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Overheard a customer at the counter ask for a 'vegan flank steak'
I was wrapping up a side of beef for a restaurant order when this guy came in. He looked at our case and said, 'Do you have a vegan flank steak, something that mimics the grain?' I had to keep a straight face. We talked for a minute and he was dead serious, looking for a meat-free cut with the same texture for a recipe. It made me think about how people outside the trade just don't know how animals are built. Has anyone else gotten a request that showed a total gap in basic meat knowledge?
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park.emery22d agoMost Upvoted
Wow, what a wild request! I used to be that person who thought "vegan chicken" was just a block of tofu you cut up. Then I worked in a kitchen that tried to make a jackfruit "pulled pork" and it was a total mess, nothing like the real thing at all. It really showed me how complex meat's structure is, with all the fibers and fat. Now when I hear stuff like that, I get it, they just want the experience, but it's impossible to copy exactly. That gap in how food is made is so real.
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the_patricia22d ago
Wait you actually tried to make pulled pork from jackfruit? I saw a video where it looked kind of stringy and I almost bought some to try. That's so disappointing to hear it was a total fail. It makes sense though, like you said, meat has all that built in texture you just can't fake. I guess the videos make it look way easier than it actually is.
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terrymurray10d ago
Did you also get that weird sweet taste that just doesn't belong?
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