I don’t get this appeal of turning goos and veggies into ‘meat’. Just make them their own thing. You don’t rly have to compete with meat.
So, people are supposed to go without the comfort food of childhood completely and are supposed to never get some of the textures of these products?
I'm not personally a fan of the beyond meat most of the time, but I do use other fake meat from time to time (Quorn, for example, or ground meat made from soy). I can make bean burgers - and do, usually chickpeas and brown rice - but if I'm buying, I'm buying stuff with a nice chewy texture that I can't quite get at home. I make some childhood comfort food, too, and sometimes it just gives and easy protein.
And I don't look at it as a competition. I don't care that it tastes of meat and I wouldn't really know anyway - it has been too long. I care that it tastes good enough and has a good texture. Making it taste (or 'bleed') like meat isn't a gimmick for me, but for meat eaters.
- Protein-rich vegetables (legumes and beans) are not so easy to make into tasty dish, if you are not used to them. Meat alternatives often have high protein content and they don't requiere... Anything.
- I don't have time to discover whole, new world of vegan cuisine, tips and tricks about lentils, fava bean caseroles and other things. I want a normal dinner, just without animals in it.
You should find regional variants right there on the shelf — more or less garlic, spice, chickpeas, tahini, parsley, etc. It’s also very easy to make, whether with tinned favas or dried. Simmer with garlic and olive oil, add tahini, lemon juice, parsley, salt/pepper/chili to taste.
If you eat eggs and dairy, it’s an epic breakfast. An Ethiopian place I used to know in SF served it very spicy with a poached egg, plain yogurt/labneh, a fresh baguette and amazing tangy coffee. Memorable.
Dolmades, the stuffed grape leaves, are also satisfying in a vaguely meatlike way. Caution, while most are veg, some have actual meat.
I'm a meat eater at heart, and the junky meat and cheese substitutes really scratch an itch that the healthier options can't.
Given the huge year over year rise in consumption of these substitutes it seems like a lot of people similarly are more down to have the occasional Impossible or Beyond burger from a fast food chain than the old school veggie/bean patties.
Some meat-eaters get bored of meat in its original form so process it into something else tasty - and likewise some vegetarians.