Some vegans won't admit this, but I miss meat. Not enough to eat it again - my ethical stance hasn't wavered in 13 years. But I'm not going to pretend those flavours and textures aren't missed.
I used to love trying different meats. Venison, pigeon, kangaroo - I'd order the most exotic thing on the menu. There was something exciting about experiencing new flavours, especially when travelling.
People often ask what I miss most - what I'd eat again if I could have one day of guilt-free meat eating. My answer is always the same: lobster tail and venison carpaccio. Though ironically, these aren't likely to be available in cultivated form anytime soon (the complexity of muscle structure makes these particularly challenging to replicate - but that's a topic for another post).
The first cultivated products will be simpler things like burgers and nuggets. And honestly, even a proper chicken or beef burger after all these years would be incredible. I'm not even sure how I'd react to tasting real meat again.
The plant-based alternatives have come a long way, and some are genuinely good. But they're different. They're their own thing. Like comparing coffee to tea - both nice, but not interchangeable.
I think it's important to be honest about this. Being vegan isn't about pretending meat doesn't taste good. It's about choosing not to eat it despite enjoying the taste.
That's what makes cultivated meat so exciting. Soon, we won't have to choose between our tastes and our ethics. We can enjoy the flavours we love without the ethical burden that comes with traditional meat.
And I'm perfectly okay with admitting I'm looking forward to that.
