# Would vegetarians eat meat grown on a stick? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 27, 2007, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-vegetarians-eat-meat-grown-on-a-stick/401814 "2007-04-27T01:21:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![WarmNPrickly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/d78d45/32.png) [@WarmNPrickly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WarmNPrickly)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2007, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-vegetarians-eat-meat-grown-on-a-stick/401814/1 "2007-04-27T01:21:02Z")
From [here](http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/4148164.stm) it seems that someday soon, we could have meat that no animal had to die or suffer for. Would vegetarians eat this meat? ---
**Author:** ![Eureka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/74df32/32.png) [@Eureka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eureka)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2007, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-vegetarians-eat-meat-grown-on-a-stick/401814/2 "2007-04-27T01:26:51Z")
We’ve had discussions of Vat-grown meat and vegetarians before. As I recall it, (too lazy to search, and besides, “Vat” woudn’t work in a search engine), the short answer is it depends. There are vegetarians who would happily eat meat that no animal had to die or suffer for. And there are those, especially those who just don’t like the flavor/texture/etc. of meat who would not. ---
**Author:** ![pinkfreud](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pinkfreud/32/17603_2.png) [@pinkfreud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pinkfreud)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2007, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-vegetarians-eat-meat-grown-on-a-stick/401814/3 "2007-04-27T01:28:10Z")
Some vegetarians abstain from meat for health reasons. I wouldn’t expect them to eat meat grown on a stick. ---
**Author:** ![Contrapuntal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e274bd/32.png) [@Contrapuntal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrapuntal)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2007, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-vegetarians-eat-meat-grown-on-a-stick/401814/4 "2007-04-27T01:31:25Z")
[What about chocolate chip pancake and sausage on a stick?](http://www.boingboing.net/2006/09/29/pancakes_and_sausage.html) ---
**Author:** ![WarmNPrickly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/d78d45/32.png) [@WarmNPrickly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WarmNPrickly)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2007, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-vegetarians-eat-meat-grown-on-a-stick/401814/5 "2007-04-27T01:32:53Z")
Hey, I didn’t say I was original. I was just curious what some of the vegetarians around here think. I think the texture of meat grown this way would be seriously off. It might make good broths though. ---
**Author:** ![CaerieD](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/da6949/32.png) [@CaerieD](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CaerieD)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2007, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-vegetarians-eat-meat-grown-on-a-stick/401814/6 "2007-04-27T01:33:22Z")
Yeah, it’s definitely going to depend on the individual. Myself, I don’t feel any lack by not eating meat and I feel better about my diet health-wise when I’m going vegetarian or vegan. Meat grown in a vat is still going to have the fat of meat and is likely to be pumped full of chemicals and hormones. I’d pass. ---
**Author:** ![WarmNPrickly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/d78d45/32.png) [@WarmNPrickly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WarmNPrickly)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2007, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-vegetarians-eat-meat-grown-on-a-stick/401814/7 "2007-04-27T01:34:13Z")
> [@](#): > > What about chocolate chip pancake and sausage on a stick? Out of curiosity sake I tried those. Actually they are not very good. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2007, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-vegetarians-eat-meat-grown-on-a-stick/401814/8 "2007-04-27T01:47:39Z")
I can’t digest meat properly any longer (apparently one doesn’t produce much in the way of the proper digestive enzymes after stopping eating meat), and tend to become quite sick to my stomach when people try to sneak meat products into my food. So, no, I couldn’t eat it even if I wanted to. Frankly, I don’t even miss it. ---
**Author:** ![devilsknew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4da419/32.png) [@devilsknew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/devilsknew)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2007, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-vegetarians-eat-meat-grown-on-a-stick/401814/9 "2007-04-27T01:53:27Z")
Sounds like vat meat could make an indistuingishable sausage. If the day comes with this alternative, as a Buddhist, I will become a sausagetarian and give up the suffer and the sufferage. ---
**Author:** ![MissMossie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f6c823/32.png) [@MissMossie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MissMossie)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2007, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-vegetarians-eat-meat-grown-on-a-stick/401814/10 "2007-04-27T02:04:40Z")
[QUOTE=devilsknew] Sounds like vat meat could make an indistuingishable sausage. If the day comes with this alternative, as a Buddhist, I will become a sausagetarian and give up the suffer and the sufferage. [/QUOTE] You’d give up voting? ---
**Author:** ![WarmNPrickly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/d78d45/32.png) [@WarmNPrickly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WarmNPrickly)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2007, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-vegetarians-eat-meat-grown-on-a-stick/401814/11 "2007-04-27T02:06:49Z")
> [@](#): > > Myself, I don’t feel any lack by not eating meat and I feel better about my diet health-wise when I’m going vegetarian or vegan. It is definitely true that I should be eating less meat (my wife will soon change this), but I always felt that it was ironic that vegetarians feal that depriving themselves of meat made them healthier. > [@](#): > > when people try to sneak meat products into my food. That is incredibly rude and inappropriate for people to do that! ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2007, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-vegetarians-eat-meat-grown-on-a-stick/401814/12 "2007-04-27T02:14:25Z")
[QUOTE=Christopher] That is incredibly rude and inappropriate for people to do that! [/QUOTE] Sure is. I’m not even one of those vegetarians who doesn’t want to see/touch/smell/be around meat; I make meat for my very-omnivorous husband most every night. I’ve even hand-made sausage, years back. I suspect that if I **could** digest meat I might go for meat-on-a-stick of this kind. I really only miss being able to eat meat when there aren’t any veg options around, but am not averse to meat-tasting veg products like fake chicken patties, fake bacon bits on salad, etc. ---
**Author:** ![CaerieD](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/da6949/32.png) [@CaerieD](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CaerieD)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2007, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-vegetarians-eat-meat-grown-on-a-stick/401814/13 "2007-04-27T02:32:27Z")
[QUOTE=Christopher] It is definitely true that I should be eating less meat (my wife will soon change this), but I always felt that it was ironic that vegetarians feal that depriving themselves of meat made them healthier. [/QUOTE] Well, I can’t speak for anyone else, but for myself eating vegan has made me far more aware of what I eat, since I can’t just grab a burger on the road. So everything is far less processed and more care goes into it to make sure I’m getting all of my protein and B vitamins. No fast food, no animal fats, none of the hormones animals from factory farms are pumped full of. So, yeah, it does make me feel healthier. I’d also feel healthier if I could avoid sweets, but alas! That’s more of a weakness than meat ever was. ---
**Author:** ![Vision\_of\_Love](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Vision\_of\_Love](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vision_of_Love)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2007, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-vegetarians-eat-meat-grown-on-a-stick/401814/14 "2007-04-27T02:49:27Z")
I’m not vegetarian but I only eat fish/seafood and poultry… no pork, beef, lamb, etc. I hate the texture of “red” meats, especially ground. Because of this, I won’t even eat ground chicken. I haven’t read the posted article but if the texture is anything like red meat, you can count me out. ---
**Author:** ![WarmNPrickly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/d78d45/32.png) [@WarmNPrickly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WarmNPrickly)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2007, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-vegetarians-eat-meat-grown-on-a-stick/401814/15 "2007-04-27T03:02:45Z")
> [@](#): > > Well, I can’t speak for anyone else, but for myself eating vegan has made me far more aware of what I eat, since I can’t just grab a burger on the road. So everything is far less processed and more care goes into it to make sure I’m getting all of my protein and B vitamins. No fast food, no animal fats, none of the hormones animals from factory farms are pumped full of. You are, of course, very correct here. I went semi-vegetarian for some time, and the greatest benifit is the lack of processed food. Once I get outa the no-time-to-cook trap I’m in that is where I’m headed. ---
**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:** [April 27, 2007, 7:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-vegetarians-eat-meat-grown-on-a-stick/401814/16 "2007-04-27T07:29:53Z")
Would non-vegetarians eat vat-grown human flesh? Seems like a somewhat analogous question. ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2007, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-vegetarians-eat-meat-grown-on-a-stick/401814/17 "2007-04-27T14:37:48Z")
[QUOTE=Mangetout] Would non-vegetarians eat vat-grown human flesh? Seems like a somewhat analogous question. [/QUOTE] Humanitarians would. I eat meat. Wouldn’t eat bucket-grown meat though. If I were convinced that it is best for the planet to stop farming animals for meat (I’m not far from there) then I’d just get off it altogether. ---
**Author:** ![stucco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e56c9b/32.png) [@stucco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stucco)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2007, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-vegetarians-eat-meat-grown-on-a-stick/401814/18 "2007-04-27T15:39:51Z")
I think it’s a neat idea, I still wouldn’t eat it. While I started out being a vegetarian for ethical reasons I’ve come to realize that I just don’t like meat. So meat grown in a vat would still be just as unappealing Also, where would the energy for growing this meat come from? One of my dad’s favorite arguments for eating meat is that since cows can eat grass and other plant products that humans can’t, eating beef allows us to utilize plant energy we otherwise couldn’t. Would they grow the vat-meat in sugar water? Some other solution? And where would that stuff come from? ---
**Author:** ![Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swallowed_My_Cellphone)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2007, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-vegetarians-eat-meat-grown-on-a-stick/401814/19 "2007-04-27T16:00:17Z")
Oh, yuck! Naw, I just don’t really like the stuff much and the idea of “meat grown on a stick” is Frankensteinly unappetizing. ---
**Author:** ![Duke\_of\_Rat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Duke\_of\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke_of_Rat)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2007, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-vegetarians-eat-meat-grown-on-a-stick/401814/20 "2007-04-27T16:51:28Z")
I’ll scarf down a rare T Bone, but I just don’t think I could eat “vat grown meat”. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-vegetarians-eat-meat-grown-on-a-stick/401814.md?page=2)