Most every day-priced synthetic meats fall short in taste. Over time, I've adjusted, and now my brain perceives the taste of meat substitutes as the new norm fo

Most every day-priced synthetic meats fall short in taste. Over time, I've adjusted, and now my brain perceives the taste of meat substitutes as the new norm for meat. However, what I find quite interesting is that the meat substitutes often lack the nutrients, taste, texture, and the overall experience of eating real meat. Yet, they might cost more. Many people talk about substituting our meat consumption long-term with synthetic meats. I can't say we're going in that direction. To me, the substitutes are less long-term replacements and more a method to transition off meat. And I tried a lot of substitutes over the last decade - certainly low hundreds of products; I would like them to be better and I'm looking for the better ones. I'm not dismissing the industry; I hold it in high regard. Some pricier alternatives come close in terms of taste, smell, and texture. Lab-grown meats are indeed promising, especially in nutrients, but still, they'd cost about $40 a pound, even with a slim profit margin. Things are changing, though. The price of lab-grown meat is falling rapidly — it was unobtanium a few years ago. So I remain optimistic. Lab-grown could be our future, especially in space diets or in the looming climate crisis on Earth. Perhaps we'll even recycle the... unused... nutrients from these meats, much like how we recycle water in space. Or we could improve their nutrition, create "super-meats", that are healthier than the real thing. The shift away from animal farming might be as revolutionary as the start of farming animals itself, there is potential for this to change our lives very substantially. We're not entirely there, but the path is clear. In many parts of the world, it's becoming feasible for people to gradually transition off meat using these substitutes, if they choose to.