Meat-eaters like to ask a question that goes a little like this: “If you’re a [insert “vegan, vegetarian or label-free animal-product-abstainer” here], why would you want to eat something that mimics meat?”
This vegetarian is of the ilk that doesn’t deny meat’s tastiness; that was never the reason I stopped consuming it (Reuben sandwiches were my jam). You know all those ethical, environmental and health dilemmas associated with supporting the meat industry, though? Yeeeah. Those are why.
I try not to make a habit of eating the meat alternatives typically found in a grocery store’s frozen or produce sections, as previous V Word columns have pointed out. Though I do give in from time to time, these companies breeding veg-friendly burgers that they say look, cook, smell and “bleed” like their conventional counterparts weird me out.
But I could be flying solo on this one. The talked-about vegan Beyond Burger from one brand, Beyond Meat, sold out in an hour after being introduced to a Boulder, Colorado, Whole Foods Market refrigerated case (not freezer) just in time for Memorial Day. And another company, Impossible Foods, has garnered praise from Momofuku chef and founder David Chang and others for a similar plant-protein patty, the Impossible Burger.
“Today I tasted the future and it was vegan: this burger was juicy/bloody and had real texture like beef. But more delicious and way better for the planet,” Chang’s April 30 post on social media read. “I can’t really comprehend its impact quite yet… but I think it might change the whole game.”
Maybe, but I prefer meatless creations that aren't trying to lure herbivores and hardcore carnies (Impossible Foods’ target audience) with sizzling, bleeding versions of the real thing.
I'm thinking of 2016 James Beard semifinalist Superiority Burger, a New York City vegetarian restaurant whose namesake sandwich attracts lines down the block. Or the dreamy vegetable sandwich at Engine No. 9, one of the best burger joints in St. Petersburg. The homemade beet and black bean patty at No. 9’s neighbor Love Food Central. And the plant-based comfort foods (such as vegan pastrami and cheese) from Atlas Meat-Free Deli, a Hollywood, Florida, farmers’ market vendor.
These aren’t imitations. They’re better, which, according to Modern Farmer contributor Dan Nosowitz, is key when it comes to cultivating a healthier planet.
“There’s more to making an ethical, sustainable burger than just replacing the meat with plants,” Nosowitz writes. “To get people to switch from meat we’ll need some pretty amazing innovation, sure — but it won’t come from trying to imitate existing foods. It’ll come from making entirely new foods.”
He’s got a point. And anyway, who needs burgers? Especially when some of us can’t stop dreaming about roasted red peppers, truffled goat cheese and grilled mushrooms on multigrain.
This article appears in Jun 2-8, 2016.