Be it a matter of cost, principle, or just plain being landlocked, the idea of 3D printed vegan eel over the real deal is quite an attractive development. An Israeli company called Steakholder Foods has introduced this very thing — something they claim is the world’s first plant-based, printed eel.
This probably doesn’t apply to everyone, but I tend to think that meat imitation products like this are usually attractive to people who are new to plant-based eating, whereas old plant-based eaters want alternatives to meat altogether, like soy/tofu, other pulses, legumes, nuts, grains, etc. I’m in the old camp, but I realize that products like 3D printed eel (or other examples) might help people who are exploring plant-based eating, and so I generally like to see stuff like this
Glad someone brought this up. I eat plant based simply because I don’t like how meat tastes. Every so often when I order a vegan/vegetarian option from a new restaurant, it’ll turn out to be some impossible-adjacent product that tastes too much like meat for me. I’m all for these products but wish food places would be more transparent about whether their meat-less options are imitating meat or not. Took this comment as a chance to get this off my chest
I got into veganism partially thanks to imitation meat, and while I almost never have it now I absolutely prefered the uniquely non-meat flavours they offered before the recent stuff got so close.
I think it’s just culinary more interesting to have different flavours that are more meat-ish alternatives than perfect meat imitations.
It also freaks me out when I get some foods - if it seems like it might be real I am often not convinced I am eating something which is vegan/vegetarian. I don’t need that stress lol.