Veggie food’s the in-thing, all for the environment
Property tycoon Li Ka-shing, Hong Kong’s richest man, has bet his money on veggie beef, which he reportedly finds to his liking.
He’s seldom wrong where money matters. The technology that produces meat tasting food from vegetables is taking the world by storm. Several eateries in Hong Kong are already serving these plant-based meats to, well, meat lovers. More are coming.
David Young, founder of Green Common, which introduced plant-based burgers to Hong Kong through its vegetarian grocery store and casual dining chain, has a much loftier ambition, according to a CNN report. He plans to change the diet of people on the Chinese mainland by introducing “omipork” which is said to taste like real pork, but is made from soy, pea, mushroom and rice proteins.
Indeed, Hong Kong people are used to tofu-based food made to resemble meat dishes. Veggie roast duck and sweet and sour pork are the perennial favorites served in many Cantonese restaurants. But, the taste and texture of these faux meat dishes are a far cry from the real stuff. Nobody will mistake them for duck meat or pork.
In comes Impossible Foods from Silicon Valley. Its veggie burger not only looks like beef, it smells like real meat and even bleeds like meat. Pat Brown, Impossible Foods’ chief executive, told the BBC his company plans to replace animals completely as “a food production technology” by 2035.
That’s good for the environment. Studies show that livestock production contributes 18 percent of total greenhouse gases which is burning a hole in the earth’s atmosphere. What’s more, animal protein requires 11 times the amount of fossil fuel to produce compared to plant protean, according to the BBC, quoting from a study by the Center for Agriculture and Bioscience International.
So next time you’re craving for a juicy burger, try out the veggie variety. You owe it to yourself and your children.