Can artificial meat be eaten on days of abstinence?

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Sir_Knight

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Can imitation meat be eaten on days of abstinence or would that be considered as adhering to the letter of the law but not to the spirit of the law?
 
Hah, I think you found a loophole!

But…I think eating artificial meat would constitute a sacrifice. 😃

After going to a health food store and buying some imitation beef jerkey made out of soy, I learned that just because something looks like meat doesn’t mean it tastes like meat.

What a horrible experience.
 
Sir_Knight said:
Can imitation meat be eaten on days of abstinence or would that be considered as adhering to the letter of the law but not to the spirit of the law?
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I’m pretty sure it is ok. I was a vegetarian for a portion of my life and realized that I was basically exempt from days of abstinence so I looked in other areas of my life that I could sacrifice. For example, no TV on days of abstinence or other things like that.
 
Jsmith17 said:
I wouldn’t. Seems like cheating to me.
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That thought crossed my mind too… I was thinking it’d be like “cheating in spirit”.
JPUSC said:
After going to a health food store and buying some imitation beef jerkey made out of soy, I learned that just because something looks like meat doesn’t mean it tastes like meat.

What a horrible experience.
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Ditto… I tried the jerky and something allegedly trying to pass itself of as a hamburger. Never agian…
 
Sir_Knight said:
Can imitation meat be eaten on days of abstinence or would that be considered as adhering to the letter of the law but not to the spirit of the law?
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did you ever taste it? definitely a sacrifice to bite into a veggie burger instead of a Whataburger

if we focus to much on questions like this in general, “is it okay to eat . . . do . . . wear . . . ?” we are going to miss the point. Is this penitential for me? Am I making a sacrifice in this instance, and most of all am I sacrificing and doing penance for the right reason?
 
Back in the day when I only ate veggie burgers, I would not have eaten one on days of abstinence because to me, they were like eating meat.

As the previous poster said, for her, eating it WOULD be a sacrifice… for me - not at all. You need to decide which catagory you’d fall under.
 
Wildgraywolf said:
That thought crossed my mind too… I was thinking it’d be like “cheating in spirit”.

Ditto… I tried the jerky and something allegedly trying to pass itself of as a hamburger. Never agian…
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It tasted like something made to have the texture of beef then covered with a sodium-laden substance similar to the little packets in ramen noodles. Gross.
 
I’ve been eating Veggie burgers for health reasons. I still eat and prefer regular beef burgers but am eating the veggie burgers as well to cut down on my consumption of red meat.

Just wanted to get folk’s opinion if eating them on days of abstinence would be accepting or cheating?

Thank you for your replies.
 
The purpose of the days of abstinence is sacrifice. If eating artificial meat is enjoyable for you, then that is not a sacrifice.

Though technically, it may not be a sin since it’s not actually meat.
 
Yes, vegetables and fish are allowed, soy protein is made from beans : vegetables.🙂
 
“Bacon Bits” or similar type substance is made of soy. I have no problems putting them on my salad at dinner on Fridays during Lent.
 
JPUSC said:
The purpose of the days of abstinence is sacrifice. If eating artificial meat is enjoyable for you, then that is not a sacrifice.
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As I said, I prefer a beef burger but am eating the veggie ones to reduce my intake of red meat.
 
Well, if artificial meat is not something you enjoy and it’s not even meat, then there is no sin.
 
This is how I look at it.

If one is eating “imitation meat” as a way around (say a loop hole) the rule of not eating meat on a day of abstience then it is wrong.

If one is eating it because they truly believe that it is a health alternative and it is something they do on a regular basis, then no it most likely is not wrong.

I think the issue goes to what is in one’s heart.

It can/will be different for each person.
 
Honestly, I like cheese pizza, I like Tuna Casserole, both meet the requirement of “no meat” so even if you enjoy fake meat, it is not meat so it is okay to eat those on days of abstinence.

For me the sacrifice is remembering and planning meals around no meat themes, not the type of meals or what “no meat” protein I use.

Brenda V.
 
puzzleannie said:
if we focus to much on questions like this in general, “is it okay to eat . . . do . . . wear . . . ?” we are going to miss the point. Is this penitential for me? Am I making a sacrifice in this instance, and most of all am I sacrificing and doing penance for the right reason?
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I totally agree that this is the crux of the matter. I think that is why post-Vatican II the ruling was made that other penetential practices could be observed instead since THAT is what the whole idea was really about.

Substituting shrimp or lobster for canned chicken ain’t no sacrifice for me, though eating canned tuna and a little rice instead of a steak dinner might be.

If we aren’t doing it to bring us closer to God in some way it’s all kind of meaningless anyway.
 
ByzCath said:
This is how I look at it.

If one is eating “imitation meat” as a way around (say a loop hole) the rule of not eating meat on a day of abstience then it is wrong.

If one is eating it because they truly believe that it is a health alternative and it is something they do on a regular basis, then no it most likely is not wrong.

I think the issue goes to what is in one’s heart.

It can/will be different for each person.
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I happen to like Bacon Bit-type items on my salad. I’m also born and raised in Wisconsin, I happen to like a good Friday Night Fish Fry, regardless of the liturgical season.

I’ve found other ways to sacrifice.
 
Reminds me of a George Carlin routine; “if you’re on a ship at sea and you haven’t made your Easter Duty…but then you cross the International Date Line…”

I know people who use Lent as weight-loss diet.

Catholic schools in the 50’s & 60’s was all about leaning the loopholes. It made little lawyers out of us.
 
What about those seafood lovers then? Is it cheating because they love seafood?

I’ve never thought of veggie burgers as cheating even though I do like them.
 
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