I try synthetic salmon and enter the “uncanny valley” of taste

https://arstechnica.com/culture/2023/08/i-try-synthetic-salmon-and-enter-the-uncanny-valley-of-taste/

by bookofjoe • 3 years ago

14 14 3 years ago

What about how it makes me feel afterward, is it as satiating at real fish? What about its nutrition, specifically %protein, micro-nutrients, and bio-availability?

I'm probably in the minority of meat-eaters, but I care more about these things than taste, texture, or how it cooks. And even then, I care whether it taste good and cooks easy, not whether it tastes and cooks like real meat.

appplication• 3 years ago

I left the dinner feeling contentedly full and confident that I would enjoy eating New School’s product again if served to me

From the article

pvaldes• 3 years ago

...and this explains perfectly the other thread

clnq• 3 years ago

Most every day-priced synthetic meats fall short in taste. Over time, I've adjusted, and now my brain perceives the taste of meat substitutes as the new norm for meat.

However, what I find quite interesting is that the meat substitutes often lack the nutrients, taste, texture, and the overall experience of eating real meat. Yet, they might cost more. Many people talk about substituting our meat consumption long-term with synthetic meats. I can't say we're going in that direction. To me, the substitutes are less long-term replacements and more a method to transition off meat. And I tried a lot of substitutes over the last decade - certainly low hundreds of products; I would like them to be better and I'm looking for the better ones.

I'm not dismissing the industry; I hold it in high regard. Some pricier alternatives come close in terms of taste, smell, and texture. Lab-grown meats are indeed promising, especially in nutrients, but still, they'd cost about $40 a pound, even with a slim profit margin.

Things are changing, though. The price of lab-grown meat is falling rapidly — it was unobtanium a few years ago. So I remain optimistic. Lab-grown could be our future, especially in space diets or in the looming climate crisis on Earth. Perhaps we'll even recycle the... unused... nutrients from these meats, much like how we recycle water in space. Or we could improve their nutrition, create "super-meats", that are healthier than the real thing. The shift away from animal farming might be as revolutionary as the start of farming animals itself, there is potential for this to change our lives very substantially.

We're not entirely there, but the path is clear. In many parts of the world, it's becoming feasible for people to gradually transition off meat using these substitutes, if they choose to.

jebarker2• 3 years ago

They have "plant based" sushi at Whole Foods that has the appearance of salmon and tuna nigiri. The texture is surprisingly good, but there's basically no flavor. Not sure if it's from the same producer as this stuff

jacquesm2• 3 years ago

I'll be a vegetarian before I go for fake fish, fowl or meat. I just don't get it. Why delude yourself? There are thousands of ways to cook vegetarian foods starting from really simple stuff to the most complex of gourmet meals without faking something else.

What causes this revulsion in me I do not know but there is something that triggers a 'this is bad for me' reflex when eating something that's not quite what I expected and as a result I simply can't eat it. But I have zero problems with food just being what it is. Tomatoes, pepper, salt: instant breakfast. Add some garlic and pasta: quick dinner. Of course you can go full vegan and I'm fine with people doing that (or eating meat or fish or fowl), each to their own. But for me it just doesn't work.

A vegan friend of mine always pointedly reminds me that I'm eating 'thin slices of dead animal', but that doesn't bother me as much as eating tofu made to look like meat or fish. Then just give me a simple salad and I'll be fine. Or the real thing, also fine.

A friend of mine (also on HN) built a company around honest vegetarian and vegan food: it is just what is says on the package, no more, no less and they've been very, very careful about proper nutritional value and some balance. That I can get behind.

Fake steak is simply fake. Someone tried to feed me this on a birthday party for a relative recently, it was disgusting.

jebarker2• 3 years ago

I am a vegetarian, almost vegan, entirely for ethical reasons. In theory I agree with you that meat replacements shouldn't need to exist. In practice I seem unable to escape the 20+ years of meat eating shaping my taste buds. Most of them are just not good. I find the Impossible Meat to be passable in place of ground beef.

jacquesm2• 3 years ago

Interesting. I'm not quite there yet, I'll eat what I'm served without being too picky but the fake thing just doesn't work for me. But interesting to see alternative experiences. Maybe I'll grow into it, but there are other things like that in particular foods that I've never been able to appreciate (for instance: certain textures that I don't like). Obviously this is all well at the level of 'first world problems', in a pinch I would eat whatever is available, no matter what kind of personal preferences I have. But as long as there is choice I'll settle for 'real' vs 'fake' any day. Maybe one day some fake that I can't distinguish will come along and then I'll fall for it. But for now it isn't there yet and the uncanny valley is one that I'd just as soon pass right by.

orra• 3 years ago

Why delude yourself?

Because bacon-cheeseburgers are tasty. Being able to eat something similar, without the ethical and environmental concerns, is a very attractive idea.

mikecoles• 3 years ago

Vegetable or synthetic 'meat' is not similar. There is nothing attractive about this idea.

Jeff_Brown• 3 years ago

After calling the second dish "delicious", the author asks what the purpose of the endeavor is. Obviously it doesn't have to taste better than real fish to be worth pursuing. If it's ballpark as healthy, and it's delicious, then (price permitting) there will be a huge number of interested consumers.

steveylang• 3 years ago

I have been to two vegan sushi restaurants (I live in Los Angeles), one was okay and the other is surprisingly good. I remember the second place having a surprisingly good salmon substitute, but it obviously wasn't from this new startup since they apparently haven't launched anything yet. I don't need these meat substitutes to taste exactly like the real thing, I just want them to taste good and provide a similar taste experience. The author mentions the 'uncanny valley' of taste- that doesn't bother me, as long as it generally tastes good in a similar setting. I think that makes for an easy substitute so restaurants can provide more non-meat menu items.

I have only been vegetarian for a short while, and was previously a long time meat lover. I don't need meat substitutes in my life (oyster and king mushrooms are a big love of mine now) and they will never be a basic staple, but it is nice to have the option. If you're at or having a BBQ, it's easy to also grill an Impossible burger for example. I used to love sushi and will occasionally surrender to a spicy scallop roll or something like that, so appreciate having vegan options.

My main reason for becoming a vegetarian is avoiding industrial farming as much as possible, with probably sustainability being the second factor. I don't have an ethical objection to humanely raised (or wild) and humanely slaughtered meat, there are some good sources for that although I don't generally find myself seeking them out.

I try synthetic salmon and enter the “uncanny valley” of taste

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