NROP: Do you taste that cow with your veggies?

Sometimes there is not much to write about. However, today, things are quite the opposite. There are so many fascinating things going on in the world that it took me a long time to figure out which topic I would dive into on this blog. It probably took longer to settle on a topic than it will take me to write this post. How about that?

There was a time when I thought Burger King’s (BK) burgers were 100 times better than the ones from McDonald’s. Once a year or so, I get the BK Whopper in hopes that it will taste as great as it did all these years ago. Unfortunately, it never does, and I am left dissatisfied. A couple of months ago, my partner and I decided to grab a quick lunch at Burger King. My order never varies, but it is interesting to look at the menu and see if there are any ridiculous new items offered. (Like Cheetos fries that came out a couple of years ago, which I tried but did not like.) Before I knew it, my partner asked one of the employees what the “Impossible Whopper” was. The weird thing was that I knew what it was but was not sure where I knew it from. It might have been from when I was researching meat alternatives for one of my #TuesdayThoughts post about the logic behind meat-like non-meats. Or maybe from when I wrote about a social media vegan guru who turned out to be a scam? Is our brain not phenomenal at storing and recalling information?

If you did not know before reading this post, you should know by now that the Impossible Whopper is a plant-based burger meant to look and taste like the beef one, but include no meat. I laughed when my partner quickly shot down that idea after hearing what it was.

Have I had a burger that was made out of veggies? Yes. Have they tasted the same as the beef patties? No. Did I like them? I think one was decent, another one was alright, but others were terrible. If I wanted a vegetarian/ vegan option, I definitely would not go to Burger King. Still, I thought it was kind of them to try and be inclusive (or jump on the idea of potentially making a little extra money).

BK tried to accommodate people who do not eat beef, and now they are getting sued. Once again, we are shown why we cannot have nice things. People demand things to be tailored to their every need, but then they go and find a fault in it. After reading the news about the lawsuit against Burger King, I wonder if maybe some people live to sue. Maybe people sue nowadays just to get their five minutes of fame. Perhaps there are businesses that help you come up with reasons for soliciting? (I got this idea trademarked, so do not go on stealing it!)

What is the lawsuit about? A vegan man is suing Burger King because their Impossible Burger was prepared on the same cooking surface as beef burgers. Because of that, he claims that the non-meat burgers are coated with meat matter. (The author of the linked article claims to be pesce-pollotarian. What happened to the days where you would just say: “I do not eat beef?” Why do we have to put a label on everything? I thought we did NOT want to be labeled?)

What exactly is an Impossible Whopper? Burger King’s website says that it “features a savory flame-grilled patty made from plants topped with juicy tomatoes, fresh lettuce, creamy mayonnaise, ketchup, crunchy pickles, and sliced white onions on a soft sesame seed bun. 100% WHOPPER®, 0% Beef.” It is the last statement that has people riled up. But notice the “creamy mayonnaise.” That is not vegan. There actually is no promise of this burger being vegan or vegetarian. One can, of course, order the Whopper without mayo. One can actually order it without the meat coat, too. Right below the description, there is an asterisk that states: “For guests looking for a meat-free option, a non-broiler method of preparation is available upon request.” I guess the man that initiated the lawsuit did not read that disclaimer.

The reason why this burger is called Impossible is that BK partnered with Impossible Foods. Their mission includes the weirdest of sentences. “(U)sing animals to make meat is a prehistoric and destructive technology.” I never thought of making food as “technology.” Once you start browsing their website, you find out that the way they make their alternative burgers definitely qualifies as technology. You can read a little about the plant-based burger being genetically engineered here. You might be surprised to see the length of the ingredient list. Only because it is made out of a plant does not mean it is better for you. If you look at the nutritional values, you will see that there really is no health reason to eat the veggie option over the beef one. In fact, they have “less protein, a lot more sodium and, of course, more carbohydrates.”

I am a meat lover, but I do not complain if my steak is served with a side of veggies. I do not sue the restaurant because the meat touched the broccoli. Why is a veggie burger coated in a little bit of beef fat such a big deal?

Yes, plants are better for the environment because they do not fart as much as cows do, but does that mean that we should kill all the cows?

Will anything be ever good enough?

Do you ever struggle with an abundance of things to write about?

How do you decide which topic to pick if there is more than one that you are interested in?

Have you tried the Impossible Burger? If yes, what did you think? If no, would you?

If you are vegan/vegetarian, what precautions do you take when eating out to make sure that your food is not contaminated?

Stay golden,

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