# Test-Tube Burgers Ready By Fall



## Gahars (Feb 20, 2012)

I'm going to take a shot in the dark here and assume that a majority of the people on this site eat meat, and of those people, I'm sure a good amount have at least tried a hamburger. Sure, they're good, but they are also problematic; the massive amount of cows we use are contribute to global warming (From their farts. Seriously, not making that up.) and deforestation.

So yeah, that's a pretty major problem. How do we balance our need for food with the necessity of preserving the planet? Well, leave it to science to swoop in to try and save the day.



> The world's first "test-tube" meat, a hamburger made from a cow's stem cells, will be produced this fall, Dutch scientist Mark Post told a major science conference on Sunday.
> 
> Post's aim is to invent an efficient way to produce skeletal muscle tissue in a laboratory that exactly mimics meat, and eventually replace the entire meat-animal industry.


Source: Yahoo News

Now, it's worth mentioning that this is still in the very, very, very early stages of development, but the idea behind it is definitely promising. If it's successful, the impact could be enormous (Cheaper food produced at a much faster rate and all that). This will definitely raise some ethical questions (Would meat created in a lab be acceptable for vegetarians/vegans?); I'm looking forward to seeing how they might be resolved.

Of course, I'm also looking forward to the next logical step: putting science together to create Super Meat Boy in a laboratory. One day, perhaps...


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## Bladexdsl (Feb 20, 2012)

eat recycled food it's good for the environment and *OK *for you 

seriously though i dont think i'd eat this...


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## RupeeClock (Feb 20, 2012)

There's a name for this, In vitro meat, which is meat that was never part of an complete, living animal.
Even PETA are in support of this, and they're crazy.

Whilst a lot of people may argue that artificial meat may have a lot of problems, consider that with enough developments, In vitro meat may be even easier to regular than slaughtered meat, where meat can be grown in test tubes easily free of diseases like foot and mouth.

But hey, at least it's not a burger made from protein taken from turds.


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## Bladexdsl (Feb 20, 2012)

RupeeClock said:


> But hey, at least it's not a burger made from protein taken from turds.


 i remember reading about that SHIT making me sick


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## Hells Malice (Feb 20, 2012)

Interesting.
It'll only work if it tastes identical (or I suppose better works too) than real meat. Otherwise people will just laugh at it and ignore it. It'd become budget meat that you eat if you can't afford the good stuff (which isn't that bad either, mind you. Makes food cheaper).


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## Bladexdsl (Feb 20, 2012)

so how long till mcd starts using this?


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## pokefloote (Feb 20, 2012)

If it really does mimic natural meat, I'd go for it.


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## Foxi4 (Feb 20, 2012)

Hells Malice said:


> Interesting.
> It'll only work if it tastes identical (or I suppose better works too) than real meat. Otherwise people will just laugh at it and ignore it. It'd become budget meat that you eat if you can't afford the good stuff (which isn't that bad either, mind you. Makes food cheaper).


Yeppers. It needs to have identical or *better* (which doesn't seem to be an issue given the genetical engineering involved in the process) and it has to be affordable. Then, market it as "healthy", conviniently forget to mention the fact that it "grew on a tree" and you've got yourself a gold-eggs-laying-hen... cow, that is.


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## KingVamp (Feb 20, 2012)

RupeeClock said:


> But hey, at least it's not a burger made from protein taken from turds.


Yeah, you can't argue with that. 

Seriously tho, if it basically meat, but from a lab, I think I'm ok with that.
Having no bad side effects of course...


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## Midna (Feb 20, 2012)

I find this more appetizing than regular meat. Go science.


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## roastable (Feb 20, 2012)

Anybody remember those crap burgers from Japan that were posted a while ago?
Thank goodness someone came up with this...


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## Bladexdsl (Feb 20, 2012)

you really need to start reading the whole thread


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## Foxi4 (Feb 20, 2012)

I have a weird feeling that at least one wacko "defend the rights of animals" group will step forward and idiotically say "leave the cow fetuses alone, we don't want stem cells in our sandwiches!" and f*ck everything up, proving that the life of a cow is more important then hundreds of the poor and starving across the globe.


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## Depravo (Feb 20, 2012)

Bladexdsl said:


> so how long till mcd starts using this?


They'll start using it the second it becomes cheaper than real cows.


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## Wizerzak (Feb 20, 2012)

I would eat this stuff just for the fun of science. Don't care what it tastes like.


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## chyyran (Feb 21, 2012)

I am not going to eat synthesized meat.


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## Guild McCommunist (Feb 21, 2012)

Many people think this would utterly repulsive but I've heard plenty of horror stories about cooking a burger at your local Burger King for instance.

Sadly this is probably a better process. Fortunately I don't have to deal with either method of getting a burger.


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## Foxi4 (Feb 21, 2012)

Guild McCommunist said:


> I've heard plenty of horror stories about cooking a burger at your local Burger King for instance.


The chain restaurants are not the ones you should be concerned of - they have strict sanitary rules and are often controlled by inspectors.

It's the little cornerstores and booths with semi-suspicious burgers that you should be worried about. Their stuff is usually delicious, but it's best not to know how it came to be.


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## kupo3000 (Feb 21, 2012)

I'll eat this to advance science.


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## Skelletonike (Feb 21, 2012)

I find this a pretty good idea, but, I wouldn't eat it... I'm all for natural food, be it vegetables (I don't eat those that were grown faster artificially or those that used lots of artificial fertilizers), or meat, I only enjoy food that I know is 100% pure and natural, that doesn't stop me from going to a McDonalds for example, but for home cooking, natural all the way.


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## Luckkill4u (Feb 21, 2012)

I have a feeling astronauts will be the first guinea pigs


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## Bladexdsl (Feb 21, 2012)

Depravo said:


> Bladexdsl said:
> 
> 
> > so how long till mcd starts using this?
> ...


and a month later they go out of business


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## Midna (Feb 21, 2012)

Skelletonike said:


> I find this a pretty good idea, but, I wouldn't eat it... I'm all for natural food, be it vegetables (I don't eat those that were grown faster artificially or those that used lots of artificial fertilizers), or meat, I only enjoy food that I know is 100% pure and natural, that doesn't stop me from going to a McDonalds for example, but for home cooking, natural all the way.


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## DiscostewSM (Feb 21, 2012)

I'm udderly delighted to try this out.


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## Foxi4 (Feb 21, 2012)

Midna said:


> Skelletonike said:
> 
> 
> > I find this a pretty good idea, but, I wouldn't eat it... I'm all for natural food, be it vegetables (I don't eat those that were grown faster artificially or those that used lots of artificial fertilizers), or meat, I only enjoy food that I know is 100% pure and natural, that doesn't stop me from going to a McDonalds for example, but for home cooking, natural all the way.


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## Skelletonike (Feb 21, 2012)

Foxi4 said:


> Midna said:
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## Foxi4 (Feb 21, 2012)

Skelletonike said:


> Yeah, kinda that, and also the fact that in most cases, vegetables and animals that were taken care of in a healthy way (for example cows and chickens that live in an open farm instead of a closed and dark place) taste better. =3


MSG wins, hands-down.

That is all.


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## Skelletonike (Feb 21, 2012)

Foxi4 said:


> Skelletonike said:
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> 
> > Yeah, kinda that, and also the fact that in most cases, vegetables and animals that were taken care of in a healthy way (for example cows and chickens that live in an open farm instead of a closed and dark place) taste better. =3
> ...


What's MSG?


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## Luigi2012SM64DS (Feb 21, 2012)

yahoo is a dum source (so dum that they can't even spell dum*b)*


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## Foxi4 (Feb 21, 2012)

Skelletonike said:


> Foxi4 said:
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## frogboy (Feb 21, 2012)

Mmmm, stem cells.


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## DiscostewSM (Feb 21, 2012)

For people against this, you have to imagine everything that happens from start to finish with hamburger meat, with all the possible drugs, disease, etc that are connected with the process.

If it looks like real meat, smells like real meat, and tastes like real meat, then what's the problem? Well, the country ranches might have a problem.


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## Foxi4 (Feb 21, 2012)

DiscostewSM said:


> If it looks like real meat, smells like real meat, and tastes like real meat, then what's the problem?


Actually, seeing that it'd be produced from Stem Cells, it *is* real meat, it's just not attached to a nervous system, thus we cannot treat it as a full-blown animal.

The only thing that does concern me is whether or not the "genetic sameness" of the final product would affect the human body in the long run and to what extent.. unless they'll use a whole lot of sources for their stem cells, that'd make sense.


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## DiscostewSM (Feb 21, 2012)

Foxi4 said:


> DiscostewSM said:
> 
> 
> > If it looks like real meat, smells like real meat, and tastes like real meat, then what's the problem?
> ...



Ah, true that about it being real meat.

Hope we don't become mutants by ingesting them. Then again, it depends on if being a mutant had benefits.


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## M[u]ddy (Feb 21, 2012)

Foxi4 said:


> MSG is a 100% safe flavour enhancer


For most people, but I can't tolerate it. At first I get high blood pressure (Chinarestaurant-Syndrom). Later I get backaches sometimes. A day later I get a few really big pimples.


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## Midna (Feb 21, 2012)

Despite extensive studies, and there have never been any sound negative findings concerning MSG. How the devil do you know that your high blood pressure, backaches, and rashes are all caused by the seasoning on the food you had for one meal? That's ridiculous. Could it not have been something else in the meal, or even something completely different?

Hell, I get sick and nauseous when I go to McDonalds. Does that mean I should pull one single ingredient from their burgers and blame that as the cause?


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## aiRWaLKRe (Feb 21, 2012)

"...Where cows are not just born, they are growen..."


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## Thomas83Lin (Feb 21, 2012)

DiscostewSM said:


> the country ranches might have a problem.


This is really the only problem i see  whats going to happen to most of the farmers?


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## Midna (Feb 21, 2012)

BlackAce83 said:


> DiscostewSM said:
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> 
> > the country ranches might have a problem.
> ...


It's not as if the US' meat is supplied by old ranchers who take their cows in every year before the winter.
I have no pity for the industrialized slaughterhouse industry.


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## Thomas83Lin (Feb 21, 2012)

Maybe not in all areas of the US but were i live that is the case, hometown farming is key here. not sure how i feel about the industrialized slaughterhouse industry


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## M[u]ddy (Feb 21, 2012)

Midna said:


> Despite extensive studies, and there have never been any sound negative findings concerning MSG. How the devil do you know that your high blood pressure, backaches, and rashes are all caused by the seasoning on the food you had for one meal? That's ridiculous. Could it not have been something else in the meal, or even something completely different?
> 
> Hell, I get sick and nauseous when I go to McDonalds. Does that mean I should pull one single ingredient from their burgers and blame that as the cause?


Definitely not. It's always the same symptoms and always when eating something with huge amounts of MSG. I even tested cooking the same meal twice, one with and once without MSG.


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## Gahars (Feb 21, 2012)

Skelletonike said:


> Foxi4 said:
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> > Midna said:
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## Costello (Feb 21, 2012)

I really believe this would be good for our environment. Besides I think they can achieve excellent tasting meat with stem cells.
People who are against the idea need to read up on stem cells before they can make up their minds. (Stem cells ftw!)
I hope this will happen!


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## Deleted User (Feb 21, 2012)

If it taste almost as good, and doesnt cause health problems. why the hell not?


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## X_XSlashX_X (Feb 21, 2012)

I agree with a lot of people in this thread. If it smells and taste like the real thing whats the problem? I would take that over the preservative filled burgers any day.


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## Skelletonike (Feb 21, 2012)

Gahars said:


> Skelletonike said:
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## jurassicplayer (Feb 21, 2012)

M[u]ddy said:


> Definitely not. It's always the same symptoms and always when eating something with huge amounts of MSG. I even tested cooking the same meal twice, one with and once without MSG.


That doesn't sound like a very standard way of testing if your reaction is due to MSG or not...Have someone else cook for you with a variable amount of MSG that they don't say. Say that even no MSG in both is available, or MSG in both. Maybe even have them lie about which plate may contain the MSG and which one doesn't. That would probably give more definite results rather than "I cooked two meals for myself, being fully aware that I put MSG in one of them and was thus expecting a certain outcome to occur".


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## Valwin (Feb 21, 2012)

i would eat it


also fuck global warming BS crap


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## Skelletonike (Feb 21, 2012)

Valwin said:


> i would eat it
> 
> 
> also fuck global warming BS crap


If you think global warming is crap, you need to study more. =3


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## Bladexdsl (Feb 21, 2012)

but if this actually does come true if we eat the meat we'll become stupid


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## Janthran (Feb 21, 2012)

Bladexdsl said:


> so how long till mcd starts using this?


BAHAHAH
Horse meat is cheaper


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## stanleyopar2000 (Feb 21, 2012)

for some reason when I saw the quote: "She nourished me with "*science!*"

I hear it in the voice of Dibs father from Invader Zim xD


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## Gahars (Feb 21, 2012)

Skelletonike said:


> Gahars said:
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## Saddamsdevil (Feb 21, 2012)

Anyone else read the manga Bio-Meat: nectar? If you did, you know what I am getting at.


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## Vulpes Abnocto (Feb 21, 2012)

brandonspikes said:


> If it taste almost as good, and doesnt cause health problems. why the hell not?



Well the only problem would be knowing that for certain. After all, if a study were released saying it was 100% harmless, good for the environment, good for people, and a-ok, you could rest assured that the study was paid for by the people growing the meat.

And now for the first couple of off-the-wall thoughts that popped into my head while reading this.

What if these lab-grown steaks fart? Sort of nullifies the global warming benefit.
What's to keep someone from doing precisely the same thing with human stem cells? (Tuesday is Soylent Green day)

And another video for @[member='stanleyopar2000'],

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2k0OLahG7ok

Damn disabled embedding. Watch on YouTube, skip to 4:00, stop at 5:00.


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## Nimbus (Feb 21, 2012)

Wouldnt this just lead to overpopulation of cows?

I mean think of it, if cows are not slaughtered and or killed, or at the very least prevented from reproducing, they're going to do just that.

Guess what happens eventually....too many cows. Same applies to any animal.

It's not the fact that it's synthisized meat that bothers me, it's the population issue, and thats why I am totally against this bull.

*badpun.sh*


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## Hells Malice (Feb 21, 2012)

Nimbus said:


> Wouldnt this just lead to overpopulation of cows?
> 
> I mean think of it, if cows are not slaughtered and or killed, or at the very least prevented from reproducing, they're going to do just that.
> 
> ...



There wouldn't be an overabundance of cows if people stopped purposefully populating the CRAP out of them. Right now the cow population is completely unnatural and it's causing bad shit. If the demand for real meat were to go down, then there would be no need to force cows to give birth to fit the food demand, thus dropping the cow population significantly.


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## Vulpes Abnocto (Feb 21, 2012)

Nimbus said:


> _*stuff_



Well in that case instead of pumping them full of growth hormones and breeding them to be massive we can start breeding them to be small. Tiny, in fact. Pot-bellied cows that can live in your house and sleep at the foot of your bed. 
They'll follow you down the street while you jog. And when you spook them it's just the cutest little stampede you ever saw.


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## jurassicplayer (Feb 21, 2012)

Vulpes Abnocto said:


> Well in that case instead of pumping them full of growth hormones and breeding them to be massive we can start breeding them to be small. Tiny, in fact. Pot-bellied cows that can live in your house and sleep at the foot of your bed.
> They'll follow you down the street while you jog. And when you spook them it's just the cutest little stampede you ever saw.


And eat them when they become annoying.


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## Ikki (Feb 21, 2012)

I wouldn't mind a cow sitting next to my chimney while I read a newspaper.


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## DiscostewSM (Feb 21, 2012)

We can't let the cows go free. They might raise an army and fight back.

[yt]qSlGQpvl_IA[/yt]


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## Thesolcity (Feb 21, 2012)

Erm.... I'll stick to my global warming-inducing farting cows.


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## ferofax (Feb 21, 2012)

I don't wanna eat food that's not from a real animal. If it's supposed to be meat, then it has to be specific-- cow meat, fish meat, chicken meat, but no in vitro meats please.

also, reminds me of that roguelike POWDER.

You cast Stone to Flesh! The wall collapses into a huge hunk of meat.


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## Midna (Feb 21, 2012)

ferofax said:


> I don't wanna eat food that's not from a real animal. If it's supposed to be meat, then it has to be specific-- cow meat, fish meat, chicken meat, but no in vitro meats please.
> 
> also, reminds me of that roguelike POWDER.
> 
> You cast Stone to Flesh! The wall collapses into a huge hunk of meat.


I'm not sure you know how this works.


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## FireGrey (Feb 21, 2012)

What's the point of eating meat if it's fake?


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## Vulpes Abnocto (Feb 21, 2012)

ferofax said:


> If it's supposed to be meat, then it has to be specific-- cow meat, *fish meat*, chicken meat,



You just brought up a reason why I would actually accept this sort of meat. 

Cheap tuna sushi FOREVER.


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## ferofax (Feb 21, 2012)

Vulpes Abnocto said:


> ferofax said:
> 
> 
> > If it's supposed to be meat, then it has to be specific-- cow meat, *fish meat*, chicken meat,
> ...


here's the problem. stem cells, from what i assume it to be, are the cells that basically have no blueprint yet. they don't know if they're gonna be muscle, lean meat, cartilage, bone, or in the bloodstream. cultivated and made to grow, all you'll have is a mass of tissue that you can't identify because it never came from a living creature (but merely derived from one).

so no, no Tuna sushi because it wouldn't have the texture of tuna.

of course, that's unless them scientists have figured out how to make a buncha stem cell grow into, say, a 60-kilo chunk of sirloin or back ribs. they'd have to know how to manipulate the stem cells into growing realistically like it would in a real animal.

EDIT: looking back at the first post, i see they were able to make skeletal muscle tissue... how about texture? how about firmness? even if they grow real muscle tissues, it would be real soft because it's never been used, EVER.

squishy steak. i don't think i like squishy steak.


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## gokujr1000 (Feb 21, 2012)

Hmmm now I'm actually interested in whether or not vegetarians will eat meat.


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## Saddamsdevil (Feb 21, 2012)

gokujr1000 said:


> Hmmm now I'm actually interested in whether or not vegetarians will eat meat.



My girl is a vegetarian cause she actually doesn't LIKE meat, so I'd say not necessarily.


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## M[u]ddy (Feb 21, 2012)

jurassicplayer said:


> M[u]ddy said:
> 
> 
> > Definitely not. It's always the same symptoms and always when eating something with huge amounts of MSG. I even tested cooking the same meal twice, one with and once without MSG.
> ...


Some of the tests I did produced the exact opposite result, of what I was expecting, that's why for now I would rule out that it's just a placebo effect. You right though, I should do some testing involving a second person, but for now I'll just avoid too much MSG.


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## Guild McCommunist (Feb 21, 2012)

FireGrey said:


> What's the point of eating meat if it's fake?



You asked the right person.

You can modify plenty of recipes and meal plans that involve meat by subbing in meat alternatives. There's a whole range of "vegetarian meats" out there. Some of my friends says it tastes exactly the same (or even better) than normal meat, depending on the substance. Some of them say the veggie burgers, for example, are fantastic, but the cold cuts taste like cat food.

Also it's nice to know what a burger is like without having a burger. And here's a common situation: I go to a friend's house for some type of party. This happened a few months ago actually. My friend said it was gonna be some sort of grill thing over there (like burgers, hot dogs, etc), so I brought a package of veggie burgers to cook. They're just as easy to cook and in the end I could sit down with my friends and eat a burger instead of acting like a giant hassle or being the odd-man out.

Simply put, "vegetarian meats" give more options to vegetarians. Also they're damn tasty.


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## Pong20302000 (Feb 21, 2012)

maybe its a ploy to make vegans eat meat

No vegan diet, no vegan powers


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## injected11 (Feb 21, 2012)

But how am I supposed to order a burger 'rare' if it doesn't bleed? Stupid science. Always missing the important aspects.


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## ferofax (Feb 22, 2012)

Pong20302000 said:


> maybe its a ploy to make vegans eat meat
> 
> No vegan diet, no vegan powers


It's the Vegan Police!


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## KingVamp (Feb 22, 2012)

ferofax said:


> Pong20302000 said:
> 
> 
> > maybe its a ploy to make vegans eat meat
> ...





Spoiler

















injected11 said:


> But how am I supposed to order a burger 'rare' if it doesn't bleed? Stupid science. Always missing the important aspects.



What make you so sure there wouldn't be any blood in it?


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## ZarCastro_287545 (Feb 22, 2012)

Time To Spice Cows With Lobbsters... chalk with cheese ftw!


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## gloweyjoey (Feb 22, 2012)

The flavor of meat is determined by what the animal eats. A grass fed animal will taste different than a corn or grain fed animal. This meat will definitely not share the same exact flavor as real meat for this reason alone.


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## ferofax (Feb 22, 2012)

injected11 said:


> > But how am I supposed to order a burger 'rare' if it doesn't bleed? Stupid science. Always missing the important aspects.
> 
> 
> What make you so sure there wouldn't be any blood in it?


because chances are, the grown meat will be pure meat--no blood vessels, because it DOESN'T need them. because it's just cultivated tissue, it doesn't have a heart that pumps blood, and so have no need for blood vessels.


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## ShakeBunny (Feb 22, 2012)

I would try this.


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## zeello (Jun 8, 2014)

I became a vegan last summer. Not sure how I feel about this, but anything's better than using live cows, right?


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## FAST6191 (Jun 8, 2014)

zeello said:


> I became a vegan last summer. Not sure how I feel about this, but anything's better than using live cows, right?



Cows are something of a pollutant I suppose, however "anything" might be a stretch.


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