The Veganism Thread

[Odinson]

I went and bought some meat free "sausages", OMG it was terrible. I don't think anybody since Snow White has had a worse experience with a dozen little worsies. 

 

 What did you get? 

 

I'm not big on the 'mock meat' stuff. It may be plant-based (though a lot of it is vegetarian), but it's also a highly processed food. 

 

I'll do some digging to see what's around, if you've got a hankering for a thick, juicy sausage that absolutely needs to be met. 

 

[Stretch]

When we were in the UK in the mid 90s it was the height of the mad cow disease... We used to eat all those messy substitute sausages etc.. They weren't that bad... But I was also 21

[Thor Buttox]

I went and bought some meat free "sausages", OMG it was terrible. I don't think anybody since Snow White has had a worse experience with a dozen little worsies.

Hahaha! My dearest tried a faux patty on me the other day and it was similar to eating a dry rice cake that had all flavour removed, and some additional dispepsia added for herbal relief. That being said, by hook, by crook, and by dint of time constraints I have had almost no meat for 5 days except for a chicken breast. And other than a bad temper, lack of humour and constipation I feel great.

 

(Humour, of course. Actually we went out for my b-day last week and she had a vegan burger that was actually bloody delicious. But rather expensive. Can see why only the e-Lite can afford a really flavorsome meal, to some degree.)

[Odinson]

There's basically two schools now when it comes to 'mock meats' or 'meat analogues' - whatever you want to call it. 

 

The first is the old-school Quorn and supermarket house brand veggie type patties, schnitzels, etc. Those are usually dry and flavorless. 

 

Then you get the new school. Impossible Meats and Beyond Burger (can also count companies like Gardein here). Meat analogues that can fool a lot of meat eaters. Those are the ones you want to go for if you absolutely have to have a meat type meal. I gorged on vegan junk food when in NYC and Cali recently and the level that those guys operate at is something else. The taste of the mock chicken, beef, bacon, etc. is uncanny. 

[Chris_]

Hahaha! My dearest tried a faux patty on me the other day and it was similar to eating a dry rice cake that had all flavour removed, and some additional dispepsia added for herbal relief. That being said, by hook, by crook, and by dint of time constraints I have had almost no meat for 5 days except for a chicken breast. And other than a bad temper, lack of humour and constipation I feel great.

 

(Humour, of course. Actually we went out for my b-day last week and she had a vegan burger that was actually bloody delicious. But rather expensive. Can see why only the e-Lite can afford a really flavorsome meal, to some degree.)

 

I don't really get this, and I hear it fairly often.

 

Is vegan food really expensive outside of South Africa? The few options we have here seem very reasonable. Straight comparisons like veg vs meat burgers - the veg is usually cheaper. 

 

I suppose its because we don't have the better tasting faux-meat options. (?)

[Odinson]

I don't really get this, and I hear it fairly often.

 

Is vegan food really expensive outside of South Africa? The few options we have here seem very reasonable. Straight comparisons like veg vs meat burgers - the veg is usually cheaper. 

 

I suppose its because we don't have the better tasting faux-meat options. (?)

 

In regards to eating out, I think a major issue is that you have restaurant management asking chefs to create a vegan option, whereas they have little to perhaps no experience in putting together proper plant-based meals. Thus, you often end up with crappy burgers, pastas, etc. 

 

This perpetuates the myth that 'vegan food' is bland crap, whereas the world of flavours in plant-based cooking, IMO, is that much more varied than traditional fair. 

[Thor Buttox]

I don't really get this, and I hear it fairly often.

 

Is vegan food really expensive outside of South Africa? The few options we have here seem very reasonable. Straight comparisons like veg vs meat burgers - the veg is usually cheaper.

 

I suppose its because we don't have the better tasting faux-meat options. (?)

Yes, here it is significantly more, but then things like orange juice are also ludicrously expensive.

 

Think Thor the Second is right though - seems to be that most restaurants have it as an afterthought. Although we did go to an 8 course degustation menu for our anniversary and they made 8 veggie courses for her. And I can say with absolute honesty that the one mushroom dish was one of the best things I have ever tasted... but the sauce was high on the list of reasons why, not the shrooms themselves.

[Odinson]

Yes, here it is significantly more, but then things like orange juice are also ludicrously expensive.

 

Think Thor the Second is right though - seems to be that most restaurants have it as an afterthought. Although we did go to an 8 course degustation menu for our anniversary and they made 8 veggie courses for her. And I can say with absolute honesty that the one mushroom dish was one of the best things I have ever tasted... but the sauce was high on the list of reasons why, not the shrooms themselves.

 

Seeing that I now have the most numerous post count, I may claim the title of the 'One True Thor'. 

 

I've said this before: you can go really deep down the vegan rabbit hole, if you want to pound down spirulina and acai smoothies and Beyond Burgers, but if you focus your day to day meals on whole plant foods (beans, greens, veggies and fruits) then it needn't be expensive. 

 

Watch this space: I'll do a vegan-on-cheap challenge when I'm in SA again. Will post the results here. 

[Captain Fastbastard Mayhem]

Even though I'm not a vegan by any stretch of the imagination, I still get excited about things like this. It IS the future of meat-for-food, IMO. 

 

@odinson, what's your take on this? I think it's excellent, but not sure how you'd consider it, seeing as it's still an animal product at its core. No animals were harmed in the making of this product. 

 

[Eldron]

Even though I'm not a vegan by any stretch of the imagination, I still get excited about things like this. It IS the future of meat-for-food, IMO. 

 

@odinson, what's your take on this? I think it's excellent, but not sure how you'd consider it, seeing as it's still an animal product at its core. No animals were harmed in the making of this product. 

 

 

This kinda follows the "vegetables that resemble meat" debate.

 

My wife does not like meat - she doesn't like the leaky blood, texture or smell. She would hate this.

 

Me - I like meat so this is the right result for me. Meat with better socially and environmentally.

 

Veggie food that resembles meat is designed to try and convert/appease meat eaters that actually like meat. Other veggie food (which is better than veggie "meat" in my opinion) is for veggie eaters that actually like veggies.

[Odinson]

Even though I'm not a vegan by any stretch of the imagination, I still get excited about things like this. It IS the future of meat-for-food, IMO. 

 

@odinson, what's your take on this? I think it's excellent, but not sure how you'd consider it, seeing as it's still an animal product at its core. No animals were harmed in the making of this product. 

 

 

Ha! Had the link to the video sitting in my mails, but forgot to post it here. 

 

Personally, if it can be brought to market at a lower cost point than conventional animal products and can largely collapse traditional animal agriculture, I'm all for it. It has ethical and environmental benefits. 

 

At the moment, a lot of the 'meat' being produced is not strictly vegan, as they often use fetal bovine serum as the growth medium, but there are and will be plant-based mediums in the future. 

 

Will I personally be chowing down on 'steaks' and 'chicken' nuggets in the future? I doubt it. It's still animal protein, so still has the negative health implications of saturated fat, IGF-1, etc. 

 

It's most definitely a step in the right direction and it'll be interesting to see what the future holds. 

[Captain Fastbastard Mayhem]

This kinda follows the "vegetables that resemble meat" debate.

 

My wife does not like meat - she doesn't like the leaky blood, texture or smell. She would hate this.

 

Me - I like meat so this is the right result for me. Meat with better socially and environmentally.

 

Veggie food that resembles meat is designed to try and convert/appease meat eaters that actually like meat. Other veggie food (which is better than veggie "meat" in my opinion) is for veggie eaters that actually like veggies.

Agreed with the vegetable food side as well. A good veggie burger (mushroom / chickpea / whatever based) can be amazeballs, if done properly. 

[Eldron]

Agreed with the vegetable food side as well. A good veggie burger (mushroom / chickpea / whatever based) can be amazeballs, if done properly.

Agreed! A veggie burger done right appeased the carnivore in me on all levels.

[Kranswurm]

Agreed with the vegetable food side as well. A good veggie burger (mushroom / chickpea / whatever based) can be amazeballs, if done properly. 

I am not vegetarian by any stretch of the imagination let alone vegan but I eat vegetarian 3 times a week with fish and chicken on two nights and meat on two

I enjoy the woolies veggie burgers.

My sons fiance is vegetarian and when they stay with me or like now Ill be with them in Slaapstad over the holiday we chow vegetarian

[Chris_]

Even though I'm not a vegan by any stretch of the imagination, I still get excited about things like this. It IS the future of meat-for-food, IMO. 

 

@odinson, what's your take on this? I think it's excellent, but not sure how you'd consider it, seeing as it's still an animal product at its core. No animals were harmed in the making of this product. 

 

 

 

We initially stopped eating meat for health reasons. So this'll make no difference to that argument.

 

Its strange though how the environmental and ethical reasons seem to slowly build in substance the longer you go without.

 

I think this is a very exciting industry movement.

[Chris_]

For anyone looking to cut down on chicken consumption or the industry.. 

 

Quorn Crumbed Schnitzels... Absolutely blew my mind.