That makes a lot of sense. It’s not about what I can view as acceptable consumption. It’s about the actual material harm present.

I think I’ve been getting caught up on abstract hypotheticals when yeah some people just like the taste and texture of meat. I’ve got to accept that as a fact and not as a moral failing to correct.

I hate that every now and then I crave meat. I haven’t eaten any in years, and I don’t think I will again at this point. I didn’t mean to start unpacking those feelings now, but I’m seeing it better after this conversation.

Your version of the future makes sense too. At As we improve the flavor and texture of nuggets, they may start to resemble meat in certain ways. They don’t somehow become more or less ethical if the material harm to animals remains the same.

Seriously thank you for carrying this conversation with me. I’m trying to be a better vegan and this definitely helps.

And don’t get me wrong, I love imitation meat and dairy products.

I’ve never felt like I missed real butter over oat butter, but I feel like the implied default that comes with the label of ‘real’ gets conflated with ‘superior’

I’m ND, so yeah, I guess I would be perceiving meat in a different way. I can’t help but make the connection to animal consumption when eating fake meat.

I sometimes see western culture as drawn to an imitation if they can’t afford the original. I feel like if we keep a door open on replication, there will be an obsession with the authentic or the original. Like rich bros a hundred years from now getting authentic steak with the belief that it’s somehow better than whatever we can replicate. So even if it’s perfectly replicated, having the original is somehow better.

I feel like if we step away from items or aesthetics associated with meat, we can step away from the desire from the real thing. Like totally divorce ourselves from the animal as much as we can.

I feel like by holding onto aesthetics reminiscent of meat, we might never get to the point of making eating an animal as equally unthinkable as eating a person.

That said, I think there are things like nuggets or sausages, or patties that can be easy enough to separate from animals. The principle is pretty uniform regardless of the components. Take a source of protein, grind it up, and cook it. Sure, I can abstract far enough to know that animals are made of protein, and can thus have their parts made into a nugget, but that just feels like a basic understanding of biology and cooking.

But yeah, I’ve thought a lot about this with the assumption technology can and likely will get to perfect replication.

I think I understand where you’re coming from. I will be more mindful with my framing in the future.

So correct me if I’m wrong, but the idea is that if we can perfectly replicate a steak, as long as no animals are hurt in the process, that’s totally fine?

I guess at that point, animal details on a piece of meat are purely aesthetic and wouldn’t inherently make people more violent towards animals. It feels wrong to me, but I see how that’s more of a ‘me’ thing.

Thanks for replying the way you did.

~~I think trying to imitate meat goes against some of the basic philosophy of veganism. We should move away from trying to get the taste of animal blood and fat to make a meaty flavor. It’s trying to create the illusion of commodified animal suffering. At least that’s how I see it.

It’s energy and resources better spent on making food available to others.

And besides, meat just isn’t that healthy.~~

Edit - tried to cross out what I said.

Samus is gonna respond to their distress signal any minute now

How do you become so detached from humanity that you go into reddit tier clapbacks when met with a genocide survivor?

Hexbear users tend to know what they’re talking about, given their track record and consistency. I should consider my positions and compare them to one of the theorists they reference.

Maybe they are right based on vibes

That sure showed Brazil! 🤣

What’s with the trend of “fuck you for caring about x” laws?

Burritos can have any veggies in them, but rice and beans are a staple in most. This version listed veggies that rarely show up in burritos while omitting basic ingredients associated with burritos.

It’s like if they made a vegetarian spaghetti, omitted tomatoes, and instead added peas. Like yeah, peas are vegetarian, but it’s not exactly part of pasta.

A lot of restaurants do this for different reasons, usually to half-heartedly accommodate people who don’t eat meat.

What is this aversion to beans? People love them, they’re cheap, they’re easily stored, and they show up in fucking burritos. It’s like the word vegetarian means something different when writing a menu.

W-where are the beans? The rice?