Vegetables are delicious. I wish vegan options would lean into this instead of trying to be fake meat. IMO grilled mushrooms are tastier than grilled goop pressed into burger form.
Some of modern vegetarianism in the West has involved reinventing familiar entrees to make them vegetarian. A lot of those efforts really have been disappointing.
I'd encourage new vegetarians to try embracing vegetarian staples from places like India, where culinary traditions have a lengthy proven history of supporting healthy and satisfying vegetarianism.
But I'd also say, some veggie burgers really are great. They taste good, they're satisfying, and nobody is deceived when they read "veggie burger" on the menu. This regulation is nonsense. It's just telling vegetarians that their linguistic tradition around their diets -- part of their cultural heritage -- is now banned in the EU.
That’s interesting. Which ones have you tried? I go to a vegan BBQ regularly but have found the burger options lackluster and visually unsettling vs just getting grilled veggies.
I’d try more if you have recommendations. I think I hit all the major players though.
Edit: I noticed you were downvoted and just want to advocate for you. I don’t know why people have such reactions to reasonable discussions :/ If you’re reading this I want you to know I appreciate your comment and I hope you aren’t discouraged from sharing in the future.
Two different things. If you don’t want to eat animal products for ethical reasons but you want something high protein and/or similar in taste/texture to a beef burger, eating a vegetable stir fry isn’t going to cut it. That’s what these products are for.
People also want ultra processed food. I wouldn’t advocate a ban for any of these things—I eat them too—but it seems reasonable to want less focus on them and hope that companies could innovate or market other options.