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Beyond Meat S-1

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261–270 of 439 posts

Re: Beyond Meat S-1

#261
post #3

I've gone vegetarian, except for a single grass fed animal I bought from a local farmer. (I live in a city, it was easier than I thought it would be to connect with a farmer out in the rural part of my state.) The transition was way, way easier than I thought it was going to be. I didn't guilt myself when I made mistakes, just stopped eating meat unless I was sure the provenance of it was sustainable and free from cr…

I still find none of the vege meals are as satisfying as plain old chicken, etc. Tofu is flimsy, tempeh kinda goes that direction, but not close. Fake burgers are absolutely gross and near vomit inducing. Quinoa has weird flavour of ashes or smth. Some indian peas, etc are OK, but I find it's best to stick to pure vege meals (not substitutes) and eat meat when I want to. I'm looking out for stem cell meat to come out…

There was a mindset shift similar to what you describe that made it easier for me -- stop pursuing replacements for the meat in the dishes you already eat, and instead discover new dishes. Indian and Thai cooking, for instance, has a long history of delicious vegetarian dishes. Look at some of the rich foods developed by some of the poorest people and there's a whole culinary world there.

Once I did that, and understood how to spice ingredients, then I circled back to my previous habits a bit.

Re: Beyond Meat S-1

#262
post #3

I've gone vegetarian, except for a single grass fed animal I bought from a local farmer. (I live in a city, it was easier than I thought it would be to connect with a farmer out in the rural part of my state.) The transition was way, way easier than I thought it was going to be. I didn't guilt myself when I made mistakes, just stopped eating meat unless I was sure the provenance of it was sustainable and free from cr…

I still find none of the vege meals are as satisfying as plain old chicken, etc. Tofu is flimsy, tempeh kinda goes that direction, but not close. Fake burgers are absolutely gross and near vomit inducing. Quinoa has weird flavour of ashes or smth. Some indian peas, etc are OK, but I find it's best to stick to pure vege meals (not substitutes) and eat meat when I want to. I'm looking out for stem cell meat to come out…

Have you tried the Impossible burger? I've had it at some restaurants (lots of other flavors at play) and it feels like meat, and with the other flavors it tastes very similar to a burger.

Re: Beyond Meat S-1

#263
post #257

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's why I stick with regular vegetarian meals. Indian thali is amazing. Tofu, tempeh, quinoa - passable. Fake meat - non starter (same with mylks).

I don't disagree that those are nicer items, I've had them countless times myself.. but I think you may be missing the "point" of Beyond Meat if you solely talk about the taste or macronutrients.

I think the promise they selling is that science can make it better than regular meat (I think it's certainly possible with genetically engineered stem cell meat), but I am not seeing that yet.

Re: Beyond Meat S-1

#264
post #3

I've gone vegetarian, except for a single grass fed animal I bought from a local farmer. (I live in a city, it was easier than I thought it would be to connect with a farmer out in the rural part of my state.) The transition was way, way easier than I thought it was going to be. I didn't guilt myself when I made mistakes, just stopped eating meat unless I was sure the provenance of it was sustainable and free from cr…

I still find none of the vege meals are as satisfying as plain old chicken, etc. Tofu is flimsy, tempeh kinda goes that direction, but not close. Fake burgers are absolutely gross and near vomit inducing. Quinoa has weird flavour of ashes or smth. Some indian peas, etc are OK, but I find it's best to stick to pure vege meals (not substitutes) and eat meat when I want to. I'm looking out for stem cell meat to come out…

The problem that I have is generally a social one. I live in a pretty progressive city, but even then it's a pain in the ass to order veg at many restaurants and get anything that doesn't suck. Many places do have at least one solid option, but there are a ton where a veg offering is still just an afterthought.

And I'm in one of the most veg friendly cities in America. Eating out in many many places is practically impossible as a vegetarian. Especially many parts of Europe.

Re: Beyond Meat S-1

#265

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That theoretical distinction makes sense to me, but I don't see how it would be possible to support one kind of animal agriculture and not the other with purchasing habits. When most consumers don't distinguish provenance, demand for animal products is fungible.

What I did: stop purchasing meat from the supermarket. Stop eating meat at restaurants. Find a local farmer and source a whole animal to split with your friends. Visit the farm, meet the farmer. A whole beef is a few thousand dollars, and splits nicely into 8ths. We spent, I believe, ~$6.50/lb for organic, grass fed beef. It's more time and cost up front, but now we have a freezer full of meat to draw from when we ne…

I really admire your efforts, but "Find a local farmer and source a whole animal to split with your friends" is a really tall ask for many people I would argue.

I personally would likely struggle to convince anyone I know to enter some kind of cooperative livestock purchase/kill/process/store arrangement. As a matter of curiosity, how willing is the average livestock farmer to enter into such an agreement with private individuals?

Re: Beyond Meat S-1

#266
post #3

I've gone vegetarian, except for a single grass fed animal I bought from a local farmer. (I live in a city, it was easier than I thought it would be to connect with a farmer out in the rural part of my state.) The transition was way, way easier than I thought it was going to be. I didn't guilt myself when I made mistakes, just stopped eating meat unless I was sure the provenance of it was sustainable and free from cr…

This is why I love being Norwegian. Sustainable and cruelty free farming is the norm. So personally I wont stop eating regular meat until lab meat becomes available.

[deleted]

Re: Beyond Meat S-1

#267
post #253

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You're buying into the myth that if it's made of plants, it must be better than meat. The nutrition of Beyond Burger is pretty much on par with the nutrition of beef. I'm not convinced that consuming "plant based alternatives" is a step in the right direction in dealing with health and environment issues especially when compared to more traditional approach like eating balanced meals using a plate model. Eating more…

> Eating more veggies, on the other hand, yes much better. In what way exactly would "eating more veggies" be much better when meat is already the only nutritionally complete[1] food? [1] http://www.diagnosisdiet.com/food/meats/#i16

> In what way exactly would "eating more veggies" be much better when meat is already the only nutritionally complete[1] food

Easy, meat has no fiber.

Western (read: American) diet consists of over consumption of meat, refined sugar, and processed grains, and woeful lack of vegetables, and lesser extent fruits.

If the value of Beyond Meat is "better for you, better for environment", the health benefits seem dubious at best, and environmentally, I don't know if anyone has compared the impact on a per-oz of beef vs per-oz of beyond meat--though the meat industry at scale has had serious negative impact on our environment (putting it mildly)

Most of us on the western diet, would do better to increase our consumption of veggies.

Re: Beyond Meat S-1

#268
post #265

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What I did: stop purchasing meat from the supermarket. Stop eating meat at restaurants. Find a local farmer and source a whole animal to split with your friends. Visit the farm, meet the farmer. A whole beef is a few thousand dollars, and splits nicely into 8ths. We spent, I believe, ~$6.50/lb for organic, grass fed beef. It's more time and cost up front, but now we have a freezer full of meat to draw from when we ne…

I really admire your efforts, but "Find a local farmer and source a whole animal to split with your friends" is a really tall ask for many people I would argue. I personally would likely struggle to convince anyone I know to enter some kind of cooperative livestock purchase/kill/process/store arrangement. As a matter of curiosity, how willing is the average livestock farmer to enter into such an agreement with privat…

It's not a widespread practice, but it's more common than I expected when I started looking into it. EatWild[1] maintains a directory of meat and dairy farmers that sell directly to consumers, they seem to have most of the US covered. Anecdotally I've also purchased humanely raised meat/eggs through CSAs that aren't listed here and offer smaller amounts than an entire animal. [1] http://www.eatwild.com/index.html

Re: Beyond Meat S-1

#269

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I still find none of the vege meals are as satisfying as plain old chicken, etc. Tofu is flimsy, tempeh kinda goes that direction, but not close. Fake burgers are absolutely gross and near vomit inducing. Quinoa has weird flavour of ashes or smth. Some indian peas, etc are OK, but I find it's best to stick to pure vege meals (not substitutes) and eat meat when I want to. I'm looking out for stem cell meat to come out…

There was a mindset shift similar to what you describe that made it easier for me -- stop pursuing replacements for the meat in the dishes you already eat, and instead discover new dishes. Indian and Thai cooking, for instance, has a long history of delicious vegetarian dishes. Look at some of the rich foods developed by some of the poorest people and there's a whole culinary world there. Once I did that, and underst…

Agreed, you have to stop trying to find a vegan steak that bleeds like the real thing, that's really critical to finding great veg & vegan food (science experiments like beyond meat aside)

I've gone heavy on mediterranean style cooking, which is not strictly vegetarian, but might use 1-2oz of meat for a whole dish. Meat just kind of dwindled on our shopping list. It's delicious food, and it's really hard to go back to meat & potatoes now.

Indian is incredibly good, but it's been harder to learn.

Re: Beyond Meat S-1

#270

I've seen this said before (I forget from who), but I honestly think that over the next few decades meat is going to go through a similar transition to tobacco. I don't think it's ever going to disappear completely, but I think it's going to become something most people only enjoy once in a while if at all. I also think that meat consumption is going to be viewed in a significantly more negative light over time.

Why? Do you think global warming considerations are going to be that mainstream? Tobacco has a lot of things going against it - it's bad for you in any amount and it gives off an unpleasant odor that stains fabric and walls. Not much of this applies to meat.

Try leaving some beef around the living room or smearing it across the wall. Smells even worse than cigarettes!

I think the parent comment had a point about morals, not the practical aspects. It is already starting to happen: what will my friends think of my leather jacket, can’t propose a barbecue for a company event, etc etc.

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