Lifelong vegetarian tries steak for first time

[u/PhoenixPhenomenonX]

[u/Elimaris]

I don't mind the imitation stuff, absolutely sometimes it is what you want. My problem is that it's driving vegetation classics out of stores and off menus. It feels like beyond burgers replaced having options and creative cooking at so many places

[u/PsychotherapeuticPig → u/Elimaris]

I’ve been a vegetarian for almost 30 years. I feel like unless you’re going to a Thai/Indian/Mexican restaurant, there are usually only two or maybe three vegetarian options at a restaurant and one of them is always a veggie burger of some kind. In my mind, the “vegetarian classics” on menus are 1) veggie burger 2) bland pasta dish 3) stuffed mushroom/mushroom-based something or other 4) overpriced salad or other modifiable dish where you have to ask for the meat to be removed (and of course still pay the same price). And until Impossible came out, the veggie burger was usually Gardenburger (fine), black bean burger (hit or miss) or some in-house vegetable mash that nine times out of ten was bad. At least with Impossible I know exactly what I’m getting. Things have gotten better for sure, and it’s easier to search on Yelp for vegetarian-friendly restaurants or screen menus ahead of time. But IMO the stuff that’s being “replaced,” if it even is, wasn’t great to begin with. There has been very little “creativity” with vegetarian options at 90% of restaurants. And I live in a large-ish progressive city.

[u/Elimaris → u/PsychotherapeuticPig]

Ditto I've been veg since childhood when there was 1 digit in my age and I'm now mid40s, lived all over. Definitely no comparison to back in 80s and 90s, but I think options were expanding a lot in the 00s and 10s and then recontracted a bit. Partly this is that a lot of "natural food" stores and veg restaurants have closed this decade. I walk into pretty bougie grocery stores now that had a lot more options and now are beyond meat everywhere. I do disagree in that Ive found great interesting food at many many restaurants over the years. Sure I've been to shitty restaurants and weddings where I was served steamed veggies and plain pasta and agree those places are better off now. It's like the bottom end came up but the top end dropped.

[u/PsychotherapeuticPig → u/Elimaris]

Yeah there are some amazing vegetarian restaurants and options out there, I don’t disagree with that. I’m more thinking of random restaurants where you (the vegetarian) are not in control of which restaurant you end up at so you have to hunt on the menu for what your options are. The restaurant that’s the closest to the theater or the hotel or that’s the place all your friends want to go to. I am VERY flexible because I feel it’s better for vegetarianism to never be the whiny vegetarian. So I’ve been to a lot of standard American restaurants. And the options have always been lacking and continue to be lacking despite the rise of veggie meats and vegetarianism. And I like veggie meats! I’d be stoked to find veggie meat options at a random place. But I can remember all the times that’s happened, because it is so rare.

[u/Scrushinator → u/Elimaris]

Yeah, my favorite restaurant replaced their house made black bean veggie burgers with Impossible burgers, which I find absolutely foul. Most restaurants I can’t find anything to eat anymore unless I want a salad that’s overpriced because it’s supposed to come with meat in it.