Veggie? Really?

Amherst College makes a big deal out of the fact that they offer a “vegetarian alternative” to every meal. Ok, great. I’m not a vegetarian, but I respect them. However, one of these substitutes are the so-called “veggie nuggets” which, incidentally, have the taste and texture of chicken. I’m wondering, how can they make veggies taste like chicken? Someone told me they use “chicken powder”… if so, how can they still call it vegetarian??? I’m going crazy, here…

Who told you that they use chicken powder? Someone who actually witnesses the preparing of this food? If so, then the college is seriously screwed up, and may end up getting sued by some vegetarian students.

As far as “fake chicken” - why not? I think that various tofu/soy/grains are used to make the fake chicken. It’s pretty tasty, too. (And it has little or no cholesterol, and often less fat.)

If there is cholesterol, then it is not vegitarian. Cholesterol is found only in animal cells.

Yes, I know. But some of these veggie “fake meats” include milk, cheese, or eggs (obviously they are not for vegans, just regular ovo/lactos) which do have cholesterol.

Some of the “meat alternative” products on the market these days are pretty good fakes. The veggie nuggets, in particular, are almost indistinguishable from the chicken ones. There are some good veggie “sausages”, too. There seems to be an increase in the number of part-time vegetarians-people who are eating less meat for one reason or another, but not giving it up entirely-and these products seem to be marketed toward them. Personally, I prefer the veggie burgers that are less meat-like in texture.

As a long-time vegetarian whose favorite cuisine is Indian (and Mrs. Mojo being from India, I enjoy it every single day!), I have no use for ersatz veggie “meat.” Indian vegtarian cuisine is so delicious, varied, and satisfying on its own terms without attempting to ape “meat” that Boca Burgers and the like are irrelevant. I agree with the vegetarians who say that since they don’t even like meat, why bother attempting to counterfeit it?

I have tried Boca Burgers and similar confections a few times, and I admit they are tasty and wholesome. When served to me, I devour with gusto. But given the choice, I just like Indian vegetarian cuisine better than anything else.

NightRabbit, they should give you a list of what is in it if you ask them.

Most meat substitutes have a lot of salt.

What’s your definition of “a lot?” I just checked a couple of the convenience items in my fridge, and they don’t seem to have an unusual amount of sodium. Each serving, (4 “deli slices”, 5 premade spaghetti balls, 4 oz of BBQ seitan, has between 300 and 375 grams of sodium, which is somewhere in the neighborhood of 20% of your RDA, depending on your diet. And plain tofu has almost none, so you can season it to taste.

I do agree that the food service should be willing to give its customers nutrition information on the prepared foods it serves. You probably just have to ask.

I’m with Jomo Mojo on the Indian food train. You lucky dog! Indian food is my absolute favorite. I’m a longtime vegetarian, and try to rely on whole grains, beans, tofu, etc. I love to cook, so it’s not much of a problem. Occassionally, I’ll have a veg burger; they’re handy when I’m too tired to cook. I’ve never tried the veg chicken nuggets, but a search came up with this:

It’s from this site: http://www.morningstarfarms.com That’s a division of Kellogg’s, so it’s quite likely that a foodservice company would be using their product. The page didn’t offer the specific link to this info, so I pasted it:
Morningstar Farms® Chik Nuggets™ (refrigerated)
Serving Size: 4 nuggets (86g)
Servings per Container: about 3.5
Amount per Serving: Calories 160; Calories from Fat 40

Chik Nuggets™ are a blend of vegetable and grain proteins to provide a tasty alternative to breaded chicken nuggets. They contain 75% less fat than regular chicken nuggets and are an excellent source of fiber.

Ingredients: Textured Vegetable Protein (Soy Protein Concentrate and Isolate), Egg Whites, Wheat Flour, Water, Corn Oil. Contains 2% or less of Corn Starch, Yellow Corn Flour, Cultured Whey, Modified Food Starch, Salt, Soybean Oil, Cellulose Gum, Soy Fiber, Autolyzed Yeast Extract, Dextrose, Hydrolyzed Corn and Soy Protein, Artificial Flavors from Non-meat Sources, Potassium Chloride, Leavening (Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate, Sodium Bicarbonate), Sugar, Guar Gum, Nonfat Dry Milk, Carrageenan, Potassium Sorbate (to maintain freshness), Spices, Onion Powder, Garlic Powder, Paprika, Yeast, Lactic Acid, Celery Extract, Vitamins and Minerals [Niacinamide, Iron (Ferrous Sulfate), Vitamin B1 (Thiamine Mononitrate), Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine Hydrochloride), Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin), Vitamin B12 (Cyanocobalamin), Folic Acid].

It’s got a lot of stuff in it that I’d prefer to avoid, but I’m glad that Amherst is making an effort to offer a vegetarian alternative. Sometimes you have to take what you can get.

Veggie meat substitutes (nuggets, sausages, burgers, cold cuts etc.) work for me because I was a fast food addict prior to going veggie, and despite having my eyes opened to a wonderful world of new flavours and textures (my partner was a veggie chief), I still missed the meat textures. I find my position rather laughable, for it is a bit like a child in a fine restaurant begging for a McHappy meal. Unfortunately, when it comes to food, I have the tastes of a suburban two year old.

To address the OP’s question: “Chicken Powder” probably refers to seasoning, not powdered fowl.

I would assume it’s nearly identical to the “Fried Chicken Seasoning” on the spice shelves at the grocery store.

I am a devoted Morningstar farms Chik Patty fanatic. I don’t usually like fake meat…but put a Chick Patty on lightly toasted french bread with lettuce, tomatoes, pepper jack cheese and slather it with good mustard and you got yourself the best sandwich know to humanity. And Chik nuggets are great for dipping in a variety of sauces. Mmmm…

I always wonder why people are so surprised when products that attemt to taste like meat work. We fake flavors all the time. We fake fruit (almost all candy), we fake dairy (creamers, yoo-hoo, imitation sour creme), we fake sugar (artificial sweetners) and we fake any number of foods. Most processed food utilizes artificial flavors. So why is it so weird to fake meat?

Beyond that, a lot of the meat being faked gets all its taste from seasoning. Sausage, for example, is easy to fake because it is so highly seasoned. Breaded chicken is easy because it is a rather artificial taste in the first place.

Morningstar Farms hijack:

I was also, until recently, a Morningstar Farms fanatic. I would even travel to the grocery store two towns over because my local store doesn’t carry all their products.

Unfortunately, they were recently caught using GMO corn (including the stuff that wasn’t meant for human consumption) in their products. Now, they don’t deny that their Kellog’s products are full of the stuff, but they had been claiming that their Morningstar Farms line was GMO-free.

(Note: I’m not so concerned that the GMO corn we were eating was doing us any harm. I am more concerned about genetic modification of food in general, its affect on pesticide use and the refusal of companies to label their products. And I really don’t like being lied to.)

My kids loved their veggie dogs; the chix nuggets were their favorite quick dinner; they make the only edible bacon substitute I’ve found. And now I feel morally obligated to refuse to buy them. Aargh.

I could be talking out of turn here, but aren’t these fake meats really the moral equivalent of, say, cosmetics that have been tested on animals?

I mean, someone has to have tested the fakin’ bacon against real bacon to see how close it comes, this test involves the death of a pig…

Mangetout, that’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever read.

Anyway, my ex’s father works for Morningstar Farms. They became a subsidiary of Kellogg only a year or so ago, so their food line has been “independent” for a while. I haven’t noticed any change in the food since the merger; I love their spicy black bean burger, too.

Here you go, Montfort:

http://alerts.web.ca/show.cfm?app=gpc=2498

Thanks. First McDonalds uses beef in their fries, now this… grumble

Ridiculous? why? - please elaborate?

Mangetout, you aren’t the guy from the Guinness Book who ate a bicycle and an airplane, are you?

No City Gent, I’m not; he choked to death on a strawberry apparently