I generally avoid fake meat but plenty of people don't eat meat for religious or moral reasons. They might still want something meat-like, though, and fake meat provides that.
It's actually a fun question to ask people, whether they would eat a synthetic meat that was designed to taste like human meat. You will perhaps understandably get a lot of weird looks and squirms.
I would not eat any meat that has been grown by a human.
Logic tells me fake meat is not the same as real meat. It must lack something real meat has. Otherwise, it would be real.
I’ll eat fake meat from time to time but I still eat real meat the vast majority of time. The main reasons are that it’s only distributed in restaurants where I live, it is less protein-dense (I lift heavy) and I’m not 100% sure about its safety. But I would be willing to eat more of it as these issues are solved.
Despite not eating meat for a few years now, I like the flavour of meat. So I personally welcome fake meats any time of the week, as long as they aren't prohibitly expensive to the environment.
I may be a bit old-fashioned in this regard, but no, I (probably) wouldn't. A lot of "fake meat" includes soy, which is known to simulate estrogen iirc. Also, it's kinda for the same reason I won't eat bugs (even if safe and tasty): it's just not to my taste, and that's okay.
Since you seem to understand why people might want fake meat, it seems you are really just taking a judgmental position in which you condemn others for not going far enough along an axis in which you don't even take one step.
Keep in mind that many people have ethical issues with killing animals for food. They can certainly switch to eating plants, but many won't. "fake meat" is the bridge they need to align their actions with their morals.
Except as far as I understand it, there seems to be a significant utility to fake meat (and it is more of a distinct possibility than zombies):
For many, there are few ways of consuming a balanced diet without meat. Take low-FODMAP diets [1] for example, which are becoming very popular with people with IBS, a condition some ~15% of the U.S. population suffers from [2]. For many, coming up with enough sources of protein while satisfying their dietary restrictions is not easy without meat.
On an individual level, picking the "harder" way for its ethical advantages is definitely the right thing to do.
For the scientist working on fake meat, their work is probably essential here.
It depends on the reason. I've known vegetarians who didn't eat meat because they were disgusted at the thought of consuming animal flesh. For them, fake animal flesh has about the same appeal as serving to a carnivore a beef product that has been formed to resemble a human forearm.
I will not eat fake meat (including lab grown meat) for one simple reason: it weirds me out. I will happily eat tofu, black bean burgers, and the like, but I cannot emotionally bring myself to eat fake meat.
Why not just eat regular vegetarian foods? Why fake meat?
Many people love the taste of meat, plain and simple.
If I'm craving a medium rare NY Strip steak, neither a Portobello mushroom nor Ahi tuna filet will quite satiate that desire, no matter how good they taste.
A fake meat that successfully replicates the flavor profile and mouthfeel of meat while providing the ethical and health benefits of vegetables would be a game-changer.
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