What Vegans Want

at 6:31 pm on January 18, 2009 under Jan: Vegan/Refined Sugar/Corn Syrup Free | 4 Comments

My last post fantasizing about a cupcake that had eggs and refined sugar, two big no-nos, received two interesting comments from friends. They recommended a couple of vegan and non-refined sugar options for satisfying a sweet tooth that I wanted to repost, with a question.

We all know a vegan or two out there who thumb their noses at the idea of eating a vegan “meat replacement.” Why should you need a replacement for something you shouldn’t be eating anyway? And there are quite a few more ominvores out there who say they would never eat something that “pretends” to be meat, when they could actually eat meat.

I’m a little bit in both camps, but only because some of the replacements are actually better than the original. Vegan sausage is so much better than real sausage in my opinion, and soy milk is really growing on me. But bacon is bacon; it can’t be replaced. When I was a kid I used to build meaty fortresses from the unlimited bacon buffet at Shoney’s, and demolish them like a dragon who just turned in his yarmulke. On the other hand, I’ve tried real duck, and the mock duck at Pongsri Thailand Restaurant in Lower Manhattan would beat out Daffy’s greasy carcass any day.

But I wonder, what vegan “meat replacements” do you recommend? Is there something you gave to an omnivorous friend that has effectively fooled them? Is there a dish that just happens to be vegan that you would eat even if you were the world’s most dedicated meat eater?

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  • Tree Hugging Lunatic said,

    I haven’t tried to fool meat eaters, but I can tell you that the first time I tried Gardenburger’s Barbeque Riblets, I had to read the ingredient list several times before I really believed it was vegan.

    I find that when I try substitute products that are a little different than what I’m used to, it helps if I add an additional flavor. For example, right now, I love soy milk and can drink it by the glass. But when I first switched from cow’s milk, I only enjoyed small quantities of soymilk when it was on my cereal.

    Another example is if you’re trying vegan cheese on a sandwich, use a little less than you would have used with cow cheese, then add a new something, like pickles or mustard, or something that would be good but you didn’t usually do that before.

    If you really want to try to fool a carnivore, start with a really good substitute, then add some new flavor to it.

    Thus I might try the Gardenburger Vegan BBQ Riblets on a fresh sub roll, with Veganaise (vegan mayonnaise), thinly sliced onions, and maybe even a dash of horseradish, which is vegan, despite the horse! It may sound a bit odd, but I’ve fixed it like that before and really liked it. :)

  • Kristen said,

    Mu hubby’s the “Steak, Medium Rare” kinda guy. He uses milk in his coffee, and used to swear he’d never quit “Real Milk” for soy. Despite the fact that soy’s cheaper around here these days, and both our daughter and I have to have it.
    One day, he asked me to fix him a glass of chocolate milk. Y’know, Hershey’s, Milk, stir. I brought him a glass of chocolate soy, instead, and he actually had no clue. Asked for another glass, in fact. So I brought the carton with me to pour him the glass. :-P
    Now he’s working on making a full switch, especially since we recently learned that his cholesterol is somewhat elevated in a bad way.

  • Pages tagged "shoneys" said,

    [...] bookmarks tagged shoneys What Vegans Want » Just a Month saved by 6 others     xHuax bookmarked on 01/22/09 | [...]

  • Surviving New York » Just a Month said,

    [...] this weekend in the city. But in fact I ate better than I have in weeks. I made a bee-line for the previously mentioned Thailand restaurant near China town by 100 Centre Street (where I came close to snapping a photo [...]

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