Plant-based food is woke?

[PACOX]

New York (CNN Business)Some of the meat at Cracker Barrel might be fake, but the beef that it's causing is very real.

On Monday, the chain posted on Facebook about a plant-based sausage made by Impossible Foods that' Cracker Barrel had added to breakfast menus earlier this summer. The post sparked strong reactions from its followers, with many complaining that Cracker Barrel should not be offering the meat alternative.

"I just lost respect for a once great Tennessee company," one person commented. Another comment said: "Not going to happen! Cracker Barrel used to be so good, we looked forward to eating in them but not anymore," while another person wrote "bad choice." Others expressed skepticism that the product would taste good. Several commenters decried the "woke" addition to the menu.

Not all of the reaction was negative, however, with many people thanking the chain for the option. "I couldn't even tell the difference. I think it's great for people who can't eat meat for whatever reason," one person wrote.

In a statement to CNN Business, Cracker Barrel said it's "always exploring opportunities to expand how our guests experience breakfast and provide choices to satisfy every taste bud -- whether people want to stick with traditional favorites like bacon and sausage or are hungry for a new, nutritious plant-based option like Impossible Sausage."
On Thursday, Cracker Barrel responded to the controversy on Instagram, posting a picture with the plant-based sausage and pork sausage together. "Where pork-based and plant-based sausage lovers can breakfast all day in harmony," the caption reads. Roadside rival McDonald's (MCD) has eliminated all-day breakfasts.

Cracker Barrel added Impossible Sausage to menus as part of a broader shakeup of its offerings. The chain said that this was its "first plant-based protein at a time when more than ever, consumers are seeking plant-based options that are better for them."

Eaters are gravitating toward alternative meats, with major chains, like Dunkin' and Burger King, adding them to its menus.

https://www.cnn.com/2022/08/04/busin...rsy/index.html

Can someone please explain to me how fake meat is 'woke'?

[Kaleredar]

Anything that implies that humanity's current usage trends of meat, pollutants, automobiles, fossil fuels, deforestation, water, and... well, resources in general, isn't 100% optimal or should perhaps even be increased is seen as "woke."

Because if you imply that fake meat is good, you imply that real meat is bad

And if you imply that real meat is bad, you imply that producing real meat is bad

And if you imply that producing real meat is bad, you imply that producing real meat is polluting or wasteful

And if you imply that producing real meat is polluting or wasteful, you imply that pollution and resource waste is a problem.

And if you imply that pollution and resource waste is a problem, you imply that global warming might be a problem.

And if you imply that global warming might be a problem, you imply that the liberals might be right.

And if you imply that the liberals might be right, you imply that they as conservatives are wrong.

You'll find that, applying that rough train of logic, you can suss out the reason for most conservative outrage.


All that being said, while the article makes a to-do about the negative reception it also notes people that are in support of it. Now Cracker Barrel is a pretty yee-yee ass place, but I doubt that a bit of negative reception will be particularly impactful. The fate of these impossible meat substitutes lie more heavily in whether they're able to transcend being a fad or not, and not whether one particular chain's redneck patrons don't personally order it.

[Cthulhu 2020]

Deeply religious conservatives: "THIS BUSINESS IS RUINED BECAUSE THEY OFFER VEGETARIAN ALTERNATIVE MEATS, HOW DARE THEY DO THIS?!"

Never change, Republicans. It's far too amusing.

- - - Updated - - -

Anything that implies that humanity's current usage trends of meat, pollutants, automobiles, fossil fuels, deforestation, water, and... well, resources in general, isn't 100% optimal or should perhaps even be increased is seen as "woke."

Because if you imply that fake meat is good, you imply that real meat is bad

And if you imply that real meat is bad, you imply that producing real meat is bad

And if you imply that producing real meat is bad, you imply that producing real meat is polluting or wasteful

And if you imply that producing real meat is polluting or wasteful, you imply that pollution and resource waste is a problem.

And if you imply that pollution and resource waste is a problem, you imply that global warming might be a problem.

And if you imply that global warming might be a problem, you imply that the liberals might be right.

And if you imply that the liberals might be right, you imply that they as conservatives are wrong.

You'll find that, applying that rough train of logic, you can suss out the reason for most conservative outrage.


All that being said, while the article makes a to-do about the negative reception it also notes people that are in support of it. Now Cracker Barrel is a pretty yee-yee ass place, but I doubt that a bit of negative reception will be particularly impactful. The fate of these impossible meat substitutes lie more heavily in whether they're able to transcend being a fad or not, and not whether one particular chain's redneck patrons don't personally order it.

Plant based meats will also become cheaper as more and more factories that produce it are made, and is on track to become cheaper than real meat soon. It's just a simple business decision.

Why do conservatives hate the free market?

[Ripster42]

Plant based meats will also become cheaper as more and more factories that produce it are made, and is on track to become cheaper than real meat soon. It's just a simple business decision.

Is this the same Soon™ that blizzard uses? Because it doesn't look like it's coming soon in the way most people use the word. Yeah, for sure, they'd like to reduce the cost, but the most popular brand is selling at a loss, laying off people, and are admitting that reducing the costs of production is going to take longer than they originally thought.

[s_bushido]

Because reactionaries are idiots. Seems pretty simple.

[Malkiah]

Can someone please explain to me how fake meat is 'woke'?

because the deeply guarded secret that all conservatives know and try to hide, is that "woke" is just a black censorship bar over someone's mouth on TV, and it means "anything regressive dipshits don't like" - it has no definition of anything that actually exists in reality, because it doesn't actually exist in reality.

"woke" is just a boogeyman word that refers to literally anything that doesn't cater to hateful bigotry, and people who don't like to eat meat doesn't cater to hateful bigotry, therefor it is 'woke'.

[Edge-]

These types of people don't have an original thought in their heads and are just reacting as they've been trained.

[Dezerte]

There's times when being stubborn can be a good thing. This was not one of those times.

[Othraerir]

doesn't cracker barrel make cheese?

[Forogil]

There are so many sensible alternatives for breakfast that don't involve meat, why not eat that instead of fake-meat?
Some of that is even healthy!

And in terms of CO2: breakfast sausages are unlikely to be the worst offenders - they are usually not close to 100% meat, and the meat isn't beef.

[jonnysensible]

or is it based?

[PC2]

When someone innovates it almost always scares people, especially conservatives who typically think the old ways are better.

I'm also a big proponent of insect-based foods since that might be the next way to reduce the cost of protein. It's funny to see right wingers freak-out about new stuff, they often times think that the elites want to push this stuff on the common people but in reality it's just a good idea to cultivate more options.

[Viconia]

It seems the term 'woke' is suffering inflation as it's developing into a catch-all phrase for things people consider annoying in our current society. Such is the way with labels.

[Edge-]

When someone innovates it almost always scares people, especially conservatives who typically think the old ways are better.

This is not an innovation sir, this is simply the addition of an existing product into their menu.

[Linkedblade]

https://www.cnn.com/2022/08/04/busin...rsy/index.html

Can someone please explain to me how fake meat is 'woke'?

Simply because veganism/vegetarianism is different from the status quo. Reactionaries gonna react.

[PC2]

This is not an innovation sir, this is simply the addition of an existing product into their menu.

No because the Impossible Foods products were not a pre-existing product available at the restaurant.

I can guarantee there is at least one of the following:
-A new composition or arrangement of molecules that is unique to Impossible Foods products.
-A new way of scaling up production that never existed before.
-New materials or genetically engineered products that were not accessible to prior generations.
(apparently their new plant-based heme extract is their signature ingredient.)

[Edge-]

No because the Impossible Foods products were not a pre-existing product available at the restaurant.

Yet they've existed on the market for years. You can't "innovate" by adding an existing product to your offerings. "Innovating" would be offering something brand-new, something different.

I can guarantee there is at least one of the following:
-A new composition or arrangement of molecules that is unique to Impossible Foods products.
-A new way of scaling up production that never existed before.
-New materials or genetically engineered products that were not accessible to prior generations.
(apparently their new plant-based heme extract is their signature ingredient.)

None of these apply. Again, less of an "innovation" than KFC adding the Double Down to their menu, because that was at least an actually new product on the market.

[Forogil]

https://www.cnn.com/2022/08/04/busin...rsy/index.html

Can someone please explain to me how fake meat is 'woke'?

Because of stupid US politics: to quote the headline below "Democrats are much more likely to shy away from meat than Republicans are" (other factors are high education, female, and low church attendance - race doesn't matter much).

https://www.economist.com/graphic-de...ss-party-lines

The stupid politics makes it difficult to figure out what is really happening: is Cracker Barrel seeing a demand for them - or is it just virtue signaling; do the critics exist and really care or are they just pearl-clutching conservatives?

[Masark]

doesn't cracker barrel make cheese?

Different company. The cheese you're thinking of is a brand owned by Saputo.

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

[PC2]

Yet they've existed on the market for years.

If something wasn't accessible to prior generations it's still a relatively new innovation.

You can't "innovate" by adding an existing product to your offerings.

The Impossible Food sausage was not a product that already existed at Cracker Barrels. The article said this was their "first plant-based protein".

"Innovating" would be offering something brand-new, something different.

Impossible Food products are relatively new and different.

None of these apply.

Yes they do, you're just choosing to have a very narrow view on innovation.

Again, less of an "innovation" than KFC adding the Double Down to their menu, because that was at least an actually new product on the market.

I'm not sure about the "Double Down" thing, but KFC has innovation and tech teams that are responsible for improving their products. I assume they are competent people who are doing their jobs.