# Meat eaters - do you ever eat veggie burgers? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 14, 2011, 11:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meat-eaters-do-you-ever-eat-veggie-burgers/574642 "2011-03-14T11:20:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2011, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meat-eaters-do-you-ever-eat-veggie-burgers/574642/41 "2011-03-14T17:16:41Z")
I often keep a box on hand at home and eat them fairly frequently. Prepares quickly and feels substantial— dressed with cheese and condiments, they taste burgerlike enough. Rarely when “out,” unless I’m with a vegetarian friend and feeling diplomatic. ---
**Author:** ![rhubarbarin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/eb9ed0/32.png) [@rhubarbarin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rhubarbarin)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2011, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meat-eaters-do-you-ever-eat-veggie-burgers/574642/42 "2011-03-14T17:18:02Z")
I’m a meat eater, but used to be a vegetarian, and I’ve always thought veggie burgers taste like ass. ---
**Author:** ![MadTheSwine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc29f/32.png) [@MadTheSwine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MadTheSwine)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2011, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meat-eaters-do-you-ever-eat-veggie-burgers/574642/43 "2011-03-14T17:22:31Z")
The black bean burgers are really good,I chop them up and put them in a tortilla. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2011, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meat-eaters-do-you-ever-eat-veggie-burgers/574642/44 "2011-03-14T18:02:37Z")
I’ll generally choose dead animal over the substitutes, but it (for instance) I’m at a cookout and there’s a long wait for the meatburgers but there are few veggie burgers ready and waiting, I’ll have a veggie burger. Likewise, if I were a guest at someone’s house and they were having veggie burgers, I wouldn’t object. ---
**Author:** ![Renee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/renee/32/287_2.png) [@Renee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Renee)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2011, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meat-eaters-do-you-ever-eat-veggie-burgers/574642/45 "2011-03-14T18:03:09Z")
I’ve never had a processed one, but I like to make black bean and eggplant burgers occasionally at home. They’re not intended to be a substitute for meat, they’re just tasty and something different. Even my very carnivorous husband likes them. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_the\_Immortal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6de8d8/32.png) [@Max\_the\_Immortal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_the_Immortal)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2011, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meat-eaters-do-you-ever-eat-veggie-burgers/574642/46 "2011-03-14T18:15:03Z")
Much like **Broomstick** , I avoid meat substitutes on principle. This thread has me intrigued at the idea of veggie patties that don’t attempt to mimic meat; after all, I’ll sometimes opt for a bean burrito over a beef burrito without thinking of it as a substitute. I’m not too keen on wading through a minefield of meat imitators just to find a decent veggie patty, though. ---
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2011, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meat-eaters-do-you-ever-eat-veggie-burgers/574642/47 "2011-03-14T18:32:41Z")
I quite enjoy vegetarian food in general despite being an omnivore. Veggie burgers included. ---
**Author:** ![tr0psn4j](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/958977/32.png) [@tr0psn4j](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tr0psn4j)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2011, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meat-eaters-do-you-ever-eat-veggie-burgers/574642/48 "2011-03-14T18:38:35Z")
I loves me some meat and prefer it in a hamburger but the burgers made from black beans are pretty darn good too. ---
**Author:** ![Lust4Life](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ecc23a/32.png) [@Lust4Life](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lust4Life)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2011, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meat-eaters-do-you-ever-eat-veggie-burgers/574642/49 "2011-03-14T18:43:25Z")
I’m a meat eater and not against them in principal but I’ve had some dreadful ones. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Scud](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f08c70/32.png) [@Tom\_Scud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Scud)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2011, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meat-eaters-do-you-ever-eat-veggie-burgers/574642/50 "2011-03-14T18:46:48Z")
I order them occasionally, but mostly because it amuses me to order a veggie burger with bacon. ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2011, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meat-eaters-do-you-ever-eat-veggie-burgers/574642/51 "2011-03-14T18:47:22Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Anyhow, I don’t think of them as hamburger substitutes. They’re just another type of sandwich. I tend not to like vegetarian dishes that try too hard to be meat (like I’m not a fan of the Boca burgers.) But the ones that retain the character of their main ingredients (bean or vegetable or whatnot) I do like. I really like the Masala Burgers from Trader Joe’s. They’re chunks of mixed vegetables held together mostly with potato, with mild Indian spices. I top them with chutney rather than the usual burger fixings. ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2011, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meat-eaters-do-you-ever-eat-veggie-burgers/574642/52 "2011-03-14T18:52:10Z")
> [@DrFidelius](#): > > They are fine and tasty, but the ones worth eating are not the ones that try to imitate meat. Exactly. If I wanted to eat something that tastes like meat, I’ll eat meat. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2011, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meat-eaters-do-you-ever-eat-veggie-burgers/574642/53 "2011-03-14T19:38:01Z")
> [@Hades](#): > > I quite enjoy vegetarian food in general despite being an omnivore. Veggie burgers included. That’s pretty much where I stand - I don’t really differentiate between a meat meal and a meatless meal - I eat it all. ---
**Author:** ![tr0psn4j](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/958977/32.png) [@tr0psn4j](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tr0psn4j)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2011, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meat-eaters-do-you-ever-eat-veggie-burgers/574642/54 "2011-03-14T20:51:55Z")
> [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](#): > > I really like the Masala Burgers from Trader Joe’s. They’re chunks of mixed vegetables held together mostly with potato, with mild Indian spices. I top them with chutney rather than the usual burger fixings. And now I want to go to Trader Joe’s. Thanks ☹ ---
**Author:** ![SecretaryofEvil](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e95f7d/32.png) [@SecretaryofEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SecretaryofEvil)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2011, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meat-eaters-do-you-ever-eat-veggie-burgers/574642/55 "2011-03-14T22:48:59Z")
I’ve nothing against eating a vegetarian meal. However, all the imitation meat products I’ve sampled, Veggie-burgers, tofurkey, tasted terrible. Their taste, texture and appearance didn’t particularly remind me of meat either. If my only options for a meal were vegetarian, I’d prefer something that wasn’t imitation meat. ---
**Author:** ![GilaB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8e7dd6/32.png) [@GilaB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GilaB)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2011, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meat-eaters-do-you-ever-eat-veggie-burgers/574642/56 "2011-03-14T23:24:56Z")
I occasionally make my own, from beans or cashews. They’re not particularly meat-like, and I don’t think of them as meat substitutes, just as round, tasty patties. ---
**Author:** ![devilsknew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4da419/32.png) [@devilsknew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/devilsknew)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2011, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meat-eaters-do-you-ever-eat-veggie-burgers/574642/57 "2011-03-14T23:35:34Z")
Yea, in the same sentiment, isn’t a falafel essentially a veggie burger? If a place has a good enough falafel, I might choose that over a gyro, kebab, or schwarma, if that’s what you’re all lookin’ for… Maybe not everyday, but if it were killer falafel, I might choose that over a meat offering on a basis. And a major part of that is that I really, really like chicpeas/garbanzos, it’s probably my favorite dried bean. ---
**Author:** ![Eva\_Luna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e495f1/32.png) [@Eva\_Luna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eva_Luna)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2011, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meat-eaters-do-you-ever-eat-veggie-burgers/574642/58 "2011-03-14T23:49:38Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > I protest! > > I am an omnivore, but I loathe and deplore “meat substitutes” - give me either REAL meat or REAL vegetables but not fake anything. > > I’m quite happy eating vegetarian meals, beans and rice, tofu, seitan, chickpeas and couscous, hummus … but I hate fake meat. I don’t need meat to be happy, but I do need food that isn’t trying to be something it’s not. > > So… meat eater, won’t eat “veggie burgers”, but WILL happily eat vegetarian entrees that aren’t disguised as something they’re not. Hear hear. I love meat, I love veggies - I loathe things that are trying to be something they’re not. It’s almost as bad as when Mom tried to feed us carob and told us it was chocolate. It is most emphatically not. (Actually, that was worse - I loathe the taste of carob, period.) ---
**Author:** ![dangermom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e274bd/32.png) [@dangermom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dangermom)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2011, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meat-eaters-do-you-ever-eat-veggie-burgers/574642/59 "2011-03-15T00:01:21Z")
I quite like veggie burgers, and often prefer them to hamburgers. Of course it depends on what they’re like, but I love those Black Bean ones you get at Costco, and the local burger joint has a good one that I get more often than a hamburger. ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2011, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meat-eaters-do-you-ever-eat-veggie-burgers/574642/60 "2011-03-15T00:09:53Z")
> [@steronz](#): > > I’d rather have an honest vegetarian meal than one where they removed meat and then added a half-assed substitute. Indian buffets are pretty much the only place where the vegetarian options are every bit as tasty and compelling as the meat ones. > [@devilsknew](#): > > Yea, in the same sentiment, isn’t a falafel essentially a veggie burger? If a place has a good enough falafel, I might choose that over a gyro, kebab, or schwarma, if that’s what you’re all lookin’ for… Maybe not everyday, but if it were killer falafel, I might choose that over a meat offering on a basis. And a major part of that is that I really, really like chicpeas/garbanzos, it’s probably my favorite dried bean. I’d like to see a place make large, thin falafel patties that would work as a burger substitute. Most places do the exact same two inch balls, and they really don’t work on a sandwich. My favorite meat substitute was my mom’s eggplant parmigiana. The worst, which was the worst single meal I’ve ever had in my life\*, was the “Barley Loaf” that was supposed to be a substitution at a vegetarian Thanksgiving I attended. - The second worst was a pizza in a suburb of Winnipeg back in 1991. Can I hold a grudge, or what? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meat-eaters-do-you-ever-eat-veggie-burgers/574642.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meat-eaters-do-you-ever-eat-veggie-burgers/574642.md?page=4)