Dying in Simulation
Having been brought up by a proselytizing vegan and having had observed an herbivorous diet myself for nearly half of my life, I am familiar with the smells, tastes and textures of it all. They linger in my mind, but are difficult to describe. The essences I experienced as the young son of a mother who dragged me with her to the small health food stores were unique, and at the same time, forgettable. What was that smell that filled the air? Dust soup? A few years later I’d inherit the same unremarkable sensations as a lazy vegetarian and then as a vegan without a food identity… trademarked by the frozen discs of compressed lentils masquerading poorly as burgers.
A brief trip further in to my progression of life and I recall my fall from grace, catalyzed by my job working at a deli. Burnt out and having substituted my idealism with lethargy and cynicism, I would trudge behind the counter and begin my day. Every shove of the slicer’s handle would dispense a paper thin piece of garlicky, smoky or honey glazed temptation. Eventually, it became more than I could take, and with no culinary imagination of my own as well as being tired of sustaining myself on simulated meat and tofu slathered in sauce, I gave in to the omnivorous lifestyle. Think what you will of me, but it wasn’t a decision made lightly, nor was it borne entirely from my own laziness. The immediate offerings of veganism to a broke twenty-something simply weren’t interesting enough for me to quell the curiosity that had built up after a decade and a half of meat prohibition.
The frustration has folded on itself now, giving my irritation layers, but my vegan lifestyle was not all for naught. I’ve equipped myself with the ability to taste, prepare, cook and most importantly understand vegetables. The transitive effect: falling in love with the magic imbued in so many of these wonderful gifts from the earth that had previously either been served raw in an unimaginative crudite or compressed to death in to some bland patty. My ire hinges on principle, but not the principle an individual usually attaches to one’s own pursuit of a meat-free diet.
Of course, the ethical and environmental impact we’ve decided to largely turn a blind eye to deserves and needs addressing, but my immediate revulsion is born from an arbitrary embrace of boredom by many of the producers of vegan “food.”
Nothing in the wide world of simulated meat that I’ve ever come across is as good as real meat, and nowhere near as delicious as some of the thoughtful food that is incidentally vegan, without the pointedly bland branding designed to beat it into your skull that, if it wasn’t already screamingly obvious, what you are eating is in fact, not meat. So why is the sad and unnecessary simulacrum of meat still a thing?
I don’t suppose to have the answer, but my guess is that it has something to do with the unfortunate culture-wide addiction to familiarity we find ourselves nestling into deeper by the day. Whether it’s cheap, efficiently replicated or nostalgic, we have decided as a society that being sold only what we know is the most lucrative. I do, however, see a glimmer of hope through a perhaps ambitiously eremitic lens, and it glows a little brighter with each passing year. This doesn’t suggest that there was a vacuum with no light to be seen for American diners, but for the myopic youngster living paycheck-to-paycheck, the illuminated essence of vegan possibility is more impressive than ever.
As a specific example, Strange Town in Milwaukee’s East Side has done away with the browbeating and has inspired diners with food that just happens to be vegetable based. More broadly, fine dining establishments are no longer throwing in one perfunctory vegan option and instead are peppering their menus with thoughtful vegan and vegetarian dishes. The increased awareness and excitement of diners has allowed for restaurants centered around different global cuisines to proliferate, many of whom showcase vegetable based dishes rooted centuries back in their respective cultures. The common thread in all of these is not veganism for veganism’s sake, but for a genuine appreciation and celebration of ingredients, flavors, creativity, quality and the story that each dish tells. As ever, unshackling any culture or movement from homogeneity has allowed for a more vibrant, more accessible and infinitely more exciting representation of its potential.
