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Vegetarians/Vegans or Nostalgic Former Carnivores?
Okay, you are vegetarian, or vegan, but why on earth would you need to eat mock meat and cheese (tofu, seitan, tempeh, yuba, etc.)? Are you so nostalgic of the marvelous taste and feel of meat? Can't you really do without it? And why--I am addressing vegans in particular--can't you do without those horrible spices that make you smell so unpleasantly? No one forbids you from eating seitan, tofu or whatever else you like--if you are crazy about it--but being vegetarian (or vegan) merely means avoiding meat (or meat and any food of animal origin); it doesn't mean to be tofuvorous or seitanvorous. There are plenty of non-animal-foods you can choose from without deceiving yourself with mock meats, and without asphyxiating your neighbors with the smell of spices. Do you hate plainly cooked vegetables so much? Don't you realize that your eating mock meats makes you even stranger, and less convincing, to carnivores? As I said, do eat seitan, tofu, and the rest, if you find it irresistible gourmets' food, but please stop trying to give your teeth the old feeling of chewing meat. Stop eating meat with your mouth and with your mind.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Lauren Woods on -
Sorry but I find this to be a very silly question. Meat tastes good. It does when you've eaten it your whole life. Cheese did, milk did, all these things did- and I gave them up, but not because of taste. Eating replacements helps the transition to be easier, and if you had a favorite food, you can feel comforted eating a version of it. I've grown up eating things like mac and cheese, hot dogs- it gives me a good feeling to eat these foods. While I don't consume replacements often, when I do, it is very much for nostalgic purposes. It advertises the versatility of a vegan (or vegetarian) diet. If anything, these things make changing MORE appealing to meat-eaters. I hear all the time, "I'd be vegetarian but* I can't give up this, or I can't give up that." My mom got interested in vegetarianism because she saw I could still have all the foods we used to pig out on together when I was small, and now she is even substituting meat with the tofu you seem to hate so much?
Maybe you shouldn't nit-pick about what others like to eat, it's really rude.
Also tofu isn't replacement meat... it' just soybeans. You don't have to use it as a meat substitute and it's an easy way to add protein to just about any meal. You should be aware that most vegetables are NOT complete proteins. If someone wants to have tofu as a staple in their diet, it's none of my or your business. I think food-snobbery makes people take you less seriously than eating a boca burger.
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Permalink Reply by Antonio Enrico Maria Attanasio on -
I strongly doubt that carnivorous people will become vegetarian or vegan more easily thanks to the existence of meat and cheese substitutes. Would you perhaps have remained carnivorous if seitan, tofu and all that stuff had not existed? I don't think so. We seem unable to realize that those foods have been commercially developed by entrepreneurs that wanted to speculate on vegetarians and vegans.
As regards "I'd be vegetarian but I can't give up this or that", if what a person is unable to give up is the taste of meat or the feeling of meat under his/her teeth, his/her motivation to become vegetarian is so feeble that he/she would probably never become vegetarian in the first place, or would not stay vegetarian for long. If what they can't give up is the "noble" proteins they believe they "need", 1) meat substitutes are made of vegetable (mostly soy) and therefore are no different from all the other vegetables, and 2) the human digestive system does NOT absorb proteins as such, but merely absorbs the amino-acids or at most the peptones into which the proteins have been broken down in the bowels; our body then re-builds the proteins we need by assembling the single amino-acids. There is thus absolutely no need to introduce meat proteins (and even less so, fake-meat proteins) in our diet, as vegetal proteins as quite sufficient.
I fully agree that "if someone wants to have tofu as a staple in his/her diet, it's none of my or your business", and in fact I clearly stated, "do eat seitan, tofu, and the rest, if you find it irresistible gourmets' food". The problem I am trying to address is vegetarians' and vegans' apparent conviction that vegetarians and vegans have to eat something that resembles meat (and/or to spice up their vegetables with strange flavours). We have the right to eat all the junk food we like, but if we want to discuss on "gourmet's" tastes (just for the sake of discussion, of course), perhaps more natural, clean flavours should be fostered and sought.
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Permalink Reply by Lauren Woods on
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Well you'd be wrong then. Because I personally know plenty of people who turned because of replacements. Also you cannot judge other people, you come off trying to sound holier-than-thou. Unlike you, I don't care about a person's reasons. All I care about is if a person is nutritionally adequate and if no animals are being harmed. If that's not good enough for you, I'm sure no one cares.
Again, this is all based entirely in your own, snobby opinion. I know plenty of people who use replacements to switch over and are just fine. I am one of those people. Food is addicting, and I commend people for using whatever means to switch their diets, while eating healthy. For you to judge others how they transition is just ridiculous. You have no place, you are not superior to them. I feel the need to tell you this since you aren't aware. We are all on an equal playing field, trying to help animals. Comparing diets as to which one is better is petty, but if it makes you feel better than other people by all means, if you need that for your self esteem.
And I didn't say "noble" I said "complete" which is an actual nutrition term. Let me educate you. All meat is complete protein. Your body better digests complete proteins. A diet full of incomplete proteins can cause health problems. Plants for the most part, are incomplete proteins becaue of the amino acids they lack. You need to combine the right veggies in order to form complete proteins, or else eat a superfood like quinoa or tofu. So no, vegetables alone are not sufficient. You must eat them in the right combinations for them to be sufficient, you're welcome. As meat-eaters are new to how to eat a proper vegetarian diet, consuming tofu is very beneficial. It's beneficial to anyone regardless.
"if someone wants to have tofu as a staple in his/her diet, it's none of my or your business", and in fact I clearly stated, "do eat seitan, tofu, and the rest, if you find it irresistible gourmets' food". Well I'm glad you gave people permission, LOL, while at the same time condescending of their food choice. That is the definition of a food snob.
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Permalink Reply by Jeffrey C. Isbell on -
I think this is the answer that most closely matches mine, though I see goo points in all posts here. Antonio did raise a good point for discussion. I feel that way sometimes - NOT for other people though. I just sometimes wonder at myself, being a fairly new vegetarian. And I conclude that you are right. After all these years eating meat and liking it, it is nice to occasionally have that experience. For me, bottom line, there are no shoulds or should nots. It's not a religion for me. I just don't want to kill animals or be a part of that anymore.
I'm pretty new here. I don't think this will post WHERE I posted it. I am referring to Lauren's first post)
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Permalink Reply by Xiao Kang on -
agree with Lauren. I think fake meat will help a lot for people to turn vegetarian. Of course it doesn't turn carnivores, but it does help those who is in transition, it does help new vegetarians.
In my country, Indonesia, most of people decide to be vegetarian for religious reason, most of them are Buddhist. They turn to be vegetarian not because they don't like the taste of meat, but for religious reason, and the fake meat does help them a lot at the beginning. At least most of my friend say like that.
I, myself, never like the taste of meat, but tempeh and tofu taste so different. It's not meat replacement.
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Permalink Reply by Lauren Woods on
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Another member posted about vegetarianism on the rise- I forgot who it was- in China because of Buddhism. It seems it's on the rise in a lot of places! Thanks in large part, to all the people I've personally known to change successfully, to transitionary foods.
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Permalink Reply by Lee Campbell on
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Theres nothing nostalgic in realising we as humans come from a long line of bloodthirsty killers,anyone who chooses a cruelty free life style is to be commended,certainly not critisised !Vegetarian"s and Vegan"s are very sadly outnumbered by huge frightening numbers of carniverous people,your time would be much better spent on trying to convince them to join us,give it a go and tell me what soccess you have!!!!
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Permalink Reply by Lauren Woods on
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Well said, I agree 100%.
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Permalink Reply by Xiao Kang on
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I never like the taste of meat, so how could I miss it? I prefer raw vegetables a lot.
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Permalink Reply by Lauren Woods on
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Thank you Xiao, for intelligently stating that you yourself never liked meat, while not insinuating everyone else must have the same taste buds as you! I definitely love veggies, but unfortunately most people have differing tastes and we can't impose our own subjective opinions on other people. It's arrogant, obnoxious, and has no logical base.
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Permalink Reply by Ryan Ting on -
I hope I am like you, have no taste for blood at all. Transition stage could be difficult for all kinds of addicts (meat,smoking,alcohol,etc). Be tolerant of our transition stage :)
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Permalink Reply by Lauren Woods on
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:D! Exactly! Food is addicting! It has chemical effects on our brains not unlike drugs. It takes a great deal of strength to give up your food vices. I commend you for having that strength. Anyone who tries to tear you down for how you go about it or say you are going to fail? They are worthless, they don't care about the cause they just want to look better for themselves. You deserve all the support in the world, and I am positive you certainly will :)!! Cravings never stop but they will switch to different, healthier things! For instance, I haven't craved meat since I changed, but now I crave bread and asparagus, haha. My new vices ;)!
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