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Jackfruit. For a while it was the ‘go to’ vegan option for places to offer; jackfruit smothered in awfully sweet BBQ sauce. The texture is softer than anything it’s trying to mimic, It’s messy, and flavourless.
Honestly, I in general don’t really like when a meat is substituted for a food that is not a primarily protein source. Like replacing meat for cauliflower or jackfruit, as opposed to something with legumes or lentils
It creates really imbalanced meals that don’t meet our dietary needs, and turns active people away from a plant-based diet. Vegetarian and vegan diets already have a reputation for being protein challenged, and this type of substitution hurts it further by substantiating those assumptions.
I swear some places that claim to have an extensive vegan-friendly menu are just obsessed with bell peppers. Bell peppers stuffed with this, bell peppers added to that. Give me ONE item without the accursed things, I beg of you!
I like bell peppers, but before veganism became more mainstream where I am a few years back, the lazy veggie option in restaurants was bell pepper stuffed with couscous, and I grew to detest it.
Those increasingly popular substitutes mimicking meat as closely as possible. I don’t want to second guess everything I eat and honestly, I don’t think any of them are tasty. I liked things more when they did their own stuff.
Now, I know I’m not the target audience. They help other people to reduce their meat intake or even to switch completely and that is great and all, but I’m still sad about the good stuff disappearing.
That’s fair, as someone who went vegan recently I quite enjoy a couple meat substitutes. I imagine someone who’s been vegan for a while doesn’t care for them much though.
I really like impossible ground beef and its derivatives (meatballs, burgers). This has been my main way of convincing my friends they could maybe go vegan, all but one of my really picky friends still enjoy these. But the vast majority of vegan imitation meats I don’t care much for.
I do like a lot of meat alternatives, but I was at a restaurant a while back where they had a non-Beyond Meat veggie burger. And it was super good! I feel like it’s becoming a lost art, though :(.
My dad is the opposite: he wants every restaurant to only offer Beyond Meat burgers. He loves them.
Meat, milk, cream substitutes everything perfectly fine. Plant based food in general, perfect.
Cheese…still my Armageddon the haptic, the taste doesn’t fit my bodies expectation. Still have go for the real cheese product.
I think there are a few spots where vegan cheese works.
There’s a couple simple parmesan cheese recipes that are pretty much just blended cashews, nooch, and seasonings that I enjoy on spaghetti. I’m sure it wouldn’t fool anybody but it works like a charm for me.
I also think you can make queso dips pretty well, the main ingredient usually being blended cashews or blended potatoes and carrots.
Sorry for bringing up cashews again but you can also make a really good cashew ricotta that’s a good spread on crackers.
I tend not to enjoy the imitation cheeses. I prefer just going all in on the nuts and enjoying the final product as it’s own unique item.
Same, but I occasionally do find nice ones, especially soft/fresh types
Vegan canned tuna. I was never a big fan of tuna, so the new vegan tuna canas are so close to the real thing that it’s off putting. Honestly wish I liked it because they are getting fairly cheap and I remember it being a convenient food to have in the pantry. But ugh…
In terms of veggies there’s no a lot I won’t eat… But okra makes me literally gag
I’m kind of the same. I thought tuna smelled like warm urine, and I have never sought vegan tuna since. Also, I’m not an okra fan. It’s the one vegan Indian curry where I’m like “umm, what else is there?” :P
Tempeh, I’ve tried it several times in several variations but haven’t liked any so far.
Grilled vegetables. They can be good but they usually aren’t, they’re not very filling, and they’re a very common consolation prize for me while other people eat the real meal.
Lettuce. Why do so many people think that a salad should be made of flavorless leaves and vinegar? If I make a salad, it has tomatoes, cucumbers, green peppers, onions, olive oil, and a little salt - no lettuce and no “salad dressing”.
Weird grains that all taste like undercooked brown rice. I don’t care how ancient they are or how much fiber they have. (The major exception: buckwheat. It’s amazing and why doesn’t everyone eat it?)
I can’t get into fresh tomatoes. I try often.
I’ve never been all that fond of falafel. I feel like I would like it in theory but when I eat it it’s just, meh.
There’s dozens of different falafel styles and all of them claim to be original. Lebanon Syria, Greece, turkey, and others each make a different falafel. I’ve had amazing crunchy falafel sandwiches and others that tasted like stale bread inside another bread.
:O
Jk, I love when I make them myself, but in many places they’re just dry as hell…
Within 200m I had falafel from two different places. One tasted like woodshavings and paper towels (I kinda suspect a paper towel really did get in there, it’s usually just wood shavings), the other one was Lebanese, and it was the tastiest, most amazing falafel I’ve had in my life. Homemade is great, supermarket is ok when I want a quick wrap but kinda meh.
I think I’m very okay with admitting that I probably just haven’t had good falafel yet. But I’ll make more effort to do so based on everyone’s comments!
Freshness is important. Fresh falafel straight out of the fryer in a sandwich with all the fixings is a very nice meal imo :P
Vegan cheese is a crime against humanity.
Daiya cheese, coconut-based ice creams for non-coconut flavours, stuff like Impossible burger that pretty realistically simulate meat (I’m old veg, I think they’re really valuable products to have available for new veg or anyone else)
