it was vegetarian unless you told them. > If people felt vegetarian options were as delicious as meat we wouldn’t be having these discussions. Meat is a luxury and a status symbol. Eating meat every day is something my parents did because they could afford to because their parents _couldnt_. I'm not going to sit here and tell you a bone in rib eye with a pan sauce isn't delicious - it is, but so is a paneer masala, or huevos rancheros.
  - parkingrift 4y ago
    > Vegetarian here, you're wrong. Legitimately laughing out loud at this response. You're sitting there at your keyboard telling other people that their food preferences are wrong? Seriously? No one is going to take you seriously if you can't acknowledge the basic premise that food preferences are personal opinions. "Food is all about personal preference"
    - maccard 4y ago
      Then maybe your original post shouldn't say: "Because meat tastes better, and I want it."
- parthdesai 4y ago
  > Because meat tastes better, and I want it Sorry, as a person who eats both, meat doesn't "just taste better". If by vegetables, you're referring to standard meat and 3 veg that western countries were used to, then yeah meat tastes way better. But if you're trying Indian/Thai, etc, vegetables can taste as good as meat, and in some cases, even better.
  - parkingrift 4y ago
hombre_fatal 4y ago
Because our culinary repertoire and tastes are cultural. People know how to pan fry up some chicken/beef, this their fake analogs too, but not how to make saag paneer curry. Or some pan fried chicken is what they crave while they’ve never had these foods you consider superior. Our relationship with food is very weird and delicate. It’s more of an identity trait than a rational choice we make daily. We like our comforts.
- pea 4y ago
  Thanks for sharing, that's a good point!

by pea 4y ago

cnity 4y ago

Same with tofu. I have fried tofu sandwiches with gochujang and spring onions. Treat your meat-free foods as the unique items they all are!

imdsm 4y ago

A chap I worked with years ago had his wife cook us some food for a week or so, and brought it into work each day in little plastic tubs. Lentil curry, chickpea curry, all sorts of vegetarian food, and it was amazing. One was even a soya-chunk curry, which tasted better than meat, and zero chance of bones. I think playing to the strengths of the vegetables is always going to work better than creating stuff like facon and such. It always looks so...unappealing. That being said, perhaps the reason we eat so much meat in the UK & USA is because we're also taught that to cook vegetables you boil them...in water. Nowhere else in the world do they think it's a good idea to do this. They have flavours, they incorporate vegetables into meals, not just a spoon of boiled carrots, a spoon of boiled broccoli, and a spoon of peas.

parkingrift 4y ago

>why would anyone go through the motions to have fake chicken when you have multitudes of vegetarian options Because meat tastes better, and I want it. If I can have that taste without an animal involved then it’s all the better. If not then I’ll continue eating meat. Vegetarians and vegans just don’t seem to understand this. Food is all about personal preference but the extreme majority of people eat and enjoy meat. They enjoy it because they find it delicious. If people felt vegetarian options were as delicious as meat we wouldn’t be having these discussions. People who don’t have a taste preference for meat are obviously not the target for plant based meat.

maccard 4y ago
Vegetarian here, you're wrong. Boil a chicken breast and eat it and tell me it tastes better. If you handed me a plate of boiled peas and a spoon I'd probably hand them back to you too. Good _food_ tastes good. Most times you eat it's complemented with sauces, marinades, etc. Cooking vegetarian requires the same effort. People who slather a Midwestern meatloaf in ketchup likely wouldn't even notice if it was vegetarian unless you told them. > If people felt vegetarian options were as delicious as meat we wouldn’t be having these discussions. Meat is a luxury and a status symbol. Eating meat every day is something my parents did because they could afford to because their parents _couldnt_. I'm not going to sit here and tell you a bone in rib eye with a pan sauce isn't delicious - it is, but so is a paneer masala, or huevos rancheros.
- parkingrift 4y ago
  > Vegetarian here, you're wrong. Legitimately laughing out loud at this response. You're sitting there at your keyboard telling other people that their food preferences are wrong? Seriously? No one is going to take you seriously if you can't acknowledge the basic premise that food preferences are personal opinions. "Food is all about personal preference"
  - maccard 4y ago
    Then maybe your original post shouldn't say: "Because meat tastes better, and I want it."
parthdesai 4y ago
> Because meat tastes better, and I want it Sorry, as a person who eats both, meat doesn't "just taste better". If by vegetables, you're referring to standard meat and 3 veg that western countries were used to, then yeah meat tastes way better. But if you're trying Indian/Thai, etc, vegetables can taste as good as meat, and in some cases, even better.
- parkingrift 4y ago

hombre_fatal 4y ago

Because our culinary repertoire and tastes are cultural. People know how to pan fry up some chicken/beef, this their fake analogs too, but not how to make saag paneer curry. Or some pan fried chicken is what they crave while they’ve never had these foods you consider superior. Our relationship with food is very weird and delicate. It’s more of an identity trait than a rational choice we make daily. We like our comforts.

pea 4y ago
Thanks for sharing, that's a good point!