How the vegan food trend made a star of the stinking jackfruit • Hacker News Board

Re: How the vegan food trend made a star of the stinking jackfruit

#11

Post by darkpuma » Sat, Feb 16, 2019, 6:30 PM UTC

ohyes wrote: post #4

azinman2 wrote: post #2

Do people understand it’s nutritional value is not equivalent to what it’s replacing (when mimicking meat)? Looking at the “pulled pork” bun on the webpage made me think, would you still feel like this is just fine for lunch if it was slices of pineapple instead inside?

I think with pineapple the bun would be all soggy. A piece of bread and some pineapple would be fine for lunch I think. It would be weird because we don’t think of that combination of foods as a typical sandwich. Pineapple has a much different flavor profile than jackfruit. Jackfruit is a bit of a blank slate, and has a texture that is the right mix of meaty and tender. Pineapple is very sour and juicy, it’s complete…

Heh, I once got a "watermelon steak" at a vegan restaurant in Seattle. Let me tell you, a slice of grilled watermelon is not even remotely similar to a steak.

Re: How the vegan food trend made a star of the stinking jackfruit

#12

Post by vram22 » Sat, Feb 16, 2019, 6:33 PM UTC

hombre_fatal wrote: post #10

vram22 wrote: post #8

>Covered in spikes and emitting a stench of rotting onions, Wondering if that bit about "rotting onions" is wrong. I'm Indian and live in India, and while I haven't eaten jackfruit often, I have eaten it sometimes (the ripe sweet version), and never got a smell like that from it. I've even travelled for non-trivial periods through Tamil Nadu and Kerala states, where jackfruit is grown a lot, seen it growing on roadsi…

They grew all over the place where I lived in Nayarit, Mexico. They just had the boring smell of an unripe banana. Kinda tasted like one, too. Maybe they're confusing yaka with durian fruit?

So is yaka the Mexican name for jackfruit? (Just started reading the article, in case it mentions that).

Yes, I had the same thought about whether they confused jackfruit with durian (which AFAIK grows mainly in SE Asia). Never had it myself.

Re: How the vegan food trend made a star of the stinking jackfruit

#13

Post by Legogris » Sat, Feb 16, 2019, 6:33 PM UTC

hombre_fatal wrote: post #10

vram22 wrote: post #8

>Covered in spikes and emitting a stench of rotting onions, Wondering if that bit about "rotting onions" is wrong. I'm Indian and live in India, and while I haven't eaten jackfruit often, I have eaten it sometimes (the ripe sweet version), and never got a smell like that from it. I've even travelled for non-trivial periods through Tamil Nadu and Kerala states, where jackfruit is grown a lot, seen it growing on roadsi…

They grew all over the place where I lived in Nayarit, Mexico. They just had the boring smell of an unripe banana. Kinda tasted like one, too. Maybe they're confusing yaka with durian fruit?

Yeah, it really sounds like they're talking about Durian. You can barely say Jackfruit is covered in spikes.

Re: How the vegan food trend made a star of the stinking jackfruit

#14

Post by YUMad » Sat, Feb 16, 2019, 6:34 PM UTC

mushufasa wrote: post #9

darkpuma wrote: post #7

It bothers me how often veganism is at odds with the local food movement. It isn't all the time, but it seems to often be. It's hard for me to square any ethical argument for making an obscure fruit or seed from the other side of the planet a staple of my diet, particularly when that food is being produced in regions with environmental destruction unchecked by effective environmental regulation.

Differing regional environmental regulations is indeed a big problem. One pet peeve of mine is locavores clamoring about emissions from transportation. Food shipped overseas is not emissions intense at all. Huge tankers are __the__ most efficient means of transportation, emissions-wise. Pair efficient diesel with the physics of huge inertia over a frictionless medium, and gigantic economies of scale. Usually, growing…

More efficient per mile, sure. But how about per total trip length?

Re: How the vegan food trend made a star of the stinking jackfruit

#15

Post by [deleted] » Sat, Feb 16, 2019, 6:34 PM UTC

simplecomplex wrote: post #6

azinman2 wrote: post #2

Do people understand it’s nutritional value is not equivalent to what it’s replacing (when mimicking meat)? Looking at the “pulled pork” bun on the webpage made me think, would you still feel like this is just fine for lunch if it was slices of pineapple instead inside?

Yes, everyone understands that. Especially vegans. I really wouldn’t worry about one of the most obese countries in the entire world lacking for calories and protein.

[deleted]

Re: How the vegan food trend made a star of the stinking jackfruit

#16

Post by Legogris » Sat, Feb 16, 2019, 6:35 PM UTC

azinman2 wrote: post #2

Do people understand it’s nutritional value is not equivalent to what it’s replacing (when mimicking meat)? Looking at the “pulled pork” bun on the webpage made me think, would you still feel like this is just fine for lunch if it was slices of pineapple instead inside?

Having a vegetarian diet, this is the most difficult thing when eating out. More often than not it's extremely carb-heavy and barely any protein. Few places make balanced vegetarian meals - mostly Indian and specifically vegan restaurants.

Re: How the vegan food trend made a star of the stinking jackfruit

#17

Post by Xylakant » Sat, Feb 16, 2019, 6:36 PM UTC

YUMad wrote: post #14

mushufasa wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Differing regional environmental regulations is indeed a big problem. One pet peeve of mine is locavores clamoring about emissions from transportation. Food shipped overseas is not emissions intense at all. Huge tankers are __the__ most efficient means of transportation, emissions-wise. Pair efficient diesel with the physics of huge inertia over a frictionless medium, and gigantic economies of scale. Usually, growing…

More efficient per mile, sure. But how about per total trip length?

The local leg via truck is likely to be much more energy intensive unless you live right next to a seaport.

Re: How the vegan food trend made a star of the stinking jackfruit

#18

Post by vram22 » Sat, Feb 16, 2019, 6:36 PM UTC

hombre_fatal wrote: post #10

vram22 wrote: post #8

>Covered in spikes and emitting a stench of rotting onions, Wondering if that bit about "rotting onions" is wrong. I'm Indian and live in India, and while I haven't eaten jackfruit often, I have eaten it sometimes (the ripe sweet version), and never got a smell like that from it. I've even travelled for non-trivial periods through Tamil Nadu and Kerala states, where jackfruit is grown a lot, seen it growing on roadsi…

They grew all over the place where I lived in Nayarit, Mexico. They just had the boring smell of an unripe banana. Kinda tasted like one, too. Maybe they're confusing yaka with durian fruit?

That gummy substance the article mentions is definitely a bit of a problem, though, even when eating the ripe jackfruit. It gets onto your hands and takes some time and work to wash off.

BTW, the seeds of the jackfruit are also eaten, and are supposed to be nutritious, IIRC (part of that wonder plant stuff). Got a nutty taste. It's added to some curries in Indian cuisine, both North and South, I think. Had it a few times.

Re: How the vegan food trend made a star of the stinking jackfruit

#19

Post by TheRealWatson » Sat, Feb 16, 2019, 6:36 PM UTC

I'm the opposite of a vegetarian and I love jackfruit. I'll admit it's something of an acquired taste and lots of people hate its smell. I love it. Grew up eating it and I'm very happy to see it more easily in my local grocery stores.

Re: How the vegan food trend made a star of the stinking jackfruit

#20

Post by darkpuma » Sat, Feb 16, 2019, 6:37 PM UTC

mushufasa wrote: post #9

darkpuma wrote: post #7

It bothers me how often veganism is at odds with the local food movement. It isn't all the time, but it seems to often be. It's hard for me to square any ethical argument for making an obscure fruit or seed from the other side of the planet a staple of my diet, particularly when that food is being produced in regions with environmental destruction unchecked by effective environmental regulation.

Differing regional environmental regulations is indeed a big problem. One pet peeve of mine is locavores clamoring about emissions from transportation. Food shipped overseas is not emissions intense at all. Huge tankers are __the__ most efficient means of transportation, emissions-wise. Pair efficient diesel with the physics of huge inertia over a frictionless medium, and gigantic economies of scale. Usually, growing…

Eating foods that are actually endemic in your region is important. However I will admit the equation probably gets flipped if you live in a region with poor environmental regulation and have the opportunity to eat imported food from a region with better environmental regulation.

As for the matter of emissions, that's a complex issue. In the specific case of heated greenhouses, one must consider the source of the power being used to heat the greenhouse. Not all power is made equal when it comes to emissions. Some places burn coal, others use hydro (clean, but damming rivers causes habitat loss), others use renewables (great) or nuclear (clean and controversial.)

Frankly though food related emissions are going to be a small portion of all global emissions. What concerns me more is habitat loss caused by agriculture, and whether or not the region I'm getting food from has effective regulation in place concerning that (and if not, whether I have any chance of influencing the government in that region.)