Poll: Artificial Meat?

[FPLOON]

I'll eat it if you don't tell me it's artificial meat... or if you tell me that it's cheaper than the real thing...

Other than that, I don't think all vegetarians/vegans would eat it especially if it still looks like the real thing... That does not mean they won't try it our of curiosity, at least...

 

[Dizchu]

I'm a vegetarian strictly on ethical grounds, but meat tastes good. I don't really miss eating it, as I have found some decent meat substitutes (and I didn't eat much in the first place). But artificial meat? Sure, I'd eat it. Until then, I won't reintroduce meat into my diet. Nothing against meat eaters, but I just feel much better since becoming veggie.

 

[Pyrian]

Here's my weird prediction. Branded artificial cannibalism! If we can grow convincing muscle from a cow... ...Why not a person? Why not a celebrity? Cash in, famous sex symbols. All those people who say they want to gobble you up? Let 'em, for a fee.

 

[Kotaro]

As long as the taste and texture are the same as the real thing, yeah, I'd eat it. Simple as that.

 

[Dimitriov]

Heeeellll no! If something didn't die it ain't meat, and I'm not eating it. For ethical reasons, I cannot condone artificial meat.

It's a slap in the face to more than a thousand generations of our ancestors who climbed the food chain and got us to where we are today

And it's no way to behave if we ever want our species to spread among the stars and subjugate any other life we find.

Okay that's all a bit jokey, but remember, kids, how spoiled we all are to even be having this conversation. We humans didn't get to where we are today by giving a shit about other species.

 

[Steve the Pocket]

OTOH, I imagine there will be a kerfuffle when it is cheap enough for some people, but not others. Poor people or poor nations might have to rely on the old fashioned kind of meat, and be demonised by wealthier people for animal cruelty.

Hell, that's happening now, with vegans and pro-organic types looking down on people for getting their food from Walmart and eating fast food instead of Whole Foods because the stuff at Whole Foods costs like 20 times as much and only rich people can afford to live like that. Granted, that's more between rich and poor people in the same country, but still.

Here's my weird prediction. Branded artificial cannibalism! If we can grow convincing muscle from a cow... ...Why not a person? Why not a celebrity? Cash in, famous sex symbols. All those people who say they want to gobble you up? Let 'em, for a fee.

Heh. Or even yourself - gives the phrase "eat your heart out" a whole new meaning.

But I think eating human flesh is dangerous. I forget why. Something about your immune system rejecting it, I think.

 

[List]

In my book there are two kinds of "artificial meat".

one is just a lump of protein (usually from plants) spiced with chemicals or spices to somehow taste like meat. and there's the artificial muscle grown in labs.

One seems unhealthy and artificial. the second is expensive as f*ck to make.

 

[Shoggoth2588]

So long as it tastes good I don't care. Well, so long as it tastes good and isn't carcinogenic, I really don't care. If Science can Science up a burger that tastes as good as or better than Bison and make it available for pennies than that would be freaking great. I don't love eating steak and burgers because they come from dead animals but because they taste good. Grow me up something that tastes good and I'll eat it.

 

[DanteRL]

I could try, if it's already proven that the thing wouldn't make my kids be born with 3 arms. And if it's a real substitute for meat, health wise.

But only, ONLY, if they called it Soylent Green.
Captcha: "I like people" - See, Escapist gets it.

 

[KyuubiNoKitsune-Hime]

Here's my weird prediction. Branded artificial cannibalism! If we can grow convincing muscle from a cow... ...Why not a person? Why not a celebrity? Cash in, famous sex symbols. All those people who say they want to gobble you up? Let 'em, for a fee.

Animals eating the meat of animals that are the same is one of the things that causes spongiform encephalopathy, or at least is one of the more prominent things that is suspected to cause it. I saw a documentary that showed that spongiform encephalopathy was far more common amongst cannibalistic culture than non-cannibal populations. So making a habit of cannibalism can be potentially fatal.

OT: Now as for artificial meat? Well what they're doing currently really doesn't count as artificial and the methods of producing it are so primitive that it's not worth it. Now if they can vat grow entire animals alive, like except with out their brains, or something similar, then I'd have no qualms. Provided that the artificially grown meat is the same as the naturally occurring variant.

I still think that matter manipulation will come before we perfect genetic engineering and artificial life, because there are a whole lot fewer moral questions about replicating matter, as opposed to artificially creating life. In which case if we can accurately reproduce meat with matter replicators, it'll be far cheaper, and so long as it's safe and tastes the same, I think everyone would eat that instead. Because it's real meat you wouldn't have to kill an animal for, so artificially grown meat that is the same as the natural stuff would enjoy the same benefits if it's safe, tastes the same, and costs the same, or more likely, less.

Edit: Dang brain farts.

 

[ObsidianJones_v1legacy]

I'm focusing all my powers of a Minority for this one.

*ahem*

HELL NO!

Spoiler: NSFW and sanity. Unless you are into horror anime, do not click this picture. Those who ARE into it are jealous that I got to this joke first

But seriously, yeah, I would. The taste we'd all get used to eventually. Hell, back when I still ate McDonalds, I didn't like Montreal's McNuggets at first. Because I was so used to the American crap that actual chicken was off putting to me. After a month, I was more bothered by the sauce. We'd all get used to it.

 

[Alarien]

Honestly, I don't see how this could be possible, given the variations in actual meat.

Also, since "leading" nutritionists still completely misunderstand how the words "diet" and "health" are related, I doubt that any attempt at creating an artificial meat would, in fact, provide the proper nutrition.

If it could get to the point of being the exact same thing, but could be produced in a lab, then I might consider it.

 

[Skatologist]

Although I eat meat, I'm more of the opinion that being a vegan/vegetarian is sort of the morally praiseworthy thing to be.

I'm completely willing to eat artificial meat if it does a better job at tasting like the real thing than tofu, was prevalent enough to be at a good number of stores and restaurants, and didn't cost more resources to make than meat currently.

I had a friend who was a vegetarian who went vegan too and when this question was asked to her, she had said she'd likely not do it because the texture/taste would probably throw her off.

 

[Pyrian]

But I think eating human flesh is dangerous. I forget why. Something about your immune system rejecting it, I think.

Animals eating the meat of animals that are the same is one of the things that causes spongiform encephalopathy, or at least is one of the more prominent things that is suspected to cause it. I saw a documentary that showed that spongiform encephalopathy was far more common amongst cannibalistic culture than non-cannibal populations. So making a habit of cannibalism can be potentially fatal.

Prion diseases seem to be caused and/or transmitted by eating brains. You can totally get them from other species (e.g. mad cow disease), but for some reason it's typical for cannibals to eat brains and non-cannibals to not eat brains.

Not something that should be a problem with vat-grown muscle.

 

[CrystalShadow]

I don't know, maybe. Depends how much weird shit they put in it. Vegetarian substitutes like Quorn are already pretty tasty, so I guess it's the next logical step.

Though I do think it would be a bit weird for vegetarians to eat it. I mean, not that I'd have a problem with it, but it seems weird to me to not eat meat, but eat a lab grown steak that is effectively just meat. even more than the current substitutes. Yeah, it's not been killed and cut up, but it is likely at least based off some kind of animal cells or something.

Well, yeah, but it depends on the reasons for being vegetarian.

Individual cells are not widely regarded as having feelings, or being capable of suffering. (we don't really know, but that's beside the point). If you take issue with cruelty and suffering, then it seems perfectly reasonable to eat meat created as a cell culture rather than a living animal.
If you regard the cells themselves as somehow meaningfully capable of suffering, then you have to ask why a person is OK eating plants, but not OK eating meat.

Both are living things, and on a cellular level, not all that different. (yes, OK, plant cells are quite distinct from animal cells in some ways, but they still have a lot in common).

If the issue is the treatment of animals and what kind of life they have, then it doesn't seem at all strange. In fact, in that context, being OK with eating plants, but NOT OK with eating a cell culture of animal cells seems rather weird and arbitrary.

There are other reasons to be vegetarian of course. Health for instance. In which case, you might avoid animal cells on the belief that it's unhealthy.
Or, perhaps, environmental impact of meat production. In which case whether you'd eat it or not depends on how lab-grown meat compares in terms of environmental impact with other food sources.

 

[Elementary - Dear Watson]

But only, ONLY, if they called it Soylent Green.
Captcha: "I like people" - See, Escapist gets it.

Damn it... This is exactly what I was going to say! Ninja'd on a random old school cutural reference... *High Five!*

But yeah... on a serious note, it would need a new name. You couldn't call it meat. And no stupid play on the word 'meat' either; we would regret it in the future. No Fmeat; iMeat; Meat+; SuperMeat64 etc...

 

[MeatMachine]

Considering the Japanese made headlines for making edible hamburgers out of human shit a few years ago, I think the hesitation and shock value of artificially-created meat wouldn't last long.

Again, provided it has an acceptable balance between price and flavor.

 

[Yopaz]

Here's my weird prediction. Branded artificial cannibalism! If we can grow convincing muscle from a cow... ...Why not a person? Why not a celebrity? Cash in, famous sex symbols. All those people who say they want to gobble you up? Let 'em, for a fee.

Animals eating the meat of animals that are the same is one of the things that causes spongiform encephalopathy, or at least is one of the more prominent things that is suspected to cause it. I saw a documentary that showed that spongiform encephalopathy was far more common amongst cannibalistic culture than non-cannibal populations. So making a habit of cannibalism can be potentially fatal.

No, this is false. It was caused by that, sure, but you could feed a man meat from an infected cow and he would get it, you could feed it to a pig and it would get it and you could feed it to a cow and it would get it. The cause is misfolded proteins that have an increased stability compared to correctly folded proteins called prions. It was likely caused by the fact that they used to grind up the central nervous system of animals and mix it with the food to increase nutrition value of their fodder.

It was caused by cannibalism, but cannibalism isn't what causes it. Keep in mind that this is outside my field of expertise so it is a grossly simplified explanation.

OT: According to what I know about artificial meat in its current state I would not stop eating meat. It's expensive to produce and it doesn't offer the same variety of flavours.

Whenever it becomes a viable substitute for meat production I don't see why not.

 

[spartan231490]

There is nothing wrong with killing animals for food, so I would not stop eating real meat just because artificial meat was available. I would buy and eat whichever was the best product, based on food and taste, same as I do now.

 

[MHR]

So I can stop being a damn vegetarian and actually have a burger? YES please. I'd eat fake meat, I don't give a crap.

It might sound icky, but think about it. At the very least you know you're not eating a corpse. People will eat corpses just fine, but not some clean grown stuff? Grow up.