[Sca-cooks] meat "substitutes"

[lilinah at earthlink.net]

The following is a message devoid of Medieval and Renaissance
content... so, what else is new?

First, let me say that the Tofurkey and the UnTurkey, while
attempting to present a *visual* facsimile of turkey, don't taste
like turkey and, as far as i can tell, they aren't supposed to taste
like meat.

Second, i eat some "meat substitutes" intended for vegetarians
because i *like the flavor*, which is generally nothing like meat.

One of my favorites is "Fakin Bacon, Smoky Tempeh Strips" made by
LightLife.  I'm LOVE bacon and, frankly, these don't taste like
bacon, although they have some smoke flavoring. I just like 'em for
what they are. And they aren't very far off of some Indonesian tempeh
recipes that aren't intended to be anything but tempeh (a soy
product) marinated and cooked in a flavorful sauce. Let me add that
Indonesian tempeh is so delicious compared to yucky American tempeh.
The difference is chiefly the soybeans. Indonesian soy beans are
small and golden and really have a nice, rich, "nutty" flavor that i
find lacking in the big, pale, and slightly bitter American ones,
which were developed, as far as i can tell, for animal feed and
industrial purposes.

Another product i like is "UnRibs" (a Now and Zen product). I like
the sauce on it, and it's a convenient finger-food when i'm in a rush
- i often eat a pack while driving to local SCA camping events on a
Friday night. They also make UnSteak, which i've never eaten, and
UnChicken Breast, which i have eaten, white seitan wrapped in yuba,
lightly seasoned with cinnamon and other spices, so it really doesn't
taste like chicken, although it does look like it.

I agree with the assessment that many meat substitutes are oriented
to people making the transition to vegetarianism and also are useful
to serve to omnivores who are dining with vegetarians and would
somehow feel unsatisfied without "meat" at the meal. Me, i actually
*like* tofu and seitan.

Additionally, some were developed for non-vegetarians trying to avoid
animal fats, which is where the Morningstar Farms stuff came from. I
remember when they first came on the market, they were marketed to
people avoiding cholesterol. Anyone remember "Zipple Strips", one of
the first bacon substitutes back around 1970? Loved the name, not so
sure about the product... I'm sure i got my daily dose of red dye
number 40 in every serving...

The odd thing i've noticed when scouting out restaurants to eat at
with my vegetarian daughter, is how many hostesses claim they have
vegetarian dishes, while pointing to the fish on the menu. Last time
i looked, a fish was NOT a vegetable.

Once I was eating at a wonderful now-defunct Jamaican restaurant in
San Francisco, Miss Pearl's Jam House, with my daughter and some of
my friends. They had no vegetarian meal on the menu. The regular
dinners consisted of pre-set "plates" with meat, vegetables, grains,
and other stuff, each one different from the other - no two had the
same side dishes. They cheerfully put together a plate for my
daughter that had ALL the various delicious side dishes. Many
restaurants, however, can only come up with insipid pasta, and seem
to forget about all the other things they make - although maybe
they're all cooked or sauced with meat stock...

Anahita
who had cheese, spinach, and potato tamales for breakfast