Day 5 & 6 (May 18 & 19)

No real food news to report.  I had no problems staying vegetarian the last two days, but I'm very bored with the "veggie" offerings at restaurants.  I'm glad that everyone is having such a great time making fun of me for giving up meat.  Even if people are laughing at me, I'm glad people could have a laugh.  My pa really enjoyed giving me the business during our lunch the other day.  Tonight, I totally got burned... I started chatting up my veggie quest and a co-worker nailed me.  He dropped the old joke.... How do you spot a vegetarian at a party?  Don't worry, they will let you know all about it.  I'm guilty, but then again, I was looking to totally immerse myself in the veggie culture so I think we can call that step one.  Acceptance. 

 After R&M dropped off the veggie burger patties the other day, I really wanted to do some research on TVP (textured vegetable protein).  TVP was the main ingredient in the burger patties they gave me.  TVP is a common meat substitute that is loved by vegetarians, and a filler hated by beef lovers.  Back in the ancient history of that taco chain we had before Matador, the ground beef they sold us used TVP.  I don't know how much TVP was in the "Taco Chain" meat we had, but it was the second ingredient on the box.  My impression back then was that it was horrible filler they pumped into the box to save some cash.  I'm very biased when it comes to meat.  Meat should be meat.  Actually, I think that when you sell anything it should be nothing but 100% of the real deal.  Ask Taco Bell what they think about adding fillers to their meat. 

http://gizmodo.com/5742413/this-is-what-really-hides-in-taco-bells-beef

I don't know if that lawsuit claim is true, and I don't care, but Taco Bell has plenty of fillers.  The numbers never lie and there is no way anyone could produce a taco for $.89 that has 100% beef.  You always get what you pay for. The meat eating public is outraged that TVP is added to ground beef.  The vegetarian crowd uses TVP as a substitute.
 
What's the real deal?

Well, I'm not sure, There are dozens of pro vegetarian sites that claim the stuff is great.  There are dozens of other sites that claim there are health hazards associated with eating it.  I started this TVP research to find out the truth.  I quickly realized there is no truth.  It is almost as annoying as politics.  Pick a side, and who cares.  If you like it, use it.  If you don’t like it, stay away.  I could go on for days pointing out the pros and cons, but there is no winning or understanding the argument.  

I did find one interesting slant…. TVP is generally produced by big companies like DuPont.  Tofu and other “fresh” soy products are usually produced locally by smaller companies.  I’m all for jobs and people making money, but if I had a choice I would take the little local guys.  Besides, if you really wanted to get your hands dirty, you could make seitan or tempeh yourself.  Harmony Valley Foods (aka Custom Blending) is a great local producer of TVP products.  Whole Foods and Vitamin Cottage both have a sausage mix and a hamburger mix.

My final thought…. Everything in fine in moderation.  If you can find a recipe as tasty as the patties R&M made for me, then use it.