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Comment by jmilkbal | Hacker News Reader

I said mixed feelings because that exactly how I feel. It's more hesitant, but I suppose you could say I'm cautiously optimistic.

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You're placing artifical constraints way too soon, though. It came off unnecessarily dismissive, not cautiously optimistic :p

I don't have much faith in the patent or global food system to create something with "ineffable 'quality'". Once the local food conglomerates are able to produce this, it's all about a price point and most frequently that price point is so low that anything you'd describe as high quality is not available. Think Salisbury steak. What will end up happening is a stratification of meat. Those with higher disposable incomes will eat dead things and the impoverished will get the poor economies of scale.

You may find my lack of faith disturbing.

Edited for Vader.

"Once the local food conglomerates are able to produce this, it's all about a price point and most frequently that price point is so low that anything you'd describe as high quality is not available. Think Salisbury steak. What will end up happening is a stratification of meat. Those with higher disposable incomes will eat dead things and the impoverished will get the poor economies of scale."

I agree with you to a minor extent, in that there'll be extremely high quality meat available and cheap gro-meat available for the backyard burgers and fast food. I do not see this as an issue. Production will be cheaper, use up less resources, and destroy the shitty mediocre meat, leaving the higher-quality just as cheap as it always was.

"You may find my lack of faith disturbing."

I find it unsurprising, but I really don't see things as being that bad. This would be entirely preferable (in the pocketbook) for low-to-middle-classed meat eaters.

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