If they are against eating meat why eat veggie BURGERS, Chicken Nuggets, Steaks, Fillets, Mince, Turkey etc etc..

I would think they wouldnt like to be reminded of eating animals/meat...


Now please dont make this a war against meat eaters/non meat eaters.. I would just like to know..

Its always baffled me..

I CAN'T BELIEVE IT'S NOT MEAT!!!!

I guess some veggies are vegetarians for moral reasons rather than the taste or texture of the meat

I don't visit those countries where people eat cats!
[Edited 11/22/04 4:49am]

I dont eat vegetables, but can often be found moulding mince meat into cailiflower shapes, it is hard to get the flavour authentic though, simply tastes a lil 2 meaty. Like a beefy nun.
[Edited 11/22/04 4:49am]

lollyp0p said:

But they have foods called Tofurkey and shit.. I mean why not just have meals without ANY reference to meat in it, even if it is for moral reasons....

I mean when you eat something veggie chicken.. dont you love it and drool at chickens in the freezer section of a supermarket.. then think.. must get some veggie chicken burgers????

drcoldchoke said:

REDBABY said:

I think they use the reference so the consumer would have an idea of the product they are buying in what other way would you explain what it is

micro blah blah blah protein wouldn't give the consumer much insight into what the product was

REDBABY said:

Maybe it's a reference point?

If you like this, want to go veggie-try this veggie chicken burger or veggie horse patty...

It's just sillyness.

JDINTERACTIVE said:

Listen to the lemon gumdrop.

subhuman09 said:

JDINTERACTIVE said:

What is sillyness???


btw hello JD

irresistibleb1tch said:

You're making sense again!!!!

subhuman09 said:

don't you hate it when that happens?!

irresistibleb1tch said:

When what happens?

subhuman09 said:

those rare times when i actually make sense...

subhuman09 said:

Moral vegetarians eat meat substitutes because they like the taste of meat but wish to eat non-meat alternatives. I'm not quite a vegetarian, in fact I'm not at all vegetarian because I do eat meat, but I eat far more meat substitutes (mainly quorn and tvp) than I do meat. Of my weekly food intake, lunch is nearly always vegetarian, and dinner only contains meat at most twice a week, all the rest is either meat substitute or just vegetarian. I would think that these products are mainly aimed at moral vegetarians.

irresistibleb1tch said:

You just need more

subhuman09 said:

always a good idea!

irresistibleb1tch said:

It's ok to pour on breakfast cereal, right?

If you eat that is-I know back in '72 you were full for a while...

Stripe said:

Do you eat meat? If you're a vegetarian/vegan, then fair enough. Otherwise isn't it a little silly to say "Oh, I'll eat cow and pig but not cat and dog!"


Personally, I don't see a difference. I've had countless pets in my lifetime, and currently have 2 dogs and 2 fish. But if I was in a foreign country I wouldn't think twice about at least trying dog or cat if it was offered to me.

subhuman09 said:

REDBABY said:

From my perspective as a vegetarian:

1. I'm not a food manufacturer. I have no idea why food manufacturers feel there is a need to shape vegetarian food into meat shapes, or call it by meat-like names. My only comment on this is perhaps they're trying to appeal to non-vegetarians, to widen their marketplace. As a vegetarian, it does not matter what my food looks like. If they want to shape it like meat, then that's up to them.

2. Most tofu is not in chicken/turkey form - it is in slabs or chunks. It is very rare, for example, for me to buy tofu that looks like meat.

3. Just because I'm a vegetarian doesn't mean I don't crave variety in the foods I eat. I don't actually buy Quorn-style chicken nuggets but if someone cooks them for me, I'm happy to eat them. (I would far rather cook fresh food for myself that is vegetable, lentil, bean or tofu based). I do buy vegetarian sausages, however, just to give me variety, and I cook occassionally with Quorn mince. Just because a recipe is for a meatless spaghetti bolognaise for example, doesn't make it any less appealing because we're vegetarian. I'm happy to eat just vegetables, and did so for a great many years when there was no real vegetarian alternative on the market, but now we have more choice, it does make cooking easier to sometimes buy these foods and keep them in the freezer for days when I'm in a rush.

4. Sometimes the vegetarian alternatives, e.g. Quorn, Soya, can be very convincing meat alternatives and it actually puts me off! I have stopped eating things in the past because I think they've contained meat, only for a friend to show me the box and prove that what I'm eating is actually vegetarian. I find it off-putting when vegetarian substitutes resemble meat so closely and someone else is cooking it for me as I have to make sure for my own peace of mind that I'm not eating meat. Just because we're vegetarians and have our own reasons for not eating meat, doesn't mean that we don't crave a variety of textures of food. Meat alternatives can be a very useful alternative to vegetables and pulses.

Which brings me to my final point

5. I'm not a vegetarian because I don't like the taste of meat. My main reason for being a vegetarian is that I don't want to be responsible for killing other creatures and I object to the way that they are transported and slaughtered. I don't object to other people eating meat (we all have our choices, right?) but I do object to seeing people waste meat or animal products unnecessarily. If you're gonna eat it, remember it was once a living being and eat it with honour and respect for the life that is no more. I don't preach to meat-eaters about not eating meat, and I don't expect them to preach to me about my choice.

A lot of vegetarians are quite sensitive to this subject because we have all heard the sniggers and so-called arguments for eating meat levelled at us on occassions ... all we're doing is living our lives the way we want to and we're not harming anyone else in the process, so it does get annoying sometimes when we have to justify our choices to all and sundry in a way that other groups don't usually get asked to do so. (This is not aimed at you btw Redbaby ... I understand your question was raised simply out of curiosity ... I'm just trying to explain why this sometimes becomes an explosive issue).

So, although I will eat vegetables, tofu or Quorn that is shaped as meat, looks like meat or tastes like meat, it is only because it's available. If it wasn't, I'd be back to eating vegetables or soya like I did 16 years ago, and I'd be quite happy doing so.

Reincarnate said:

very well put! thanks for taking the time to write this!

Irresistible ... thanks for your comment

REDBABY said:

Redbaby, I also just wanted to comment on this but forgot to do so in my original post. Chicken nuggets are, well, "nugget" shaped - I'm not quite sure what part of the chicken this is meant to resemble ... sausages aren't exactly meat-shaped either, nor are burgers, and fish don't have fingers. They've all been developed as new ways of eating meat/fish, designed to tempt new buyers.

My point is that it's not just manufacturers of vegetarian foods who try to disguise the food they're producing.
[Edited 11/22/04 6:54am]

Reincarnate said:


Your whole response was VERY well put, but I especially appreciate this part. After 15 years, I am just exhausted by the thought of explaining one more time why I've chosen the diet that I have. On occasion, I am asked by a genuinely curious person. Too frequently, though, the question is asked in such a demeaning way that I can't even be bothered to give a real reply.

Back to the original question. I eat these products for variety, convenience and taste. Like a number of people on this thread, when the taste/texture gets TOO close to (what I remember of) meat, I can't eat it. It just creeps me out.

endorphin74 said:

and might i add:



that was brilliant, and it pretty much sums up how i feel on the matter.

as for why i'll get that stuff sometimes, i'll go with the variety answer too. sometimes i want a sammich, and the easiest thing for me to put in a bun is a boca burger and some ketchup. i haven't been buying any of that stuff lately because it's kindasorta expensive and it hasn't been on sale lately, not to mention during fall and winter i usually tend to cook more often. i do think there's a point where the imitation meat can go too far - we have a chinese restaurant in my nabe that sells "whole tofu duck". WTF?!