Moved MPSIMS --> Cafe Society.
It’s made from oyster mushrooms.
Are you being facetious, or do you know that for a fact (your link doesn’t show up for me)? It’s often made with shiitake mushrooms, too. Or even just “mushroom flavor.” It’s clearly just supposed to be “oyster style sauce” just like you can have vegetarian “fish sauce.”
You. You said that you expect vegetarian meals to be green. Since I don’t know of any green meat substitutes (once they’re cooked), I assumed you meant vegetables. It seems, from this post, that I was right.
Are you vegetarian after all, then? You do need protein. Green vegetables don’t provide much of that. In Chinese restaurants, and most others, if you want green veg you can get them as a side order, too.
Meat substitutes in Chinese dishes often does mean tofu. And you like tofu. I’m sorry - I really have no idea what you’re saying.
It’s a fact. But the rest of your info is correct as well, it is often made with shiitake, and frankly most brands are made with the ambiguous “mushroom flavor.”
And for that matter, the vast majority of commercially available oyster sauce is not made from actual reduced oysters, it’s made with “oyster flavoring.”
Yeah, I always read the labels. Most oyster sauce (ETA: at both general and ethnic markets in America, at least) is, as you say, “oyster flavor.”
As for the OP, yeah, I’m pretty sure that means fake meats. Just about every Chinese restaurant around here (and a few other cuisines, too) offers some kind of fake meat, exactly as it was presented in the OP. (I live in the same area as gigi’s friends, so I suppose it could be a locally popular thing, but I’ve certainly seen it in other parts of the country, too.) For instance, the two vegetarian chicken dishes at the bottom of this page. This menu is also typical in that they generally don’t tend to say what it’s made of, and it’s not always the same, so if you have allergies or dislikes, it can be a little dicey, but you can always ask. And yes, Yuan Fu is awesome. I was going to mention it myself.
I’ll grant that it’s possible they’re just confused - I’ve been to plenty of restaurants that tried to serve me all manner of meats and seafood after I specifically asked what they had that was vegetarian. Some people apparently think “no meat” means “no chunks of beef bigger than my thumb”. But that’s only ever happened to me when I had to ask. I don’t think I’ve ever ordered something that was advertised as vegetarian that had meat in it. Maybe I had an item with fish sauce or something, but no, I’ve never been served actual beef, pork, chicken, or even shrimp in a “vegetarian” dish.
That’s the “what”; now, for the “why”…
shijinn, that’s exactly it: I eat fake meat because I’m a vegetarian who wants to eat meat sometimes. And why wouldn’t I? Meat is yummy. I’m a vegetarian because it means fewer animals suffer, because it’s better for the environment, and because I feel healthier. It has nothing to do with not liking to eat meat, or for that matter, with really liking to eat vegetables. I mean, I certainly do love vegetables, but as you say, I also like variety. I love tofu and beans, but I also love the different tastes and textures of wheat gluten, soybean protein, and so on. I like the way they take on the flavors of marinades. I like the way their chewiness contrasts with the crisp crunch of broccoli or red pepper. And I like the satisfying fullness that comes from eating a big, dense chunk of protein. In short, I like fake meat for all the same reasons you - and I - like real meat. Now, the fake meat may not always be an exact replica of beef or chicken or pork, although it’s true that Yuan Fu has some amazing fakes, but as long as it gives me a similar eating experience, and it’s tasty in its own right, I’ll take it.
And the thing is, those qualities - the flavor, the texture, the satisfaction - are appealing even to people who haven’t had meat. One of my good friends has been a vegetarian since birth. She’s literally never eaten meat. We took her to Yuan Fu, and shared several items. As we ate one of the chicken dishes, I said, “Man, this is so much like real chicken, you’d never know it was fake! Don’t you think?” She laughed and said, “I have no idea. But it *is *really good!” So for me, the point is not to convince you you’re actually eating meat, although that can be good, but just to provide variety.
Now, all that said, I certainly don’t want to eat fake meat all the time. I really do enjoy vegetables, and I agree; it bums me out that so many “vegetarian” options are devoid of actual vegetables, or, you know, flavor. Yes, technically my napkin is vegetarian, but that doesn’t make me want to eat it.
So… some of you expect duck sauce to be made from ducks?
You do realize, don’t you, that “duck sauce” refers to sauce that you use with duck. (Goes well with other stuff too.) Couldn’t “oyster sauce” also be taken to mean a sauce you use with oysters, or a sauce made from oysters? Or, oyster mushrooms?
Yeah, I never believed that oyster sauce was made from oysters. But I do know that shrimp paste is supposed to be made from shrimp.
Ironically, I feel like using oyster sauce on oysters would ruin both things.
Ooh, you’re getting crafty now!
As a veg I agree with his Dorkness. Fake meat has a dense, fillingness that a lot of common vegetables don’t have. I don’t eat it every meal, but a few times a week is good.
I never recommend fake meat to carnivores. They don’t “get” it… but why would they, they already eat it all the time. I didn’t eat fake meat for the 1st ten years of being a veg because it was scarce in the US and I didn’t eat to much pre-packaged food or food that had already been made.
There’s also the issue of “transitional” vegetarians. People who have only recently decided to go to a vegetarian or vegan diet have things they’re used to. A reasonable facsimile can be tasty and familiar, as well as supplying protein, for those adapting to their new diet.
I know, I know…I was being somewhat facetious cranky-old-man in my post.
Anyhow, back to the OP, I would actually have asked the restaurant what is meant. While I think it’s probably meat-substitutes, I wouldn’t necessarily bet on it. Better safe than sorry. There’s plenty of places I’ve been to where vegetarian can mean anything from vegan to having no red meat. (Never mind the places I’ve seen where “vegetarian” soup can be vegetable soup based on beef broth.) I was just looking through an American casserole cookbook from the late 50s that had a “vegetarian” section. I was actually impressed that most of them were at least ovo-lacto vegetarian. But two recipes had actual beef in them. Not broth. Chunks of beef. It’s just that vegetables were the showcase ingredient.
thanks for the explanation Heart of Dorkness. i have this idea that a vegetarian should love their green vegies, but i guess i don’t get what the palate of someone who can’t eat meat is like. the profusion of vegetarian options consisting of mainly fake meat gave me the impression that that is what vegetarians mainly eat, but i see that it is not necessarily true.
i was saying the vegetables in a vegetarian meal shouldn’t be a side order, it should be the main course.
One simple question- why?
Really? I’m eating a vegetarian lunch right now, and it’s not dreary at all. I’m having a slice of white pizza and some fruit salad.
It’s not that you have a different definition. It’s that you’re incorrect about what a vegetarian is.
A vegetarian is a person who does not eat animal flesh.
That’s it.
You seem to think that a vegetarian meal should be defined by your ideas of what should be in it and a vegetarian should be defined by your ideas of what they should like to eat. That’s…well, to be polite, let’s just say that’s really strange.
Well of course you would think so, wouldn’t you? 
Next you’ll try to tell me that baby oil isn’t made from babies!
Yes, usually it means ovo-lacto vegetarian, but not always. Indian vegetarianism, for instance, usually means lacto-vegetarian, so no eggs. Then there are the occasional few who consider themselves “vegetarian” but eat fish (so, pescatarian). Then there are those who are ovo-lacto who don’t care about stuff like gelatin and rennet, and there are those who do care about those. Then “strict vegetarians” are vegan, but most know well enough to identify as “vegan.” I always play it safe when cooking for a group and simply ask “what kind of vegetarian are you?” Or just default to vegan (although I don’t go to the extent to make sure stuff like my sugar is vegetarian–yes, some/a lot of it is refined with bone char made from animals. I don’t expect any vegan to expect me to know all that, though, or cater to that level of ethical strictness. Plus I don’t actually know people who are at that fine a level of veganism.)