# Do you think names like "vegan sausage" are confusing? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 29, 2016, 7:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-names-like-vegan-sausage-are-confusing/775834 "2016-12-29T07:38:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2016, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-names-like-vegan-sausage-are-confusing/775834/41 "2016-12-29T20:20:34Z")
By the way, I’m glad to see that the questions I posed in the OP are almost overwhelmingly answered with a “not confusing”. I thought the German AM was being dickish, but thought there was a slight chance that grammatically things were different enough that the claim confusion could be genuine. I’m glad to see that a few say “no way” and that for English speakers there is a comparable perception to my own. ---
**Author:** ![DrCube](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a3d4f5/32.png) [@DrCube](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrCube)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2016, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-names-like-vegan-sausage-are-confusing/775834/42 "2016-12-29T20:23:04Z")
Isn’t this a lot like France mandating that no one can call their sparkling wine “Champagne” unless it comes from the Champagne region in France? Same with various cheeses. Or is it completely different? Seems to me that Germans would have an economic interest in making sure no one was using the word “schintzel” for things that are entirely different from schintzel. Anyway, “meatless meatballs” doesn’t confuse me so much as it infuriates me. I don’t understand why vegans have to name their food after meat. I don’t go around calling hot dogs “meat carrots” or hamburger “meat cereal”. If it is a ball of tofu, call it a tofu ball. ---
**Author:** ![kk\_fusion](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kk_fusion/32/15276_2.png) [@kk\_fusion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kk_fusion)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2016, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-names-like-vegan-sausage-are-confusing/775834/43 "2016-12-29T20:25:17Z")
Cafeterias in Germany sometimes serve vegetarian chili con carne. That is often a rather confusing dish, especially since they tend to get the _chili_ part wrong as well. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2016, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-names-like-vegan-sausage-are-confusing/775834/44 "2016-12-29T20:30:57Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > Quorn products are terrible. Mycoprotein is disgusting both in texture and in flavor. Shun them! \ I think the sausages are passable, the mince is inoffensive and the chicken-style pieces are tolerable. I’d rather eat meat, so I do. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2016, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-names-like-vegan-sausage-are-confusing/775834/45 "2016-12-29T20:33:39Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > \ I think the sausages are passable, the mince is inoffensive and the chicken-style pieces are tolerable. I’d rather eat meat, so I do. _I’d_ rather you eat meat than buy their products, so by all means do. The faster that crap is off the market, the happier I’ll be (because there’ll be more shelf space for foods that I like). ---
**Author:** ![doreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/858c86/32.png) [@doreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doreen)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2016, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-names-like-vegan-sausage-are-confusing/775834/46 "2016-12-29T20:59:37Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > Yes, there is a difference, both in texture and in flavor between vegan chicken, beef, shrimp, fish, pork, etc. > > If you look in the frozen foods section of you supermarket, you may find a small section of vegetarian meat-substitutes. I am a big fan of [Gardein](https://gardein.com) products. If you try them, you’ll find that the chicken is different from the beef which are both different from the pork, etc. I was specifically asking about preparations like curry and sausages and meatballs rather than plain imitation chicken or beef for a reason - exactly the reason you mentioned with the Tofurkey sausage. If a meat eater was surprised to find out those sausages were vegan, I’m guessing most people wouldn’t be able to tell if they were supposed to taste like chicken or pork or turkey or beef. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2016, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-names-like-vegan-sausage-are-confusing/775834/47 "2016-12-29T21:49:03Z")
> [@doreen](#): > > I was specifically asking about preparations like curry and sausages and meatballs rather than plain imitation chicken or beef for a reason - exactly the reason you mentioned with the Tofurkey sausage. If a meat eater was surprised to find out those sausages were vegan, I’m guessing most people wouldn’t be able to tell if they were supposed to taste like chicken or pork or turkey or beef. But what I’m saying is that there is a difference in the way that the vegan chicken and pork and beef and turkey and shrimp taste and in their texture. What I’m saying is that I, and occasionally even a meat eater, cannot tell them apart from the actual meat products. I have a very limited and time-diluted frame of reference; my friends and family do not, however. So yes, there is a difference between vegan curry chicken and vegan curry beef, just as there is a difference between curry chicken and curry beef, etc. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2016, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-names-like-vegan-sausage-are-confusing/775834/48 "2016-12-29T21:52:59Z")
> [@DrCube](#): > > Isn’t this a lot like France mandating that no one can call their sparkling wine “Champagne” unless it comes from the Champagne region in France? Same with various cheeses. Or is it completely different? Seems to me that Germans would have an economic interest in making sure no one was using the word “schintzel” for things that are entirely different from schintzel. > > Anyway, “meatless meatballs” doesn’t confuse me so much as it infuriates me. I don’t understand why vegans have to name their food after meat. I don’t go around calling hot dogs “meat carrots” or hamburger “meat cereal”. If it is a ball of tofu, call it a tofu ball. Do you get infuriated when you see a can of Spaghetti-Os? Spaghetti doesn’t come in round noodles, after all. How about almond milk? Clearly that didn’t come from a cow, so it can’t be milk, right? White chocolate? Does that one send you into rage? What other descriptive terms regarding food “infuriate” you? ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2016, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-names-like-vegan-sausage-are-confusing/775834/49 "2016-12-29T22:03:59Z")
“Do you think names like “vegan sausage” are confusing?” The name, no. The notion that people eat it, strong yes. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2016, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-names-like-vegan-sausage-are-confusing/775834/50 "2016-12-29T22:46:03Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > Lemon curd > Jelly beans > Marshmallows > Tiger bread > Tiger nuts > Birds Custard > Birds eye chilli peppers > BirdsEye Fish Fingers > Mr Brains Faggots > > All of these things need renaming, right now. Coconut milk Sweetbreads Headcheese Rocky Mountain Oysters ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2016, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-names-like-vegan-sausage-are-confusing/775834/51 "2016-12-29T22:57:08Z")
I’m not a vegan. Nonetheless, I morally object to making them into sausages. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2016, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-names-like-vegan-sausage-are-confusing/775834/52 "2016-12-29T23:00:32Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > Do you get infuriated when you see a can of Spaghetti-Os? I do. I mean, they’re clearly zeroes. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2016, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-names-like-vegan-sausage-are-confusing/775834/53 "2016-12-29T23:21:35Z")
1. In English, these terms are not confusing. 2. I respect vegetarianism and vegans philosophically, this may be the easiest time in history to espouse it. Many products are made to resemble or taste similar to meat, not always successfully, and not always wisely. 3. Is this because some vegans miss the taste of meat but stick to principles, to impress non-vegans or convert the unconvinced, to better fit in at holidays like Thanksgiving? I don’t know. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2016, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-names-like-vegan-sausage-are-confusing/775834/54 "2016-12-30T01:13:41Z")
Why would sticking to principles involve appeasing others? Vegans often consider using animal products to be morally wrong. They very well might love the taste of meat, but think it’s wrong to eat it, not unlike a converted Jewish person who loves bacon. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2016, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-names-like-vegan-sausage-are-confusing/775834/55 "2016-12-30T01:40:36Z")
I don’t think sticking to principles involves appeasing others. Maybe I should have used a colon or semi-colons instead of commas. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2016, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-names-like-vegan-sausage-are-confusing/775834/56 "2016-12-30T01:58:17Z")
Not confusing. I have no issue with “vegan [meat style]” like Vegan sausage or vegan patties. I am less sympathetic towards “vegan [actual meat]” like Vegan chicken – but not enough so that I can muster giving a damn. ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2016, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-names-like-vegan-sausage-are-confusing/775834/57 "2016-12-30T02:23:45Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > Have they banned terms like soy milk and almond milk? Well, if [25 members of Congress](http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-almond-milk-soy-milk-20161223-story.html) get their way. > [@doreen](#): > > Is there a difference between …vegan pork sausage and vegan turkey sausage? Yes, Jews & Muslims won’t eat the first one. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2016, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-names-like-vegan-sausage-are-confusing/775834/58 "2016-12-30T03:56:16Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > Do you find the phrase “vegan chicken curry” similarly confusing? (I used it in the OP.) No, a chicken curry is a dish. “Whole turkey” is not a dish, it’s a type of meat. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2016, 9:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-names-like-vegan-sausage-are-confusing/775834/59 "2016-12-30T09:18:10Z")
The ‘vegetarian whole turkey’ preparation is weird, but I see no reason to be offended by it (I can imagine reasons why some vegetarians might find it distasteful, but those are reasons to shun it, not reasons to ban it) In principle, it’s no different to, say, Marzipan fruits, or that stuff Heston Blumenthal does where a ‘fried egg’ is actually mango sorbet on top of panna cotta. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2016, 9:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-names-like-vegan-sausage-are-confusing/775834/60 "2016-12-30T09:25:19Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > In principle, it’s no different to, say, Marzipan fruits, or that stuff Heston Blumenthal does where a ‘fried egg’ is actually mango sorbet on top of panna cotta. Heh. One of the desserts we had this week was “fried eggs” consisting of half a preserved peach facedown atop a slice of preserved pineapple 🙂 Having an actual fried egg for dessert would be much more confusing! > [@Broomstick](#): > > There is some concern that some (ignorant/uninformed) people seem to think soy milk is nutritionally similar to cow’s milk regarding things like calcium and vitamin D, which it is not. Probably also for almond milk but the term “almond milk” is hundreds of years old at this point and I’m not sure what else you would call it. Horchata. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-names-like-vegan-sausage-are-confusing/775834.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-names-like-vegan-sausage-are-confusing/775834.md?page=4)