/ck/ - Food & Cooking

>>9375214
The idea of trying to mimic the texture and "bleeding" of animal tissue in order to reach consumers who otherwise would not consider a meatless diet seems ultimately self-defeating to me since the more they try and imitate the real thing the more scrutiny it will end up inviting. If your goal is to replicate meat to such a degree, that you are compelling consumers to constantly remember what they COULD be eating instead and compare their food choices and themselves to that standard. That seems to me like it will inevitably lead to feeling of consolation and settling that isn't healthy for durable long-term lifestyle changes. It's perpetuating the contemporary ideal that people still need a "meat"-like substance to be the center or heart of nearly every meal.

It's sort of acting as a crutch or wobbly bridge between two sides of a white-water river where many people are likely to get stalled out halfway through or regress back to the starting point of their old habits because of lack of satisfaction with unrealistic expectations and higher cost. Don't misunderstand, I don't wish the Beyond Burger's developers ill. I just don't believe they will ever be able to make a truly no-compromise competitive meatless substitute that can broaden vegetarian/veganism's appeal. I think the development of cruelty-free environmentally and sustainable test-tube meat probably stands a better shot, but then you still have to contend with the inherent health-degrading impacts of animal protein then.