12
votes
The aesthetic case for fake meat: Eating vegan meat substitutes is more than the ethical choice, it’s the delicious one.
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- Title
- The aesthetic case for fake meat
- Word count
- 1843 words
I'm not sure what to make of this article. I don't think I like the author very much. They start by talking about how they hardly ever eat meat anyway, and how imitation meat is in many cases better than the original (which I agree with!), but then they move on to a blanket cringing over capitalism's hold over the fake meat industry, which feels like absurd hand-wringing. If we were to replace all meat production with imitation meat production, it would be a net positive, period. There'd be fewer animals being slaughtered and tortured, more efficient food pipelines that could feed more people, and better environmental outcomes. So the whinging over "Big Fake Meat" is pretty telling, I think, of the author's true thoughts on the subject, whatever their claims.
I do think it's an interesting take though, to look at imitation meat through an epicurean lens. And I thought the discussion on the "concern with authenticity" of Western cuisine was interesting, if not completely cogent: what, after all, is Taco Bell in the "authentic" Western cuisine, or Choco Tacos? I don't know if I agree with that sentiment either, now I'm thinking about it.
Taco Bell is authentically American, I reckon.
I can't help but think the writer's divergence to the art of imitation with regards to food would've made an interesting subplot of The Recognitions.
I'd say Taco Bell is authentically American in that it's an inauthentic imitation of an overly simplistic idea of Mexican food. I haven't read the Recognitions; I'll have to check it out!
Really, Taco Bell is it's own thing at this point, which is why I'd call it American. I have no problem considering foods from other cultures that become diluted and distilled until it's its own in America uniquely American. Much like how tonkatsu and Japanese curry are uniquely Japanese, though they derive from European cuisine. You might find this Jonathan Gold speech on authenticity interesting.
The Recognitions can be...difficult. But it's a wild narrative!