[Sca-cooks] meat "substitutes"

[Tara Sersen Boroson]

I think you're right, to a big extent.  I know I *did* find the
meat-like hot dogs useful when non-vegetarians were coming to visit.  I
think they are also marketed toward people who are just making the
transition to vegetarianism, especially teenagers, who don't really want
to think about alternatives.

As I recall, the alternatives were generally not much better than the
regular meat versions.  A hamburger may be high in fat and calories, but
at least it had some nutritional value.  The fake-meat burgers were
often also high in calorie, sometimes high in fat, and were generally
nutritional voids.  That, fortunately, has also gotten *much* better.
Ironically, the newer nothing-like-meat veggie burgers are now also
taking off among the omnivore population - my relatives, even the
borderline-rednecks, love them.  When they tasted like a bad attempt to
simulate meat, they wouldn't think about touching them.

Here's an interesting thing to think about:  Most of the vegetarians or
ex-vegetarians, like myself, have much more varied diets and are willing
to try far more unusual foods than most omnivores I know.  When our
alternatives were eating salads and pasta at every regular restaurant or
trying an Indian or Middle-Eastern restaurant, we experimented.  While a
vegetarian's diet may have certain specific restrictions, they are
generally far more liberal and varied than a "traditional" omnivorous
diet.  I don't think I'd be willing to try game meat or goat cheese or
sushi today if it weren't for 12 years of eating vegetarian!

-Magdalena

Steve wrote:

> --
> I personally think that the meat flavored things that were made were
> designed not for vegetarians/vegans, but for the omnivores.  Many of the
> veges that I know and have known didn't eat meat for ethical/religious
> reasons and eating something that reminds them of something that is meat
> would not be appealing.  However, if they could make something that tasted
> like meat it might make the omnivores eat a little healthier.
>
> Æduin