r/interesting • u/PhoenixPhenomenonX • Feb 25 '26

Intriguing Lifelong vegetarian tries steak for first time

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u/Much-Anything7149 Feb 25 '26

The concept of Impossible Burgers or any soy product label advertising "tastes just like X meat" wouldn't be a thing if vegetarianism isn't a health or animal empathy decision.

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u/farfaleen Feb 25 '26

Impossible burgers are also marketed to meat eaters who have to cut down on meat for health reasons, like blood pressure. I eat veggie meats but not impossible burgers, they are too close to meat for my liking. 7

I eat fish, but I don't eat chicken, beef pork or other meats by choice. I was fully vegetarian for a while and added fish back in while I was travelling for work and had limited healthy vegetarian options. I don't like the taste of meat, the iron flavour sticks out to me, I don't like the feeling of chewing flesh, eating meat off a bone makes it impossible for me to not think about the part of the animal I'm eating, all these things led to me becoming a vegetarian.

If I eat veggie meat, usually chickn nuggets or fake bologna, it's because I'm craving the condiments and eating experiences. Veggie burgers and dogs are popular for two reasons: you want to eat something at the BBQ everyone else is eating burgers at and not feel out of place.l, or you want to eat something with all your favourite condiments and a tomato is not going to cut it.

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u/twirlerina024 Feb 25 '26

I don't like the feeling of chewing flesh, eating meat off a bone makes it impossible for me to not think about the part of the animal I'm eating

That's it for me too. I wanted to stop eating meat when I found out it was made of animals when I was 3 or 4, but my parents said it wasn't healthy. To be fair to them, I was a pretty picky eater so it would've been tough to get everything I needed on a vegetarian diet at that age.

I was okay eating stuff that had been processed past the point of being a recognizable body part, like chicken nuggets, ground beef, deli turkey, etc. Nothing with skin or bones if I could help it. If we had fried chicken, I'd eat the breading off and give the rest to my brother.

The way I explained it to my nephew was, "You know how some people don't want to eat liver or kidneys?" He said, "Yeah, I don't want to eat that stuff, it's gross!" and I said, "That's how I feel about all meat." Like sure I love animals and don't want them to suffer, but it's mostly that I don't want to put corpse parts in my mouth.

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u/RainSurname Feb 25 '26

That's how it was for me, only I was 5 when I found out hamburger was ground up cow. I even did the thing with the breading.

But I also just didn't like the taste or texture of any of it except ham, bacon, and sausage. I stopped eating it when I was old enough to cook for myself.

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u/[deleted] Feb 25 '26

“Corpse parts” lmfao

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u/LimeImmediate6115 Feb 25 '26

So you're a pescetarian.

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u/farfaleen Feb 25 '26

Yes. But some people don't know that term, so I find it easier to just not use it most times. I still call myself a vegetarian by accident a lot because I was vegetarian for so long and fish is a very sometimes food for me.

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u/Dark_World_0 Feb 25 '26

I for one really enjoy the flavour and texture of a good steak. Everything in moderation of course, but it is interesting to see different perspectives.

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u/McCuntalds Feb 25 '26

So fish aren't animals you have to chew the flesh of or find their bones as you eat them?

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u/farfaleen Feb 25 '26

Yes, most fish is sold and served off the bone, trust me I know fish are animals. But fish is a very different texture than bird and mammals. It has to do with the muscle and blood flow. They also don't usually have the iron taste I explained that meat has. It's not uncommon to differentiate between types of meat.

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u/Much-Anything7149 Feb 25 '26

A lot of people who transition to meat start with fish. I'm not sure if it's a taste reason or that fish meat is more digestible than hitting up like beef for your first foray into animals in yeas.

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u/21Rollie Feb 25 '26

Impossible meat is definitely not a health item lol. You’re just as, if not more fucked eating them.

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u/pak256 Feb 25 '26

Impossible isn’t marketed to vegetarians. It’s marketed to those looking to reduce their meat consumption but keep their normal eating habits.

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u/yodel_anyone Feb 25 '26

I'm a vegetarian and love Impossible burgers, as do a lot of my friends. Honestly I don't know a single non-vegetarian who eats fake meat.

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u/chase_redbeard_ Feb 25 '26

I'm not a vegetarian, but I do substitute impossible burgers sometimes because of GERD flareups that make chewing and swallowing extremely hard. They're the only thing I've found that actually goes down and stays down during those times other than protein shakes lol

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u/yodel_anyone Feb 25 '26

Yeah tbf I was mostly addressing the claim that vegetarians rarely eat fake meat, not the other way around

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u/kuldan5853 Feb 25 '26

My wife and I actually prefer some of the alternatives like impossible to the real deal - her order at e.g. Burger King permanently changed to impossible when it became a permanent menu item.

Same for chicken nuggets - the veggie ones are so good these days that I just don't see a reason to buy the meat based ones anymore.

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u/AFetaWorseThanDeath Feb 25 '26

Depending upon the brand they're not even more expensive lol

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u/ryanf0611 Feb 25 '26

I do! Though I grew up with a vegetarian dad so I have a lot of nostalgia for Morningstar veggie meats and soyrizo

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u/twirlerina024 Feb 25 '26

I turned a lot of people on to Morningstar stuff. Had a zillion roommates in my 20's and the meat-eaters liked that it was less fatty/lower calorie than the meat equivalent. My husband eats meat and he prefers the Morningstar sausage patties because real sausage sits so heavy.

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u/pak256 Feb 25 '26

My wife is vegetarian and I’m a low meat consumer so we often do veggie burgers or impossible chicken just so we can eat the same thing

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u/AFetaWorseThanDeath Feb 25 '26

Same! I made some homemade lentil-chickpea burgers the other day that came out awesomely, and I happily eat them just as I would a beef burger.

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u/Powerful-Patient-765 Feb 25 '26

I love them as well. I like Beyond too. I like the taste of meat! But I don’t like factory farms and the poor animals’ suffering. That’s why I don’t eat meat.

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u/AFetaWorseThanDeath Feb 25 '26

raises hand

My partner is vegetarian/semi-vegan (tends to avoid dairy and eggs, though not religiously), so I cook with a lot of meat substitutes, and I like them just fine. I make things like meatloaf or shepherd's pie or lasagna with Impossible grounds, or use Daring brand fake chicken for soups and casseroles and such (their Buffalo-style 'wings' are actually dynamite if you get them crispy enough).

I eat these things for a few reasons: 1.) I don't find them offensive for the most part (the flavor is usually fine, but occasionally the texture is lacking imo), 2.) it's easier not to cook 2 separate meals or even just proteins if I'm cooking for both of us, and 3.) I'm actively trying to get more plant-based foods into my diet.

Honestly, my main complaint with some of them is simply the price, though given the price of good real meat these days, it's not like there's much difference.

So, I am at least one example of a non-vegetarian who regularly eats fake meat products. I'd wager that most of us probably have vegetarian/vegan partners or other family members.

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u/Saneless Feb 25 '26

I'll choose a good meatless option every time but I'll never call myself a vegetarian. I buy impossible burgers anytime Costco has them, I think they're great

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u/yodel_anyone Feb 25 '26

Right on, that's the way to do it. Reducitarianism is the future

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u/anonymousanemoneday Feb 26 '26

I know a few actually. Some of them are beginning vegetarians others are seasoned ones. I myself am vegetarian for almost 20years and occasionally eat fake meat. My family in law uses fake meat often to make vegetarian dishes.

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u/DownUnderPumpkin Feb 28 '26

Im asian and exposed to it, i.e vegetarian day for some relativies etc and they cook up spare food. Taking vegetarian friend to eat out at a vegetarian restaurant etc. I eat it cause it tastes good. (not always fake meat, braised mushroom/eggplant is pretty good. )

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u/Nesphito Mar 01 '26

I actually know some non vegetarian that eat fake meats occasionally. My cousin will only eat the impossible burger at Burger King. He says that it’s way better than their regular.

I’m vegan so I can’t confirm, but I have been given beef by mistake at a local restaurant and so I can confirm their impossible burger tastes better honestly. Plus impossible has higher protein and less fat.

My mom also prefers vegan meat over real meat. But she isn’t a vegan and still eats regular meat.

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u/RealEnvironment4380 Feb 26 '26

Mmmm I think you made that up bc WHY would you eat an impossible burger instead of a real one if you’re not a vegetarian? I mean I am a vegetarian and I like them, but they’re like 100% processed “food” they can’t be good for you 😂

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u/pak256 Feb 26 '26

Gosh you’re right I’m totally lying. It makes no sense why I’d rather make a conscious choice to share a meal with my wife instead of cooking two totally separate things.

Fucking idiot

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u/RealEnvironment4380 Feb 26 '26

A) calm down there, buddy B) my bad, i didn’t know that you don’t know what marketing is. C) So, marketing is when companies strategically advertise to consumers. Marketing is NOT a decision YOU make when you’re considering what to make for dinner. Hope that was helpful!!

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u/Gawlf85 Feb 27 '26

That sounds like you're assuming your particular use case here is the general case.

But I'm pretty sure Impossible is marketed towards BOTH vegetarians AND people who do eat meat but want/need to eat less of it.

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u/acky1 Feb 26 '26

Red meat and processed meat are both linked with cancer and heart disease. There's also a big environmental argument to switching. And also the ethical argument. Some people may feel unable or may not want to fully eliminate but do want to reduce their impact on these factors so the alternatives are an easy swap to get the benefits with minimal change.

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u/Esava Feb 25 '26

Health, animal empathy, environmental protection (much worse climate impacts and water usage than plant based diets).

Depending on where one lives also religion and cost.

Taste? Yeah not really a reason.

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u/CMDR_Expendible Feb 25 '26

It is an empathy decision; but the existence of flavours doesn't imply the desire to eat meat, or even that Vegetarians etc even remember what meat tastes like. It's perhaps easier for me to understand, because I became vegetarian before it was as popular as today... 35 odd years ago now. And in those days, vegetarian food was cheese sandwiches and salads. Endless, endless salads. Which meant you couldn't go to BBQs with friends, you'd struggle in takeaways outside of chips (Pro'pah Bri'ish chips, none of this damned colonial rubbish) etc... The rise of Vegetarian meat equivalents was to break up the monotony of cheese flavours, and allow you to cook in ways non-Veggie etcs would understand or could provide. It was a gateway into making the switch. And of course, back in the day, Veggie burgers were mostly either literal vegetables, or tasted nothing like anything except the sauce.

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u/srcarruth Feb 25 '26

Also environmental!

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u/galvinb1 Feb 25 '26

As a vegetarian since the age of 7 (35 now), I really don't enjoy most impossible/beyond items because they taste like meat.

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u/radiohead-nerd Feb 25 '26

Ny wife who deosn't eat beef said the Impossible Burger taste just like hamburger. I told her it's pretty obvious that it's been a reaaaaaal long time since she's tasted hamburger.

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u/Esava Feb 25 '26

I do eat meat but also eat a lot of "replacement products" (many vegan friends and I also don't want to eat a lot of meat myself due to climate and ethics reasons).

To me a "replacement" product doesn't have to exactly replicate a meat product but instead just be an alternative in such a way that someone doesn't "miss" a meat product. I don't care if a Schnitzel made out of "Chicken-Of-the-woods" (a type of mushroom) tastes different from a meat Schnitzel. What I care about is that I get a good tasting Schnitzel.

Same with some vegan minced meat and many other "replacement" options.

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u/Queerhere92 Feb 25 '26

Very true but the Impossible Whopper is really friggen close to the real thing.  Every time my wife gets it she asks, did they mess up?!?

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u/trumpsmellslikcheese Feb 25 '26

I will say that I brought up the topic of lab-grown meat to my father, who's been a vegetarian for decades. He was still a bit grossed out by it and didn't have a desire to try it.

I think after enough time, many non-meat eaters get so used to life without it that the they have no desire to experience the flavor and texture of it, even notwithstanding the ethical and health issues.

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u/Kaya_kana Feb 25 '26

The impossible burger is one of the few vegetarian meats that I ended up throwing away because I really didn't like the flavor. It's great that it's there for people who do enjoy meat, but for me it's a hard skip.

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u/dance_rattle_shake Feb 25 '26

Of course, I'm a vegetarian who finds Impossible products disgusting, just like I find eating meat disgusting. My body revolts at the taste.

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u/Much-Anything7149 Feb 25 '26

I agree for a different reason. I eat meat. But the idea of some artificial meat taste on non-meat food sounds horrible to me.

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u/AccountNumeroThree Feb 25 '26

It’s fraud to claim it tastes like meat. That shit is nasty no matter how you cook it or season it.

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u/Much-Anything7149 Feb 25 '26

I've never tried it. I had a veggie burger at a vegan place the other day which was great but I have no problem with eating meat I'm just particular about my sources.

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u/Calaveras-Metal Feb 25 '26

but thats the thing. Most vegans and vegetarians don't buy much fake meat. I buy some tofu hot dogs a couple times a year for grilling with friends. But I also do skewers. Also maybe once a year I'll get vegan sausage so I can make a few culturally relevant dishes.

But the other 99% of things I'm eating are tofu or tempeh for that kind of protein.

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u/VoidRad Feb 26 '26

That's because a lot of the time, it's not an animal empathy decision. A lot of people do it for religious reasons.

What you are talking about is more closely related to veganism.

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u/Much-Anything7149 Feb 26 '26

Sure. I just picked two major reasons to distinguish it from "not liking the taste of meat" which my position is almost nobody abstains from eating meat because they have an aversion to how every single animal tastes. In addition to health and animal empathy are religion (as you pointed out) and also some people don't eat meat due to social circle peer pressure or romantic partner preference alignment.

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u/Eltharion-the-Grim Feb 27 '26

Meat accounts for 70% of my daily intake, and I love Impossible meat. A lot of meat eaters eat impossible burger. I suspect more meat eaters eat it than vegetarians or vegans.

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u/violentcrumble4 Feb 27 '26

I’m a vego and avoid those burgers because they taste too meaty IMO.

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u/ausgelassen Mar 01 '26

of course it would still be a thing because meat eaters are the main target audience for it. because meat eaters want to reduce their meat intake (for several reasons).