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Comment by pjot | Hacker News Reader

Does meat actually taste good though? When has anyone ordered unseasoned chicken?

Salt and spices taste good.

The fallacy here is pretty transparent. On the one hand, you’re saying meat ”doesn’t taste good” because it is usually not served in isolation. But on the other hand, you claim that seasoning tastes good, despite the fact that it is never served in isolation.

Where is fallacy ? Sugar is sweet I’ve never ordered a cup of sugar in a cafe or seen it on the menu

Parent claims that because we don’t eat meat plain, this shows that it isn’t the meat that ”tastes good”, its the seasoning. The fallacy is that we could have applied the exact same logic to the seasoning: we don’t eat steak seasoning plain, therefore it isn’t the seasoning that tastes good, its the meat. By parent’s logic, meat both does and does not taste good.

The resolution, which has always been obvious to everyone (except hackernews, apparently) is that flavour is the result of the combination of ingredients. That you typically eat X and Y together doesn’t mean X is tasteless and Y is tasty (or the reverse). It just means X and Y combine to make a good dish.

This is the same site where I read a post about making puree vegetables and freezing them as meal planning, because flavor was secondary to efficiency. So. . .

Vegetables puree? That's amature hour. This is the same subculture that VC-funded Soylent.

I really think the "you don't actually like meat" strategy is counterproductive to the cause of getting people comfortable with alternatives.

It totally is.

I like meat. In fact, I really like it.

No shame in that.

The answer is in the fact that I (we) like a lot of other stuff!

Maximize that and meat consumption will be reduced.

Maybe not good strategy but still really interesting question.

It's a really silly question. People love the aroma of meat, obviously. Steak is often served with just a bit of extra salt, which has no aroma of its own. The smell of meet on a fire is already delicious, even without salt.

Of course, there are also people who don't like the taste of meat at all. But to claim people who like meat actually like the spices is patently ridiculous, not interesting.

We do eat meat plain. Not poultry typically, but give me a Dutch oven and with little more than some oil and water I can easily prepare a delicious 3 hour braise of chuck roast that can gently shred apart with a fork. The fat is delicious, it melts out to a liquidy goodness that bathes the meat. Get a nice charred sear on both sides before adding the braising liquid, you’ll have flavorful goodness.

Adding more ingredients only enhances the flavor, but it’s not necessary if your taste buds aren’t hyperstimulated. Meat tastes good.

Indians have figured out how to make vegetables taste very good (It helps India is perfect for growing spices)

But Indians still eat meat, the majority in fact.

The secret is just loads and loads of onions that add umami, no? Spices/herbs are added to meats too.

India has one of the lowest life expectancies in the world and and exploding rate of diabetes.

Just for fun and games, let's apply your logic but inverse the argument.

Do salt and spices actually taste good though? When has anyone ordered only salt and spices?

Need both (or salt, spices and vegetables/lentils/beans etc), and a skilled cook for delicious meal.

It does taste good!

When cooked, most meats have the necessary fats needed to bring out great flavor. Anyone who has done primitive camping can tell you just how good meat cooked in various ways is!

> Does meat actually taste good though?

It does to me -- but I think there's a good point here (even if unintentional):

Meats have _textures_ that vegetables don't have. Someone else mentioned how the Impossible Burger replicates "the bloody meat texture". For many folks, that's going to be as important as the taste.

I love vegetables but sometimes I just want a hamburger -- or kung pao chicken, or lamb kadhi, or many other dishes where I _like_ the taste and texture of the meat, and I don't have a better replacement.

Red meats taste good sans spices.

eh, you still need salt + pepper.

No, you don't. Well, maybe you do, but it can be prepared well and require none of those things.

Salt helps a lot, but pepper is not necessary. And even an unsalted steak is still good.

You haven't really understood what I said.

You can want one thing, but you have to live with the real thing.

Some people think meat tastes good, regardless of seasoning. Drawing attention to seasoning is just a red herring.

We need to figure out low-co2 meat. And seasonings.

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