Veganuary?

Psycho Sonny · 4 Jan 2019 at 13:30

uncle_rufus said:
I thought this way too when in the past we'd tried to swap out a few meals with "vegetarian" versions but made the mistake that I think a lot of people make in that you can't just take a meat-based meal, swap the meat for more vegetables and expect it to work. It seems so obvious saying this now but you've got to swap the meat for something else that has plenty of protein etc. in it otherwise it ends up really unsatisfying and you're hungry later in the evening and the next day... Beans, sweetcorn, eggs, lentils etc. and then it's fine

I'm not vegan or vegetarian but I think we've gone from meat 7 days a week to more like 4-5 days, and I can see that increasing slightly more as we learn a few more recipes... I don't think it should be so black and white as going completely vegan though, just cutting back a bit would make a difference

you cannot substitute meat directly as you have found out but again it just shows how much someone knows about food/cooking if they think they can.

it takes more skill and imagination but the food is far better for you. i went to a vegans for dinner and everything was vegan and you know what. it was extremely filling, tasty and much more pleasant on bowel movements too. all that fibre and the stomach having to break down food in it's natural form was good for it.

Burnsy2023 · 4 Jan 2019 at 13:32

Psycho Sonny said:
most meat is tasteless. in fact the worse the meat the more flavour it has. the better the meat the less flavour it has.

What rubbish. I'm not sure if this is ignorance or simply lying, but meat does have, oten quite distinctive, flavour of its own.

With that said, I accept that just on an eco standpoint, we'll have to eat less meat. Good vegetarian or vegan food exists and is getting more prominence in supermarkets. It's an adjustment everyone will have to make sooner or later, although meat will always exist.

krooton · 4 Jan 2019 at 13:37

Safetytrousers said:
Some people do think about things like pesticides. Have you noticed Organic products?

Which are fantastic cash-grabs

https://futurism.com/organic-gmo-food-myths

VincentHanna · 4 Jan 2019 at 13:42

That article seems a bit disingenuous, as they mention the environmental impact of genetically modified crops, but not the environmental impact of actual pesticides.

I don't mind eating genetically modified crops, but pesticides (in general) are bad.

touch · 4 Jan 2019 at 13:43

Psycho Sonny said:
you cannot substitute meat directly as you have found out but again it just shows how much someone knows about food/cooking if they think they can.

No it doesn't.
People think they can directly substitute meat because that's how vegetarian products are marketed. Meat-free sausages, mince, bacon, burgers, chicken nuggets - that's what you see most adverts for vegetarian foods.
It doesn't show that people can't cook.

VincentHanna · 4 Jan 2019 at 13:45

I had an "impossible burger" in California and it was very nice.

Psycho Sonny · 4 Jan 2019 at 13:49

Burnsy2023 said:
What rubbish. I'm not sure if this is ignorance or simply lying, but meat does have, oten quite distinctive, flavour of its own.

With that said, I accept that just on an eco standpoint, we'll have to eat less meat. Good vegetarian or vegan food exists and is getting more prominence in supermarkets. It's an adjustment everyone will have to make sooner or later, although meat will always exist.

really so if you put say a chicken breast straight from the packet into the oven you could eat it and find it enjoyable? or would you rather marinade that chicken for 24 hours before hand in spices to give it flavour?

200sols · 4 Jan 2019 at 13:50

Psycho Sonny said:
really so if you put say a chicken breast straight from the packet into the oven you could eat it and find it enjoyable? or would you rather marinade that chicken for 24 hours before hand in spices to give it flavour?

Depends on the quality of the meat really.

VincentHanna · 4 Jan 2019 at 13:51

He's right

Plain grilled chicken is bland innit, needs to be in a sauce or marinaded or something.

dirtychinchilla · 4 Jan 2019 at 13:51

Not really. Chicken without anything on it will be bland.

krooton · 4 Jan 2019 at 13:52

nkata said:
Part of the problem now is that people eat so much of it. 50 years ago, meat (and food generally) was comparatively more expensive and most people ate less or filled up with bread, potatoes and stuff. Meat was not always on the menu. Factory level farming is also part of the problem.

Indeed. but it's not like bread and potatoes are particularly good for us either. Long-life carbs were a necessity back in the day, but we are bloody inundated with them now, so many low-nutrition potato/wheat/rice-based products.

krooton · 4 Jan 2019 at 13:53

VincentHanna said:
He's right

Plain grilled chicken is bland innit, needs to be in a sauce or marinaded or something.

Not if you leave the skin on.

Psycho Sonny · 4 Jan 2019 at 13:55

krooton said:
Not if you leave the skin on.

they don't have skins on any of the breasts i've ever bought at supermarket.

Diddums · 4 Jan 2019 at 13:58

Where did he say chicken? He said meat didn't he? Beef, lamb, chicken, pork, and all the lesser known ones.

And yes, good meat well cooked tastes amazing.

VincentHanna · 4 Jan 2019 at 13:59

We were replying to this:

Psycho Sonny said:
really so if you put say a chicken breast straight from the packet into the oven you could eat it and find it enjoyable? or would you rather marinade that chicken for 24 hours before hand in spices to give it flavour?

200sols said:
Depends on the quality of the meat really.

I can certainly eat a medium-rare steak without any additions and it can taste fantastic.

200sols · 4 Jan 2019 at 14:06

Good quality chicken can have a nice flavour, griddled with some olive oil salt n pepper... lovely. Supermarket chicken is generally not good quality though, so if thats what your basing it on then yes, bland is a good word.

VincentHanna · 4 Jan 2019 at 14:07

Well yes, it tastes fine with seasoning

krooton · 4 Jan 2019 at 14:09

Psycho Sonny said:
they don't have skins on any of the breasts i've ever bought at supermarket.

You can buy skin on breasts, legs and thighs, and even skinless thighs are yummy without additional seasoning.

Buying a cheap version of the blandest part of a chicken, and then claiming all chicken is bland is weaksauce man.

Also, corn-fed skinless chicken breast tastes delicious just fried with nothing else. By the same token I have had raw carrot that had zero flavour, and other carrots that were bursting with it, quality is variable across all food groups.

200sols · 4 Jan 2019 at 14:16

VincentHanna said:
Well yes, it tastes fine with seasoning

Well you season most foods dont you? Veggie food will be bland without seasoning.

Burnsy2023 · 4 Jan 2019 at 14:16

Psycho Sonny said:
really so if you put say a chicken breast straight from the packet into the oven you could eat it and find it enjoyable? or would you rather marinade that chicken for 24 hours before hand in spices to give it flavour?

I usually eat beef steak just with simple salt and pepper. I don't tend to flavour things like gammon either. Actually, even chicken thighs tend to be simple seasoning too.

Don't get me wrong, I use rubs and marinades too, but not because they need them, usually just for variety.

VincentHanna said:
Well yes, it tastes fine with seasoning

Let's be honest, all food needs seasoning to taste good. vegetables and meat alike.