'Sausages' And 'Burgers'

[Atheist]

I understand that a meat organisation is objecting to the use of terms such as 'vegetarian sausages' and 'vegeburgers', feeling that they may mislead some people. Does anybody here think that such terms are misleading or liable to lead to bad dietary choices?

[pixie374]

No, those are just shapes, it doesn't need to be meat. I was a vegetarian for many years, but, short of making all veggie food into pyramids... there is likely to be some overlap in appearance.

[AuntPollyGrey]

No they are not misleading. A sausage is a sausage whether its pork beef lamb turkey or vegetarian. A burger is a way of presenting meat fish or vegetables -in patty form. What next - ban veggie mince?

[pastafreak]

I think they are misleading, as it's appropriating( ooops...can I use that word?) terms always used to describe meat based products. And as for making poor food choices, I suppose it depends on your opinion of vegetarianism or veganism.

[Mamyalynne]

I'm more aligned with Pixie here, I think those words represent shapes in the same was roll or loaf does.

to me at least.

[Atheist]

pasta; misleading, but surely not enough to propose banning the use of such terms? 'Burger' comes from the end of the word 'Hamburger' which meant stuff from Hamburg. 'Burger' shouldn't be grabbed and applied only to meat products? I don't really think that people are daft enough to buy a vegeburger only to be disappointed to find that there's no meat in it.

[pixie374]

All the work is done for us nowadays, anyway. Someone else will check if it is vegetarian and add a V. I don't think they could make it much easier.

[woofgang]

actually pasta that's not true....check out Glamorgan sausages. Traditional, scrummy and no meat.

[Atheist]

Woofy, is that true about Glamorgan sausages?

[Mamyalynne]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glamorgan_sausage

[pixie374]

We still buy bean burgers and veggie quarter pounders. The kids like them in sandwiches with ketchup, sometimes.

[New Judge]

Yes they are misleading. An original burger was a Hamburger. Its name has nothing to do with ham or any other meat. It is a patty made of ground beef which originated in Hamburg, Germany. In the same way a variety of sausage originated in Frankfurt and is called a Frankfurter. So it is not a Ham-burger, it is a Hamburg-er. So to call a patty made of anything else a "burger" is simply wrong. There cannot be a beefburger - it is a Hamburger. As far as I know, there is nowhere called Beefburg. I also don't recall a town named Veggieburg.

Sausages originated from efficiencies in butchery and were originally made to use the cuts of meat which would otherwise have been discarded. So sausages are made with meat.

What I don't understand why vegetables have to be made to look and sound like meat dishes. Here's one example:

https://www.tesco.com/groceries/en-GB/products/254972122?sc_cmp=ppc*GHS%20-%20Grocery%20-%20Repeat%20&;%20DS*PX%20%7C%20Shopping%20GSC%20%7C%20Actives%20%7C%20Top%20Offers%20%2B%20Generic*R%20%26%20DS%3A%20F%26D%3A%20Free%20From%3A%20Frozen%20Food%20-%20Top%20Offers*PRODUCT_GROUP254972122*=&ds_rl=1116322&gclid=CjwKCAjwlbr8BRA0EiwAnt4MTkEzfd4CWe_3wOFlmJODSbKzGX4z6Oh-_8VzxWPWx_46GMEPKoVWsxoCyi4QAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds&selectedUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fdigitalcontent.api.tesco.com%2Fv2%2Fmedia%2Fghs%2Fc7cd8bc8-0b7e-47f4-b6c4-0e01f7fbaec9%2F807c14c6-68a5-46d9-af7e-3b5cbcd15a9a.jpeg%3Fh%3D540%26w%3D540

Sorry for the long link, but it shows Tesco "Meat free Meat style burgers". If they're meat free, why make them "meat style"? Is it because vegans and vegetarians hanker after meat? It's about as daft as alcohol free beer and wine.

Here's another:

https://lovingitvegan.com/vegan-steak/

Vegan "steak". Description: "Tender, juicy and flavorful vegan steak! Perfectly spiced and looking remarkably like the ‘real thing’ ". But, er.. not the "real thing" because steak is a cut of meat. Why make vegetables look and sound like meat? Just call it "Compressed Vegetable Slurry". Doesn't sound too appetising but that's what it is. It's not steak.

I've even seen "Vegetarian Fish & Chips" on offer in a gastro-pub. Intrigued, I looked at the details. The "Fish" was fried cheese (to which many people, me included, are allergic).

Absolutely ridiculous. Rant over!

[pixie374]

That doesn't sound as though you are confused or misled by it, NJ?

[Atheist]

NJ; I think you are taking this far too seriously. All language has roots and all language outgrows those roots and finds its own meanings to people of its time. I think we should be looking to see if the use of 'vegeburger' causes significant harm to interests of acknowledged importance, in other words, does it matter a ***?

[allenlondon]

Oh no! I’ve been a vegetarian since 1980 and now I’m confused about what is meat! Dah...

[pixie374]

I did google the dictionaries before my first post, to make sure the words did mean what I thought... and they do. We are already spoonfed everything, I honestly can't see that any more is necessary or helpful.

[allenlondon]

zalways amuses me when some gormless one on ‘Come Dine With Me’ announces that she (too often it’s a she) is a vegetarian but eats lamb and chicken and ...

[gingejbee]

Misleading...with "vege" and "vegetarian" as part of the name? If you can read, you won't be misled.

[woofgang]

I don't mind (don't care) about vegetable sausages or vegetable burgers but vegetable fish is different....sausges and burgers are recipes...like pie...but fish is an actual thing. I mean I don't care but that's just silly

[Mozz71]

Personally I think it's bloody ridiculous. What does it really matter?

Although I do agree with NJ about fake meat. If you're a vegetablist, don't eat stuff that's pretending to eat meat. Have a bean burger instead.

[pixie374]

Still a burger, mozz :-). If you choose to see it that way, anything could be "pretending". But vegetarians just avoid meat. Not all need to make a point about it. You're thinking of vegans:-)