Vegetarians - if you don't like meat, why do some vegetarians eat meat analogues (soy bacon, sausages, burgers, TVP as mince)?
by 
Tani
ANSWERS: 9
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Because they want to eat meat, but they are trying to avoid it by using a decoy. They satisfy their needs for hamburgers by eating them made of fake meat. Some are OK. I tried a fake hot dog that was absolutely repulsive. The only fake meat that I really like was a scallop salad that my wife made. It was made of fake scallops, but they were very good. My mother couldn't believe they were not the real thing.
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I am vegetarian and have always wondered that also. To me it's a mockery, and in a way defeating the purpose of being a vegetarian i.e. they are wishing for meat. This is just my opinion and I might be wrong lol.
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It's not necessarily true that vegetarians don't like meat -- I'm sort of in the middle ground.... I still eat meat, but prefer vegetarian, and I know lots of vegetarians. Some of them like meat but have committed themselves to not eating it for ethical or health reasons. That doesn't necessarily end the craving, which is a deeply conditioned response developed in childhood. So meat substitutes are one way of dealing with that.
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I have also often wondered about this - and what is the meat flavour in vegetarian food made out of? I don't see the attraction f eating cardboard made to taste like meat - either go for good fresh veggies or good fresh meat/fish.....
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I could make you a tofu parmesan you would swear was chicken. I think the analogues are more popular with the converts. My brother and his wife are both vegan, between the grains and fresh fruit and veggies well prepared. I have no problem crossing the line. They also eat cheese and eggs so, you don't seem to miss the meat.
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Most wonderful people in the world that turn vegetarian are mainly due to their righteous rejection of having to brutally rob the living flesh off from another defenseless non-human being. In the beginning stages in their vegetarianism, the most challenging for some would be to undo that strong meat-eating habit of the past. This old habit has been so strongly conditioned since childhood when the first solid food taught to be eaten was meat by, who else but the loving mums and dads. "Meat analogues", as you've put it, are the NICORETTE® equivalence in smokers who has just started to kick their smoking habit. Of course, not all people that turn vegetarians necessarily like meat analogues, as are not all people who quit smoking necessarily need the NICORETTE® to quit. Therefore, meat analogues are useful for new vegetarians to serve as a smoother transitional change away from a life time of habitual reliance on brutally robbed fleshes of innocent lives. The ultimate purpose is to finally kick one's meat habit just like a smoker kicking the smoking habit.
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I don't know anybody that gave up eating meat due to taste. Usually the reasons are animal compassion, health, religion, etc, and meat analogues don't present problems for those areas.
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Some vegetarians LOVE meat, but love animals even more and make the sacrifice out of compassion. Meatless substitutes make it easier for them. Also, our society has been made to believe that not eating meat is weird and different, so meat substitutes can make vegetarians somewhat "part of the crowd" and not AS different. Personally, I think it's a little strange. But for those of us who weren't raised vegetarian but converted later, it's nice to be able to recreate dishes from my childhood with vegetarian substitutes, like my mom's chili with veggie crumbles instead of ground beef. : )
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They can like the taste and still not be willing to kill for it :)
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