Jenise wrote:I've always held, and believe you once did too as we've discussed it here long ago, that it seems rather silly-odd to give up meat but then want to eat processed food that is formed and shaped like the meat that's no longer good enough for you. I believe we were particularly derisive of fake hot dogs. I find it very interesting, then, and observe this without condemnation, that you're now on the other side of the fence.
It's true! And I guess my first snarky response is to say that now that I've thought it over, we were cracking wise about something that wasn't really any of our business.
More seriously, perhaps, cracking wise over something that I had not internalized and couldn't really understand.
In the busy discussions on Facebook last night, which broke into three parts under the three pictures (links above), I gave some off-the-cuff responses that I still like when I re-examine them in the light of day:
First, in brief:
"... they'll serve to fill a shrimp-size space in the heart and tummy of a seafood lover who has made an ethical decision to choose a plant-based diet."
Second, a longer answer I gave Jeff, which really wraps up the way I feel now:
Jeff Grossman No hate, just a question: If the intended consumer won't eat animal products then why is it a good idea to call the yam-based product by an animal-ish name? For that matter, why make yam stuff look like an animal when that is exactly what you _don't_ want to eat?
Robin Garr Jeff: Because you once ate and liked that stuff and miss the taste, but not the experience of eating once-sentient life? Because you decided to give up (or reduce) eating animal-based protein for environmental reasons, but you still remember how good shrimp or beef or pork used to taste? Because you read the research and decided - particularly as a graying Boomer - that meat consumption seems linked to heart disease and colon cancer and a bunch of other bad stuff? But you still want variety and flavor interest and, sometimes, the comfort-food experience? People choose plant-based food for many reasons, but people who love good food still seek variety. And, bottom line, why in the world should anyone care what gets someone else through the night, as long as no one is harmed in the process?
A side tour into the mind of a graying food writer watching a changing culinary world:
"... for those who'd prefer not to eat animals but have affectionate recollections of seafood, they offer an appealing option. Mostly, though, as stated at the outset, I wanted to experiment at the outer edges of the culinary scene. Both because of emerging food politics and the reality of the Baby Boom aging, plant-based options are becoming more mainstream. As a food writer who falls into the Boomer category, I'm interested in staying ahead of the curve and being one of the experts that the others will call for quotes when they finally get there."
And finally, just a little indulgence in snark:
"I look at commercials for BMW, Rolex and expensive cigars - and, now that I think about it, most Parker or Speck 100-point wines - and I just roll my eyes. I have little interest in those things, and yeah, I'm tempted to judge those who do. But I TRY not to."
