A question for Veggies?

boots_babe

I've been veggie since I was about 9 and tbh can't even remember what meat tastes like. However I love Quorn - for its own taste, not because I think it tastes in any way like meat; in fact if it reminded me of meat it would probably just put me off eating it. I never understand why people think that you need to have a 'replacement' for meat. I'm quite happy eating vegetables the vast majority of the time and Quorn occasionally.

Don't like soya/TVP though, and not that keen on any other meat type substitutes as they seem a bit tasteless.

Loadsabob

Interesting reading.

I've been veggie for 15 years, and it was for purely moral reasons back then, I was just uncomfortable with another creature dying when I didn't need it in order to survive. I was a very millitant teenager at the time. Now I'm quite mellow, and the veggie way of life is just habit for me and something I'm comfortable with. It would feel very odd to me to take up meat or fish again, so I won't.

However, I was brought up on meat and fish, and enjoyed it, and I liked the mouth-feel and chewiness of meat, and am quite partial to quorn burgers and meat-style sausages in some meals. I disagree that people who've given up for moral reasons don't like meat-style products. It's quite an individual thing.

I use soya mince and chunks (mainly mince, for spag bol, and chilli), and as for the question "what's the point?" - well soya is a very important food to veggies. I use tofu and soya milk, but also the mince and chunks, as it's a very good, low fat protein. It's not best to get all your veggie protein from dairy due to the high fat contents, so I'm eating it for nutrients, not to pretend it's meat!

I eat a great deal of vegetables, plenty of pasta, rice and pulses, but the odd quorn fillet and veggie bacon (some kinds) really gives me more to play with in my overall meal planning.

As for the cost, my boyfriend spends WAY more money on food than I do. We both eat loads of vegetables and cook from scratch, but he includes organic bacon, sausages and chicken and has loads of mackerel, tuna and sardines. My quorn and TVP consumption doesn't even come close in cost!

Esmerelda

This makes really interesting reading. I have been Vegan for 8 years now and I could never go back to meat/dairy. I don't eat meat subsitutes except tofu as I find them too salty, especially veggie mince. Compared to my friends (all impoverished students) my food is more expensive but I guess that's because rather than buying cheap food I buy everything fresh and cook for myself. Ready made vegan stuff is definatly more expensive than the ordinary equivalent. Soya milk is the one thing I wish cost less, it seems to work out at nearly twice the price of dairy. It seems to me that since it became en vogue to eat organic food and worry about the ingredients it has been much easier to get speciality food in supermarkets and for things to be marked as vegan. It makes life easier and cheaper as supermarkets always charge less than healthfood shops.

Trow

thanet wrote:

When time is short??? How long does it take to make a stirfry?

Probably about double the time taken to heat a quorn burger - and even then the burger can be left for a while whereas a stir fry can't.

With two self-employed roles, one employed, two kids and a house sometimes you need all the short cuts you can take.

Maybe its the whole typewritten thing where expression doesn't come across well, but your comment sounds vaguely 'superior' without any real justification. I hope that accident rather than design.

Loadsabob

Bossyboots wrote:

I try to avoid using meat substitutes for my daughter but have yet to find an alternative way of making toad-in-the-hole without sausages.

Forgot to say, it occured to me when I read your post, Bossyboots, that the most "meaty" thing I enjoy as a veggie is field mushrooms. I had some sliced thinckly and cooked very fiercely in butter the other night, with my macaroni cheese. I also love them roasted with Sunday roast. So they may work in toad in the hole if you want to replace sausages. My only concern would be the amount of liquid mushrooms give out - my not help the batter...I think it might be trial and error, but I bet the results would be yummy, searing the mushrooms in hot butter first...possibly aubergine slices may have the same tasty chewiness used in this way...I will try, and see!