# I don't think Vegetarian means what you think it means! **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 1, 2013, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-think-vegetarian-means-what-you-think-it-means/651697 "2013-03-01T03:56:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**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:** [March 1, 2013, 8:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-think-vegetarian-means-what-you-think-it-means/651697/21 "2013-03-01T08:06:36Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Seitan. I’m not veggie myself, but I have had done Asian style “barbecue pork” (or maybe it was duck) from a vegan restaurant. I’m not a fan of fake meat vegetarian food in general, but I was impressed by this. Second this. I was very, very impressed by ‘mock duck’ dishes from a local Chinese takeaway - to the extent that I thought maybe they were just serving real meat under false description, but then I found cans of mock duck pieces, made from gluten, in a Chinese supermarket (my preparation of them was not so good as the takeaway dish, but it was clearly the same product). ---
**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:** [March 1, 2013, 8:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-think-vegetarian-means-what-you-think-it-means/651697/22 "2013-03-01T08:09:29Z")
> [@shijinn](#): > > see? they’re still mostly brown. i must admit though, that it’s true i’ve not given a good vegetarian restaurant a fair shake. So what? Meat dishes are [mostly](https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=chicken+recipe&hl=en&safe=active&rls=com.microsoft:en-gb:IE-SearchBox&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=GGIwUaieJIHX7Aa5goH4Cg&ved=0CAoQ_AUoAQ&biw=1182&bih=580)[brown](https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=chicken+recipe&hl=en&safe=active&rls=com.microsoft:en-gb:IE-SearchBox&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=GGIwUaieJIHX7Aa5goH4Cg&ved=0CAoQ_AUoAQ&biw=1182&bih=580#hl=en&safe=active&rls=com.microsoft:en-gb%3AIE-SearchBox&tbm=isch&sa=1&q=beef+recipe&oq=beef+recipe&gs_l=img.3..0l7j0i5l3.11700.12371.0.13089.5.5.0.0.0.0.141.344.1j2.3.0.crnk_timediscountc..0.0...1.1.5.img.SmXoEtZE97Y&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.&bvm=bv.43148975,d.d2k&fp=b3ef0e1378c48819&biw=1182&bih=580). ---
**Author:** ![shijinn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cc9497/32.png) [@shijinn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shijinn)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2013, 8:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-think-vegetarian-means-what-you-think-it-means/651697/23 "2013-03-01T08:34:22Z")
vegetables are supposed to be green dammit! 😛 ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2013, 9:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-think-vegetarian-means-what-you-think-it-means/651697/24 "2013-03-01T09:14:20Z")
[Au Lac Royal Vegetarian Cuisine](http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/344/1585252/restaurant/ACT/Canberra/Au-Lac-Royal-Vegetarian-Cuisine-Dickson) in Dickson, a suburb of Canberra, has been a favorite of mine for years. They serve some frankly hilarious but tasty stuff. I often go there when I vist Canberra. It’s always packed. ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2013, 9:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-think-vegetarian-means-what-you-think-it-means/651697/25 "2013-03-01T09:21:06Z")
> [@kambuckta](#): > > How in the hell do you make BBQ Pork out of tofu and beans?? I’m pretty sure that would be a hanging offense in my part of the world. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2013, 9:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-think-vegetarian-means-what-you-think-it-means/651697/26 "2013-03-01T09:32:10Z")
In my experience, it’s common for a restaurant to have dishes in a vegatarian menu where the names of the fake meats in the dishes indicate what real meat they are supposed to resemble. So this is nothing surprising. If it bothers you, ask the clerk what’s actually in the dishes. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Mondegreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/91b2a8/32.png) [@Lord\_Mondegreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Mondegreen)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2013, 9:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-think-vegetarian-means-what-you-think-it-means/651697/27 "2013-03-01T09:45:04Z")
> [@don\_t\_ask](#): > > [Au Lac Royal Vegetarian Cuisine](http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/344/1585252/restaurant/ACT/Canberra/Au-Lac-Royal-Vegetarian-Cuisine-Dickson) in Dickson, a suburb of Canberra, has been a favorite of mine for years. They serve some frankly hilarious but tasty stuff. I often go there when I vist Canberra. It’s always packed. Funnily enough, I came here to mention that exact restaurant. Found it by accident one lunch time wandering around Dickson. I’m not vegetarian, but gave it a go for the novelty. ---
**Author:** ![MegaBee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f0a364/32.png) [@MegaBee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MegaBee)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2013, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-think-vegetarian-means-what-you-think-it-means/651697/28 "2013-03-01T13:21:33Z")
> [@tellyworth](#): > > I’ve never seen a Chinese restaurant use vegetarian meat substitutes. > > I’ve seen many Chinese restaurants where they clearly have no idea what “vegetarian” means. I’ve seen several Chinese restaurants use vegetarian meat substitutes. The owner of one actually recommended the fake meat dishes when he noticed that I ordered a lot of tofu dishes for carry out. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2013, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-think-vegetarian-means-what-you-think-it-means/651697/29 "2013-03-01T13:25:22Z")
There are two or three vegetarian/vegan Chinese restaurants around here and this is exactly what their menus look like. The main listing does not specify what kind if faux meat is being used. ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2013, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-think-vegetarian-means-what-you-think-it-means/651697/30 "2013-03-01T14:03:57Z")
errr, oyster sauce is made from…well…oysters. So even one of your “kosher” vegetarian meals isn’t, in both the literal and figurative sense. That may be a mistake made in many a chinese restaurant though, same with the chili oil that you get in little pots (it often has shrimp in it) or worcestershire sauce (anchovies). Thankfully I’ll eat pretty much anything that won’t fight back so I care not one jot. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2013, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-think-vegetarian-means-what-you-think-it-means/651697/31 "2013-03-01T14:07:04Z")
> [@kambuckta](#): > > 123: Vegetarian Chicken Made from a chicken that didn’t eat meat? ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2013, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-think-vegetarian-means-what-you-think-it-means/651697/32 "2013-03-01T14:13:15Z")
> [@tellyworth](#): > > I’ve never seen a Chinese restaurant use vegetarian meat substitutes. > > I’ve seen many Chinese restaurants where they clearly have no idea what “vegetarian” means. I have - almost every Chinese restaurant I know has it as an option. Tofu is not a new fad in China. And I’m fed up of non-vegetarians like a different poster above who say that if they were vegetarian, they’d just eat vegetables. We all need proteins. Tofu, quorn etc are just easy ways to get those proteins. Beans and lentils are all well and good, but not all the time, and not in all dishes. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2013, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-think-vegetarian-means-what-you-think-it-means/651697/33 "2013-03-01T14:32:28Z")
> [@tellyworth](#): > > I’ve never seen a Chinese restaurant use vegetarian meat substitutes. > > I’ve seen many Chinese restaurants where they clearly have no idea what “vegetarian” means. I don’t get out much and even I’ve seen more than one just in the Rockville MD area (where two of my few friends are). Meat substitute for sweet and sour chicken is not bad, and this coming from someone who loves meat. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2013, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-think-vegetarian-means-what-you-think-it-means/651697/34 "2013-03-01T14:34:57Z")
> [@Novelty\_Bobble](#): > > errr, oyster sauce is made from…well…oysters. So even one of your “kosher” vegetarian meals isn’t, in both the literal and figurative sense. [This](http://www.veggie-world.com/Content/Product/cf97f139-1585-4869-a20f-e3326b0c52b5/a17c0e07-fdf9-4d7a-9507-c9483a11ca01/JW01-Vegetarian-Mush.-Oyster-Sauce-.jpg) is “oyster” sauce made from mushrooms. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2013, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-think-vegetarian-means-what-you-think-it-means/651697/35 "2013-03-01T14:37:40Z")
> [@gigi](#): > > I don’t get out much and even I’ve seen more than one just in the Rockville MD area (where two of my few friends are). Meat substitute for sweet and sour chicken is not bad, and this coming from someone who loves meat. [Yuan Fu](http://www.yuanfuvegetarian.com/) is my GFs favorite restaurant. We don’t live in Rockville but anytime we’re passing through we stop in. I’m not a vegetarian myself but I have to admit it’s all very good, and some things, that you may not think would be, are difficult to tell apart from the real thing. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2013, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-think-vegetarian-means-what-you-think-it-means/651697/36 "2013-03-01T14:48:38Z")
A pox on fake meats. Just man up and order the tofu. Our local Thai place has a couple of tofu dishes that are the best things on the menu. The only fake meat I’ll ever endorse is the Boca burgers in the 2010 issue MREs. Those are actually not repulsive at all. ---
**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:** [March 1, 2013, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-think-vegetarian-means-what-you-think-it-means/651697/37 "2013-03-01T14:51:40Z")
I agree with the above, but for me it’s the Morningstar breakfast patties. I don’t know if the Boca burgers in the 2010 MREs are the same as regular Boca burgers, but I was decidedly _not_ impressed with those. But otherwise, I agree with the sentiment? Why fake meat? There’s plenty of great straight-up vegetarian food, and I find the ones that pretend to be meat almost always fail. That’s just me, of course, but give me a five-bean-and-vegetable chili (or maybe I should say “chili”) rather than stuff made with TVP pretending to be meat. ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2013, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-think-vegetarian-means-what-you-think-it-means/651697/38 "2013-03-01T14:58:41Z")
I agree that those are different mock-meat dishes. I went to a Chinese dinner where they had all sorts of “vegetarian meat” dishes. Some of them were pretty good; I remember a vegetarian lemon chicken that was quite convincing. ---
**Author:** ![shijinn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cc9497/32.png) [@shijinn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shijinn)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2013, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-think-vegetarian-means-what-you-think-it-means/651697/39 "2013-03-01T14:58:52Z")
> [@SciFiSam](#): > > … And I’m fed up of non-vegetarians like a different poster above who say that if they were vegetarian, they’d just eat vegetables. We all need proteins. Tofu … Beans and lentils are all well and good, but not all the time, and not in all dishes. underline mine. and who is this poster? i don’t see anyone claiming that in this thread. in fact, that different poster above had meant exactly what you said after - that it is bullshit that every dish is some sort of meat substitute rather than a straight vegetable dish. tofu is great when it’s not pretending to be white meat, and beans are fun when it’s not porky. we all like variety right? however, i’m fed up of the typical vegetarian spread with no greens in sight, and the people who tries to pretend that such a meal is vegetarian. they must have a different definition of what vegetarian means. ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2013, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-think-vegetarian-means-what-you-think-it-means/651697/40 "2013-03-01T15:26:52Z")
> [@DCnDC](#): > > [This](http://www.veggie-world.com/Content/Product/cf97f139-1585-4869-a20f-e3326b0c52b5/a17c0e07-fdf9-4d7a-9507-c9483a11ca01/JW01-Vegetarian-Mush.-Oyster-Sauce-.jpg) is “oyster” sauce made from mushrooms. Your quotes are well used. Not sure how they have the gall to use the word “oyster” on the label. I want my bivalves in a mushed-up form as nature intended. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-think-vegetarian-means-what-you-think-it-means/651697.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-think-vegetarian-means-what-you-think-it-means/651697.md?page=3)