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Is 'Vegan Meat' Just MEAT?

During the early stages of the Covid hysteria, when all the normal food was flying off supermarket shelves, l had to buy some vegan stuff (there was always plenty left on display…)

l don’t recall the name of the product, but it was a smallish microwaveable pot of a vegan curry. l do remember that the labelling insisted that it was a particularly delicious treat or indulgence.

All l can say is, if vegans regarded that as a treat, then they suffer from very low expectations. lt was like flour and water paste mixed with a few beans, which had been slightly contaminated with curry powder. l’d have felt disappointed in it as a dehydrated hiking ration, let alone as a delicacy.

maximus otter
There definitely is some truly terrible stuff out there.
 
What I can't understand is why so much vegan food has to be made to both look and taste like meat. The sheer amount of processing involved removes almost all nutritional content from it. What's so wrong with vegetables that they have to be 'formed' and tiddled with?

I have a friend who's vegetarian because she cannot bear the smell or taste of meat and it means that almost any 'vegetarian meal' (as opposed to meals that are incidentally vegetarian, like beans on toast or cheese or whatever) are made to both smell and taste of the meat that she literally cannot eat!
The vegetarian stuff i have, doesn't taste or smell like meat, I really do hate the taste of meat so it would be spat on the floor if it did. I'm lucky as it is only meat I despise, eggs milk butter I am ok with tis weird, I went off of meat a few years before i was diagnosed with the big C, but I still hate it, it hasn't gone, should I be worried? lol
 
The vegetarian stuff i have, doesn't taste or smell like meat, I really do hate the taste of meat so it would be spat on the floor if it did. I'm lucky as it is only meat I despise, eggs milk butter I am ok with tis weird, I went off of meat a few years before i was diagnosed with the big C, but I still hate it, it hasn't gone, should I be worried? lol
I do wonder if this dislike of the taste of meat might be due to a chemical change in your physiology. It's as if your body 'knows' that it might be toxic to you - maybe you don't have the right combination of enzymes?
There could also be an underlying psychological element. In some cases, anyway.
 
The vegetarian stuff i have, doesn't taste or smell like meat, I really do hate the taste of meat so it would be spat on the floor if it did. I'm lucky as it is only meat I despise, eggs milk butter I am ok with tis weird, I went off of meat a few years before i was diagnosed with the big C, but I still hate it, it hasn't gone, should I be worried? lol
And there was me thinking I was the only one. Even as a child I couldn't stand the taste of meat (or fish). Also the thought that what I was eating was once a living sentient creature horrified me although that thought came sometime into my early teens.

When I was very young my mother would literally force me to eat the meat she had cooked. By the time I was 8 or 9 she had just given up. My dad couldn't fathom why anyone would not want to eat meat. For him, meat with every meal was the reason for eating.

Eggs for me are yeeeuk. I'm fine with dairy although I don't eat cheese mainly for health reason but very occasionally a cheese, tomato and pickle sandwich, yummy.

I must stress I'm not bothered what anyone else eats. Even if someone sits next to me eating a plate full of meat, it doesn't bother me because it's not me eating it.
 
And there was me thinking I was the only one. Even as a child I couldn't stand the taste of meat (or fish). Also the thought that what I was eating was once a living sentient creature horrified me although that thought came sometime into my early teens.

When I was very young my mother would literally force me to eat the meat she had cooked. By the time I was 8 or 9 she had just given up. My dad couldn't fathom why anyone would not want to eat meat. For him, meat with every meal was the reason for eating.

Eggs for me are yeeeuk. I'm fine with dairy although I don't eat cheese mainly for health reason but very occasionally a cheese, tomato and pickle sandwich, yummy.

I must stress I'm not bothered what anyone else eats. Even if someone sits next to me eating a plate full of meat, it doesn't bother me because it's not me eating it.
This is the same as my friend. From a very VERY early age, she just literally could not stand the taste or texture of meat. She was born in the mid 1950s, so spent a very great deal of time being faced with just the vegetables whilst everyone else ate the meat and veg. It was as though people post war could NOT get their heads around meals that did not have meat as one of the constituents.
She's fine with dairy and eggs, so spent most of the first twenty five years of her life eating omlettes. Nowadays there are huge varieties of food that are meatless, but those early days must have been a struggle. My eldest daughter was a vegetarian from the age of about five in 1995 until around 2010, and even in the late 90's there wasn't much in the way of vegetarian food about. I absolutely hate to think how things would have gone had she been vegan.
 
It was as though people post war could NOT get their heads around meals that did not have meat as one of the constituents.
Yes. I was the same. At one time I couldn't envisage a meal without meat. Even fish didn't appeal to me, certainly not fresh fish that wasn't covered in 4 inches of batter anyway.
I suppose it's the same as lots of things - purely habit that is difficult to break.
 
This is the same as my friend. From a very VERY early age, she just literally could not stand the taste or texture of meat. She was born in the mid 1950s, so spent a very great deal of time being faced with just the vegetables whilst everyone else ate the meat and veg. It was as though people post war could NOT get their heads around meals that did not have meat as one of the constituents.
She's fine with dairy and eggs, so spent most of the first twenty five years of her life eating omlettes. Nowadays there are huge varieties of food that are meatless, but those early days must have been a struggle. My eldest daughter was a vegetarian from the age of about five in 1995 until around 2010, and even in the late 90's there wasn't much in the way of vegetarian food about. I absolutely hate to think how things would have gone had she been vegan.
I was born in 1957. I pretty much faced the same problem as your friend as my mother definitely was not going to cook anything extra for me. It was eat it or go without so I just ate the vegetables. I had the same problem especially at my infants school with school dinners except their idea was to keep me sitting their until I ate the meat of fish which I totally refuse to do. That daily stand off caused no end of arguments both at school and at home and frequent visits to the headmasters office to explain myself. In my last year at junior school after getting into a ferocious argument with the dinner ladies and me throwing the plate with the meat on it across the dining hall, I was given the cain. My mother had to go up the school. She was furious with me and wouldn't speak to me for what seemed weeks although in reality it was probably a lot less than that.
 
I was born in 1957. I pretty much faced the same problem as your friend as my mother definitely was not going to cook anything extra for me. It was eat it or go without so I just ate the vegetables. I had the same problem especially at my infants school with school dinners except their idea was to keep me sitting their until I ate the meat of fish which I totally refuse to do. That daily stand off caused no end of arguments both at school and at home and frequent visits to the headmasters office to explain myself. In my last year at junior school after getting into a ferocious argument with the dinner ladies and me throwing the plate with the meat on it across the dining hall, I was given the cain. My mother had to go up the school. She was furious with me and wouldn't speak to me for what seemed weeks although in reality it was probably a lot less than that.
My friend tells similar tales, although her mother was a little more accommodating. However, the family spent a good deal of time on the continent, in Spain, and the Spanish were NOT kind to a little girl who physically could NOT eat meat.
 
I do wonder if this dislike of the taste of meat might be due to a chemical change in your physiology. It's as if your body 'knows' that it might be toxic to you - maybe you don't have the right combination of enzymes?
There could also be an underlying psychological element. In some cases, anyway.
I've no idea I just wondered why I stopped liking meat, the taste was horrid, I have tried teeny pieces of meat, and i mean really teeny and it is still horrid. But I don't mind not eating meat anyway saves me a fortune and no animals die except the occasional fish, dont really eat a lot of that either. lol
 
I had the same problem especially at my infants school with school dinners except their idea was to keep me sitting their until I ate the meat of fish which I totally refuse to do. That daily stand off caused no end of arguments both at school and at home and frequent visits to the headmasters office to explain myself. In my last year at junior school after getting into a ferocious argument with the dinner ladies and me throwing the plate with the meat on it across the dining hall, I was given the cain.
I had similar experiences at primary school. It was usually on the days when they served cabbage. The headmistress was a horrible, overbearing woman who would stand there breathing heavily until I'd eaten it. I'd be the last kid out because of this. The food was brought to school in big metal containers, where it would stew until it was served. It was disgusting. Funnily, I didn't have too many issues with the meat - it was cabbage or cauliflower that got me.
 
@Mythopoeika Just read this:

For unknown reasons, some people have a strong immune response to these molecules. The body makes proteins called antibodies. These antibodies target alpha-gal as something the immune system needs to clear out. The response is so strong that people with this allergy can no longer eat red meat.
I cant eat any meat at all
 
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@Mythopoeika Just read this:

For unknown reasons, some people have a strong immune response to these molecules. The body makes proteins called antibodies. These antibodies target alpha-gal as something the immune system needs to clear out. The response is so strong that people with this allergy can no longer eat red meat.
Although illness can also change the taste buds. I know someone who had flu quite badly, and afterwards couldn't bear the taste of coffee. He'd drunk several cups a day up until then, but after the flu he had to switch to tea.
 
@Mythopoeika Just read this:

For unknown reasons, some people have a strong immune response to these molecules. The body makes proteins called antibodies. These antibodies target alpha-gal as something the immune system needs to clear out. The response is so strong that people with this allergy can no longer eat red meat.
Were you ever bitten by a tick? Apparently, that can induce an allergy to meat.
 
I had similar experiences at primary school. It was usually on the days when they served cabbage. The headmistress was a horrible, overbearing woman who would stand there breathing heavily until I'd eaten it. I'd be the last kid out because of this. The food was brought to school in big metal containers, where it would stew until it was served. It was disgusting. Funnily, I didn't have too many issues with the meat - it was cabbage or cauliflower that got me.
You just bought back horrid memories. The cabbage especially was vile. As I read the above for a few seconds I could actually taste and smell the cabbage along with the ambience of the school dining hall.
 
You just bought back horrid memories. The cabbage especially was vile. As I read the above for a few seconds I could actually taste and smell the cabbage along with the ambience of the school dining hall.
Sorry. :(
It was one of the worst school experiences I had too.
 
I do wonder if this dislike of the taste of meat might be due to a chemical change in your physiology. It's as if your body 'knows' that it might be toxic to you - maybe you don't have the right combination of enzymes?
There could also be an underlying psychological element. In some cases, anyway.
When I was pregnant with my youngest I couldn't bear even the smell of meat so maybe it is due to some chemical change.
 
I've no idea I just wondered why I stopped liking meat, the taste was horrid, I have tried teeny pieces of meat, and i mean really teeny and it is still horrid. But I don't mind not eating meat anyway saves me a fortune and no animals die except the occasional fish, dont really eat a lot of that either. lol
Sounds an awful lot like stories I've heard of people who, due to a restricted diet not of their choice, couldn't eat any meat for week, then when they tried eating things they used to like, it just tasted alien and wrong to them. They looked at it, they remembered liking it, but... it wasn't the same. The food isn't any different... but the person eating it is.... the question is: how?

probably has something to do with how your body produces enzymes and stuff to digest food.
 
I was born in 1957. I pretty much faced the same problem as your friend as my mother definitely was not going to cook anything extra for me. It was eat it or go without so I just ate the vegetables. I had the same problem especially at my infants school with school dinners except their idea was to keep me sitting their until I ate the meat of fish which I totally refuse to do. That daily stand off caused no end of arguments both at school and at home and frequent visits to the headmasters office to explain myself. In my last year at junior school after getting into a ferocious argument with the dinner ladies and me throwing the plate with the meat on it across the dining hall, I was given the cain. My mother had to go up the school. She was furious with me and wouldn't speak to me for what seemed weeks although in reality it was probably a lot less than that.
I had similar experiences at primary school. It was usually on the days when they served cabbage. The headmistress was a horrible, overbearing woman who would stand there breathing heavily until I'd eaten it. I'd be the last kid out because of this. The food was brought to school in big metal containers, where it would stew until it was served. It was disgusting. Funnily, I didn't have too many issues with the meat - it was cabbage or cauliflower that got me.
I just don't get this forcing a child to eat something they really don't like (no mater how 'good for you' they think it is). I too was forced to eat stuff I didn't want to, in my case breakfast before school. I just wasn't hungry at that time of day. You are not going to get a child, or anyone for that matter, to like something they simply don't, whether it's a particular food or doing games/pe (which some children hate).
And the guilt trip was often layed on you too, as this was a time when famines in Africa were on the news a lot.
 
My friend tells similar tales, although her mother was a little more accommodating. However, the family spent a good deal of time on the continent, in Spain, and the Spanish were NOT kind to a little girl who physically could NOT eat meat.
I watched a programme with Richard E. Grant a while ago where he was visiting places from certain novels. He can't drink alcohol (some very good acting in Withnail and I) and hates cheese and chocolate. A French woman said to him that she didn't think he would last very long in France.
 
I just don't get this forcing a child to eat something they really don't like (no mater how 'good for you' they think it is). I too was forced to eat stuff I didn't want to, in my case breakfast before school. I just wasn't hungry at that time of day. You are not going to get a child, or anyone for that matter, to like something they simply don't, whether it's a particular food or doing games/pe (which some children hate).
And the guilt trip was often layed on you too, as this was a time when famines in Africa were on the news a lot.
Certainly back in the late fifties, food shortages (rationing was only just over) came into play - if someone had cooked a meal using hard to get ingredients and someone else 'turned their nose up' at it, then it could be very difficult to deal with. Children, especially, weren't given a lot of autonomy. I was born in the 60's and remember being told off repeatedly for hating potato (I still do), which was used to bulk out the meat, which was still really expensive. Shepherds Pie and Cottage Pie, with their thick layer of mash on top of a thin layer of meat in gravy was a particular bug bear.

It's only really been in the last twenty years or less that there's been more of a child-centric movement, what with baby-led weaning and gentle parenting, and children being given more of a choice over what they eat. My own lot were't deliberately fed food that I knew they didn't like (it was too expensive to throw away), but there was a remarkable amount of 'I don't like that' just after I'd been out and bought a job lot of fish fingers or sandwich spread or whatever that they'd liked the day before.
 
Certainly back in the late fifties, food shortages (rationing was only just over) came into play - if someone had cooked a meal using hard to get ingredients and someone else 'turned their nose up' at it, then it could be very difficult to deal with. Children, especially, weren't given a lot of autonomy. I was born in the 60's and remember being told off repeatedly for hating potato (I still do), which was used to bulk out the meat, which was still really expensive. Shepherds Pie and Cottage Pie, with their thick layer of mash on top of a thin layer of meat in gravy was a particular bug bear.

It's only really been in the last twenty years or less that there's been more of a child-centric movement, what with baby-led weaning and gentle parenting, and children being given more of a choice over what they eat. My own lot were't deliberately fed food that I knew they didn't like (it was too expensive to throw away), but there was a remarkable amount of 'I don't like that' just after I'd been out and bought a job lot of fish fingers or sandwich spread or whatever that they'd liked the day before.
Yes, I can see the parents' reasoning there.
In my case though, it wasn't that I didn't want a particular type of food so much, but didn't want anything at that early time.

Wait... you don't like potato???!!!
 
Yes, I can see the parents' reasoning there.
In my case though, it wasn't that I didn't want a particular type of food so much, but didn't want anything at that early time.

Wait... you don't like potato???!!!
Children were still in the 'seen and not heard' phase that long ago. Children born in the 50's were being born to parents who had grown up through the war and been parented by those born in the Edwardian era. The idea of children being autonomous beings with likes and dislikes hadn't really taken root, and the thought of giving them 'choices' would be anathema.

Yep. Don't like potato. Can just about eat a small amount of them these days, but still not convinced. I don't like rice or pasta much either and only very small amounts of bread. Why I'm not as thin as a rake, I've no idea.
 
Children were still in the 'seen and not heard' phase that long ago.
I was definitely heard when thrashed with one of these;

Yep. Don't like potato. Can just about eat a small amount of them these days, but still not convinced. I don't like rice or pasta much either and only very small amounts of bread. Why I'm not as thin as a rake, I've no idea.
Bread and pasta as well? Good grief. I despair!
 

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Did anyone here have to eat tripe with white sauce? It used to make me feel ill just smelling it and having to eat it was just awful but you were made to eat it.
I remember asking if we couldn't just post it off to Africa when I was admonished that children there didn't have enough to eat.
 
Did anyone here have to eat tripe with white sauce? It used to make me feel ill just smelling it and having to eat it was just awful but you were made to eat it.
I remember asking if we couldn't just post it off to Africa when I was admonished that children there didn't have enough to eat.
Thankfully, tripe was universally off the menu when I was at school.
My Mum loved it when it was done by my Grandma. When myself and my sister were kids, she finally managed to get some from a butcher and she cooked it up for us. OMG, it was the most 'offal' thing I have ever tasted! My Mum was disappointed, it wasn't how she'd remembered it. I'm guessing that the lack of demand meant that fresh tripe was no longer available and that particular cut we had wasn't prepared in the proper way.
I was always being given that line about children in Africa who'd like those crusts of bread I'd discarded. I even saved up a whole bag of mouldy crusts and then asked where I could send them. Mum never came out with that old nonsense again! :)
 
I had to eat what I was given, growing up.

I didnt like my greens, (used to boil it to death; well cooked veg is actually very nice).

I am a head taller than my Dad.

Guess what I ate?
 
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