[angry_moose]

I've been vegetarian for about 8 years and won't buy them and try to avoid them in restaurants because they're too meat-like. Unfortunately they've made good non-fake meat vegetarian burgers (black bean, wild rice, etc) harder to find.

It's a situation of "You know that thing you don't eat, don't like, and don't have cravings for anymore? We made something that tastes exactly like it. You're going to love it!"

I'm glad they existed when I first went vegetarian as they made the transition easier, but its a tough market when people will go off them in a couple years.

[ignormies]

I'll echo what some of the other commenters have stated:

I'm not vegan nor vegetarian, but I definitely align with many of the reasons that one would choose to be so. There are environmental and animal welfare concerns with the meat industry that simply cannot be ignored.

With that in mind, I try _choose_ a non-meat-based option when it's feasible. I do my best to vote with my dollar. Beyond Meat and Impossible have made this option available significantly more often in the past couple years.

When I shop for meat at the grocery store to cook at home, I've effectively stopped buying "real" meat for my standard meals. Unless I'm cooking some special or something specific, I simply buy Beyond Meat/Impossible for my standard meals. The same applies when eating out -- if there's a meat alternative, I will go for it (even absorbing the $2-3 upcharge).*

This is not to say that I _only_ go for the meat-alternative-based non-meat dishes. I often go for a tofu or mushroom alternative too. I don't even think Beyond Meat/Impossible taste _like_ the meat they're trying to substitute -- they're just simply good, meat-y, protein-y, umami-y flavors that I simply can't get enough of.

The more options there are for people like me the better. My diet has been able to shift closer and closer to removing meat entirely, but it doesn't have to be an all-or-nothing battle. I just want to eat _less_ meat, not _no_ meat.

* One thing that's frustrating to me as someone that's not _actually_ a vegetarian/vegan is that restaurants often make the assumption that if I'm choosing the meat-alternative, then I must be vegetarian or vegan. No, I still want the cheese or the dairy, or even the meat (e.g.: an Impossible Cheeseburger with real bacon is still delicious). I'm trying to reduce, not _eliminate_, meat from my diet.

[joelrunyon]

If you care about the ethical reasons for plant-based meat, you should look at the companies business practices behind the scenes when they think no one is paying attention - https://x.com/joelrunyon/status/1927531529883762920

Kind of wild how they're treating creators.

[subscribed]

I'm not a vegetarian and I buy them exactly because they're meat-like.

You're literally not supporting a company which, as you admit, made your life more pleasant. And might potentially do so for others.

I'm confused.

[angry_moose]

Because after 8 years the idea of eating meat has no remaining appeal and is switching more to mild revulsion. Why would I order a substitute that is a close copy of that?

I'll still get them if there's literally no other vegetarian option on the menu, but that's rare.

[transcriptase]

There’s no way to say this without sounding like an asshole but perhaps in 8 years your memory of what meat is like has drifted. I only say that because the rest of us wish the fake stuff was remotely comparable in taste and texture.

[jahsome]

Both can be true. I think they try desperately to be meat, and they fail miserably.

[joelrunyon]

If you didn't like that, the CEO of impossible foods is now proposing a 50/50 burger (50% fake meat, 50% meat) - https://x.com/joelrunyon/status/1936183159491584134

https://www.wsj.com/business/retail/impossible-foods-growth-...

[pmg101]

Sounds mad but it could work.

People seem inclined to buy hybrids over full EVs which is a comparable situation.

[leguminous]

I've been vegetarian for a long time and I still think Beyond burgers are great. I have a pack of them from Costco in the freezer. I like black bean burgers, too, but Beyond burgers taste like my (distant) memory of a "normal" burger.

In any case, I assume Beyond was relying on getting more market penetration past just vegetarians and vegans. There just aren't enough of us to get to the revenue they seem to be targeting. Personally, I'll be disappointed if they end up disappearing.

[jsbisviewtiful]

Was a vegetarian for about 8 years and now a pescatarian. We practically always have some Beyond products in our house and will order them at restaurants. Losing Beyond products would be a huge bummer.

[JoshTriplett]

> You know that thing you don't eat, don't like, and don't have cravings for anymore?

That is not everyone's experience with being vegetarian.

[gonzalohm]

Why do you assume people will stop consuming them after a few years? I think most people enjoy the taste of meat but are concerned about the environmental implications of consuming meat.

I would replace all animal products if they tasted like the real thing. I'm sorry but tofu is not cheese

[bluefirebrand]

> I think most people enjoy the taste of meat but are concerned about the environmental implications of consuming meat.

I don't think most people think about the environmental implications of consuming meat even remotely

[drewg123]

Indeed. I've been vegan for nearly 5 years, and I still miss meat. Beyond and Impossible make being vegan tolerable for me.

[joelrunyon]

Do you care about the ethical implications of the business practices of the brands you're supporting?

https://x.com/joelrunyon/status/1927531529883762920

[drewg123]

I'm just the opposite.

I'm a vegan who loves & misses the taste of meat. Without Beyond (and Impossible), it would have been way harder for me to have become vegan. I think black bean burgers are disgusting. When picking a restaraunt for a team dinner with non vegans, I specifically look for menus that offer Impossible or Beyond, and I avoid restaurants that offer homemade bean/pea/etc burgers.