“Hmm,” he said, taking another bite. “This burger seasoning is actually good.”
Coming from my father, a man of few compliments, this was high praise for any food, let alone something new. We were trying out the Impossible Burger, the plant-based patty designed to mimic real beef, and his initial reaction was definitely a win. For a moment, it seemed like we had successfully introduced an alternative into our family dinner.
But then came the Dad-level scrutiny. “It doesn’t look like it was just meat, though. Something else is mixed in.” His years of grilling experience were kicking in. “This texture,” he continued, thoughtfully chewing, “it couldn’t come from just meat, salt, and pepper.” My internal monologue shifted into uh-oh territory.
Despite his growing suspicion, he had genuinely bought into the “it’s beef!” narrative up to this point. It made me wonder, if I’d given him any veggie burger and claimed it was beef, would he have believed it? Perhaps his palate wasn’t as discerning as we all thought. But the real test was still to come: my mother.
My mom possesses a culinary superpower – an olfactory sense so sharp it can detect yesterday’s leftovers from across the house. From the moment the Impossible Burger hit her plate, she approached it with caution. She lifted the burger, inhaled deeply, and then took a tentative bite. And then another. And another. For a moment, I thought we might have achieved the impossible – fooling the family’s ultimate food critic. But then—
“Is this beef…dehydrated?” she inquired, setting down the bun and carefully examining the half-eaten patty. She had pinpointed the tell-tale sign. Mom had detected the one characteristic that, to a discerning palate, screams “not real beef” about the Impossible Burger. When cooked on a griddle, these patties develop a slightly crunchy exterior crust, unlike a traditional beef burger. The game was up.
In the end, my parents’ verdict on the Impossible Burger wasn’t one of excitement or disgust. They landed somewhere in the middle, mostly struggling to understand why they would choose this product over their usual supermarket beef patties, especially if it wasn’t significantly cheaper.
“Now that I know it’s not beef, would I buy them again? I don’t know,” my dad admitted, a hint of confusion still lingering in his voice. “Probably not.”
However, my father isn’t particularly driven by environmental concerns when it comes to his food choices. He doesn’t opt for grass-fed beef, nor is he actively trying to reduce his meat consumption for sustainability reasons. It’s possible that a different type of consumer, perhaps a more environmentally conscious “conflicted omnivore,” might be swayed to spend their money on a product that aligns with their values and offers a nod to Mother Nature. This, it seems, is where Impossible Foods is placing its bets.
And burgers are just the tip of the iceberg. The researchers at Impossible Foods are currently working on developing a plant-based “cheese” that melts and stretches just like the real thing. An Impossible Cheeseburger might be closer than we think. And beyond that? Steak, bacon, chicken, fish, yogurt, cream. It seems, according to Impossible Foods, that anything is possible, even creating a meal that satisfies a real family.
Related: Try a delicious quinoa burger if you are looking for other plant-based options.
