After reading the title of Paul’s recent blog about a supposed “meat-patch” that helps people transition to a plant-based diet, it would be an understatement to say I was intrigued. As a vegan for over five years, I have personally witnessed an explosion in the rise of people switching to a plant-based diet in the past few years alone. Veganism has become mainstream among celebrities, more and more meat, dairy, cheese, etc. alternatives are arriving in grocery stores every day, and overall people are more open towards eating plant based. This is due to people becoming aware of the environmental destruction, health issues, and ethical concerns that arise from eating animals and animal products. I think 2019 was definitely the year of veganism officially becoming mainstream, with Impossible and Beyond Meat launching their plant-based beef at Burger King, Carl’s Jr., Subway, Dunkin Donuts, Del Taco, and more. Having vegan options in fast food restaurants that actually taste good make eating plant-based convenient and accessible for all. While an Impossible Whopper costs more than a regular beef Whopper, this is because the cost of beef is significantly lower due to government subsidies towards the beef industry, and because the demand for the Impossible Whopper is not as high. As the demand increases, the price will drop and may one day even be cheaper than real beef.
Going back to the meat patch, I personally think this sounds like a good idea. Before going vegan I never considered myself a hardcore meat lover (even though my favorite food in kindergarten was pastrami), so my transition to veganism was pretty smooth with the exception of dairy since I loved cheese. I know this is not the case for many Americans whose diet is very meat centered, and eat meat for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Although there are extremely good plant-based substitutes for animal products on the market, they don’t convince everyone, espeically those who consider themselves to be hardcore carnivores. Although vegan alternatives are only getting better, and I am confident that one day they will taste identical (if not better) to their animal-based counterparts, I think the meat patch is a good solution in the meantime. Although it may sound ridiculous, if it works and if people no longer want to eat meat while wearing it, I think that is certainly a win for animals, the planet, and our health.
Purists might claim why would you want plants to taste like meat, when you could just eat the real thing instead. However, most people eat plant-based or become vegan not because they hate the taste of meat, rather their belief that animals deserve to live, our environment needs to be preserved, and our health is important outweighs our taste buds. I still love chicken nuggets and pepperoni pizza, but now I just eat vegan versions of them without the negative downsides of meat and I am perfectly happy. Overall I think this meat patch would cause a lot of positive change in the world and I hope it becomes mainstream amongst meat lovers.
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