bearisgray

[QUOTE=Onebyone;8629088]It doesn't bother me what others eat or don't eat and why but I never understood wanting food that looked and tasted like meat but wasn't meat. Vegan burgers, meatless foods that look like meat versions. Why want the food to taste and look like the food you are avoiding by choice?

This has also puzzled me.

Also , the things that are supposed to taste like butter , but are not.

according to a couple of books i read way back when , plants have feelings. too.

Not so sure about the general air quality and water quality if we could just survive on air and water.

cfuzzy

Do you eat eggs? Have a recipe for mushroom cutlets which have cheese and eggs to bind along with bread crumbs from a vegetarian
cookbook.

Peckish

In MY family, the controversy comes from those who are vegan coming across as holier-than-thou because they think they are a better person for not eating meat, and that if the rest of us wanted to be good human beans, we'd stop eating meat also. It's turned into a huge issue anytime we have family outings, to the point where if Person A knows that Person B (the vegan) is coming, Person A will make an excuse and not attend. I don't know why there has to be guilt trips and virtue-signaling involved. Just live and let live, for Pete's sake.

GingerK

On a slightly different note...back in the 80's, we had friends who were vegetarian....and wore leather coats and shoes. To me, that was like the buffalo hunters that killed buffalo for their hides and left the corpses to rot. The indigenous people of the time used all of the animal, just like the abattoirs of today.

cashs_mom

That has always confused me, too. If meat is so awful why would you want to eat something made to taste like the awful meat? And, yes, they have a lot of weird artificial ingredients that I'm thinking are a lot worse for me than meat.

cashs_mom

I've never understood that either. I don't much care what others eat or don't eat as long as they don't impose their beliefs on me. I eat meat. I like meat. What others eat is none of my business and, NO, they are not better than I am for being vegan. You come to my house there will be meat on the table. You don't like it, don't come.

I agree. Drop the virtue signalling and let everyone get on with their life.

sewingpup

my problem is I really like live animals, all of them, except maybe wasps and hornets cuz they keep stinging me, but I do appreciate their importance in the over-all scheme of things. And I also really like live plants! I find it very hard to thin things like carrots and tomato plants in my garden cuz I am killing the seedlings when I rip them out of the soil. So yeah, I eat just about everything but try not to waste it. Sighhh..I still toss to much food although I do try not too. It is the way of nature, to eat or be eaten. Just the way things are.

peaceandjoy

Different beings eat different things. Cats are carnivores, they need meat. Cows are herbivores, they survive on plants. Humans are omnivores, unless by choice.

Like most, I don't care what someone else is eating. I have friends who are vegan and others who are vegetarian. Vegan is harder to cook for, IMO. One is a bit (okay, maybe more than a bit) smug about that choice, and sometimes tries to make others feel bad about their food choices. The rest, like me, pretty much take on a "do as you please" attitude. Rarely do I see or hear any controversy about it.

For anyone who has dietary restrictions, whether by choice or need (glucose intolerance or an allergy to a particular food), I think it's okay to ask a host or hostess what the planned meal is. If they cannot enjoy it, they can offer to bring something to share, or simply bring their own food. Perhaps, if there's enough notice given, the host/hostess will make a dish that would suit them. I'd hate for anyone to miss an opportunity to spend time with friends or family because of food choices.

I'm not a fan of faux foods, whether meat, cheese or pizza crust. None I've had are anywhere close to the same taste. We often have vegetarian dishes simply bc I like them. Usually, they are not difficult to make and also heat up well later, so can be made ahead or in large batches for multiple meals.

My husband is lactose intolerant, but he finally understands that most hard cheese and butter are lactose free, so that helps. This past year, I finally tried Wegmans chocolate chips at the suggestion of a vegan friend. They aren't my favorite, but they are vegan, so I use them in chocolate chip cookies when DH will be partaking.

Maybe we could look at it as an opportunity to learn about different foods rather than controversy?

bearisgray

I only knew of one person that had food allergies when I was growing up. And her list was looooong.

I am 82 for context.

rjwilder

I am a vegan, I make my vegan burgers to look like meat because I eat it the same way you eat your beef burgers in a bun. You could put your beef burger on a plate and eat it with a fork, so could I but we don’t, why not? Vegans are not wanting the food we eat to look like or taste like the food you eat. I have no clue what your food tastes like. Sometimes my burgers end up as taco’s, in salads, pasta dishes, just like you make. I don’t use any fake foods like frozen vegan sausage, premade vegan burgers, etc. I eat real foods just like you do just not meat. What you make with meat I can make with a variety of beans and veggies.