Eat your megetables!

[pendell]

So if you can make soy-based or similar substitutes for meat -- how about meat-based substitutes for vegetables?

That's what Arby's wants to know.

Seen on CNN and discussed elsewhere.

Arby’s chief marketing officer, Jim Taylor. ...

“People love meat already. What Americans have a harder time doing is enjoying vegetables,” he says. “So we said, ‘If they can make meat out of vegetables, why can’t we make vegetables out of meat?’ We’re going to introduce to the world a category we call ‘megetables’—we’ve applied for trademark. Our first vegetable is going to be the marrot.”

It’s a carrot made of meat.

The move is a gleeful troll by the carnivorous fast food chain that recently announced it’s never going to sell fake meats like the Impossible Burger. Specifically, the marrot is a seasoned, marinated turkey breast, cut and rolled into the shape of a carrot. It’s cooked sous vide. Then it’s rolled in dehydrated carrot juice and oven-roasted. The marrot is finished with a brûlée of maple sugar and a sprig of parsley on top. Taylor points out that it’s high in protein and vitamin C—what Arby’s dubs a “meat snack.”

For now, the marrot is nothing more than a concept out of the Arby’s test kitchen. Depending on public response, the company may or may not bring it to market as a limited-time promotion. If it does, the promotion will be similar to how the Arby’s featured venison on the menu in 2016 (which sold out in just two hours given eager demand and extremely limited quantities).

... well, who needs to save the planet when you can jump up on and down on its back?

Respectfully,

Brian P.

[Kato]

Wow, what a troll move... I mean, I'm sure you'll find your customers, but mostly they'll get a load of (negative) publicity.
Or maybe I'm wrong and people will just ignore it for being a dumb joke?

[Traab]

I took it as an amusing joke mocking the trend of meat substitutes. Its freaking ARBYS, they arent getting rid of meat any time soon. Meat is pretty much their thing. They wont lose any customers over this and it is getting them attention. I consider it a smart move on their part that will probably give them a bump in sales because everywhere seems to be talking about this.

[The Glyphstone]

I thought this was going to be about mega-vegetables, like synthetically grown gigantic carrots or something. I'm amused by the reality.

[Bohandas]

I like this idea

[veti]

Wow, what a troll move... I mean, I'm sure you'll find your customers, but mostly they'll get a load of (negative) publicity.

Troll is (for a change) exactly the right word.

I've never heard of this chain, so I'm not well placed to guess how much response they'll get, but I know rampant culture warfare when I see it. It's just "them vs us" demarcation, aimed at people who think the climate crisis is a conspiracy. From what I hear, there are enough people like that in America to make a viable market niche.

[The Glyphstone]

Arby's is about as famous for meats as Outback Steakhouse is famous for terrible Australian accents. I wouldn't assume sinister political motives versus just being exactly what it looks like - a cheesy, ridiculous promotion keeping in line with their (popular and profitable but not very high quality) brand.

[Peelee]

I thought this was going to be about mega-vegetables, like synthetically grown gigantic carrots or something. I'm amused by the reality.

Meanwhile I thought it was about eating megabytes at first.

Troll is (for a change) exactly the right word.

I've never heard of this chain, so I'm not well placed to guess how much response they'll get, but I know rampant culture warfare when I see it. It's just "them vs us" demarcation, aimed at people who think the climate crisis is a conspiracy. From what I hear, there are enough people like that in America to make a viable market niche.

Arby's is a major fast food chain over here. Right up there with Taco Bell and KFC in the non-burger area. Huge. Their current slogsn is "we have the meats," been that way for years now. It's nothing but a cheeky marketing gimmick aimed at the burger places that are starting to offer meatless burgers.

[Tvtyrant]

Arby's is awful though, this is probably just to shore up their corner of the "bland food" market.

[The Random NPC]

Arby's is awful though, this is probably just to shore up their corner of the "bland food" market.

I wouldn't say it's awful per se, but it definitely is overpriced and mediocre. Still, I stop by every other quarter or so to pick up a Ruben or brisket.

[Traab]

They got good curly fries at least. My mom loves the french dip sandwich and im a beef and cheddar all the way kinda guy. Its not something I eat a lot of, but every now and then I enjoy it.

[Morvram]

Bizarre, but I suppose that's marketing.

[Togath]

I find it goofy and fun.
On one hand, I like crunchy carrots over soft carroty things, but on the other it's such a weird dish I kinda wanna try it! That or make one myself somehow.

edit: ooh, there's a sort of caramelized sugar topping? That could be really good with the flavors of the turkey and the carrot juice stuff.

[Devils_Advocate]

Wow, what a troll move... I mean, I'm sure you'll find your customers, but mostly they'll get a load of (negative) publicity.

Have you ever heard the expression "There's no such thing as bad publicity?"

I wouldn't assume sinister political motives versus just being exactly what it looks like - a cheesy, ridiculous promotion keeping in line with their (popular and profitable but not very high quality) brand.

It's nothing but a cheeky marketing gimmick aimed at the burger places that are starting to offer meatless burgers.

The increasing use of meat substitutes is driven by, reflects, and propagates shifting cultural values. Public actions take place within a broader social context. Marketers understand this. I can agree that "sinister" seems like an inapt descriptor because that suggests that this is somehow duplicitous rather than flagrant. Obvious troll is obvious.

[Themrys]

Soy "meat" is needed because people who like the taste and texture of meat are ethically opposed to eating real meat, and partly also because vegetarians need to get proteins somehow, and fake meat is easier to put in a burger than lentils. It's convenient.

The market for meat disguised as something else pretty much died when it became socially acceptable to eat meat during fasting periods.

Stupid marketing attempt, and I predict it will die down soon.

There's a market for funny looking meat, but that's already full of teddy-bear and smiley shaped meat products. Don't think people will be much interested in fake carrots. Especially since just dumping it in carrot juice will not give it the nutritious value of real vegetables.

[HandofShadows]

Thought this was about "artificial" vegetables. Darn. The fact is we need technologies like artificial(vat grown) meat, soy/plant based meat and even something to replace other staples in the human diet like vegetables, fruits and even grains. Whatever the views on climate change, there is only so much room on the planet to grow things and the human population keeps on growing. And with humanity slowly moving into space, I don't think there is a lot of arable land in orbit, on the Moon or Mars.

[Erloas]

Of the fast food places, which I eat very rarely lately, Arby's is one of my favorites. I don't see how it is bland either, unless of course you don't put any sauces on the sandwich, but that is your own fault not theirs, they've got some good sauces.

Although I would say, of the fast food places, it is probably one where quality can vary the most because of the nature of their sandwiches.

[Togath]

I really don't get the hate, like, it's a Willy-Wonka-if-he-was-a-German-sausage-chef kinda thing!~
It's interesting food made for the sake of weirdness, which I vote as the best kind. :3
It's like a lolipop made from an octopus. It's weird/silly, but that's the charm.

[Devils_Advocate]

I really don't get the hate

Do you not understand why people would be angered by gratuitous evil, or are you unaware of the various reasons why various people consider the use of animal flesh as food to be unethical?

Can't say that my own jimmies are particularly rustled, myself. We're not talking about especially large-scale evil, and it appears to be ultimately self-serving rather than evil for its own sake. All a bit banal, really. Being upset by obvious trolling just gives the trolls what they want, and the trolling element itself isn't anything particularly bad in the grand scheme of things, either. Nothing to get worked up over.

[Bohandas]

I really don't get the hate, like, it's a Willy-Wonka-if-he-was-a-German-sausage-chef kinda thing!~
It's interesting food made for the sake of weirdness, which I vote as the best kind. :3
It's like a lolipop made from an octopus. It's weird/silly, but that's the charm.

Same here. I agree

[Kato]

I wouldn't use the term 'evil' but I'd be surprised if the marketing people and / or a subset of the customers didn't to some degree consider it a jab at vegetarians and other meat avoiding people, or people who favor meat substitutes, etc.
I'm sure it's not the main idea but I'd be surprised if there was zero 'vegetarians are funny' attitude from anyone involved.

[crayzz]

I wouldn't use the term 'evil' but I'd be surprised if the marketing people and / or a subset of the customers didn't to some degree consider it a jab at vegetarians and other meat avoiding people, or people who favor meat substitutes, etc.
I'm sure it's not the main idea but I'd be surprised if there was zero 'vegetarians are funny' attitude from anyone involved.

It's pretty obviously a jab, it's not clear to me that it's mean spirited though. I feel like the "they're trolling the vegans, lol" attitude is mostly from people who don't like vegans and want Arby's to be trolling them. They're not deliberately trolling anybody, they're just inverting a current trend to be in line with their business practice.

[Tvtyrant]

I wouldn't say it's awful per se, but it definitely is overpriced and mediocre. Still, I stop by every other quarter or so to pick up a Ruben or brisket.

I might just be mad that Arby's purchases most of the domestic elk market and then only sells it in the midwest. I want my autumn elk sausage dang it!

[Togath]

Ooh, elk is delicious stuff! I found a shop near here that sells some dried pepperoni and jerky and whatnot made from it, but haven't gotten a chance to try it many other ways yet.

[Tvtyrant]

Ooh, elk is delicious stuff! I found a shop near here that sells some dried pepperoni and jerky and whatnot made from it, but haven't gotten a chance to try it many other ways yet.

Wild Elk tastes better but good luck getting that more then 1/5 years, tags are hard to pull now. I suggest Elk sausage, the strong flavor of the meat compliments the spices a lot. Elk pepperoni is also good but the meat is lost a bit.

[Honest Tiefling]

Wild Elk tastes better but good luck getting that more then 1/5 years, tags are hard to pull now. I suggest Elk sausage, the strong flavor of the meat compliments the spices a lot. Elk pepperoni is also good but the meat is lost a bit.

I wonder if it would be easier if you tried bow hunting, heard it's one hunters try to get around that issue.

As for the ad, I watched it and it's really just focused on meat, no mention of vegetarians or anything. They're probably not concerned with appealing to non-meat eaters, as it would appear that other fast food chains have already done that. So why follow the trends they set, especially when adding non-meat items is going to cause more work in the kitchen when you can just target a different customer base?

[Erloas]

It is clearly just a joke from Arby's. If you haven't seen their many ads they're all jokes. I've seen ads from them that referenced 40k, like how great the curly fries were because they were very easy to pile on ork trucks. Over-the-top and silly is what most of their ads are.

[Bohandas]

The fact is we need technologies like artificial(vat grown) meat, soy/plant based meat and even something to replace other staples in the human diet like vegetables, fruits and even grains.

I don't see how soy fits into this, especially as a substitute for meat. You'd have a better chance of turning lead into gold. At best you could use it as a protein source. But never a meat substitute.


Isn't a big part of the point of the aorementioned vat meat research to not have to deal with soy anymore?

[crayzz]

I don't see how soy fits into this, especially as a substitute for meat. You'd have a better chance of turning lead into gold. At best you could use it as a protein source. But never a meat substitute.


Isn't a big part of the point of the aorementioned vat meat research to not have to deal with soy anymore?

Soy was being used way before finding substitutes to animal agriculture became widely viewed as an ethical or environmental concern. My guess is, as a protein and iron source, it'll pretty much always be cheaper than meat (lab grown or otherwise). It's not going away any time soon.

Plus some people cant eat meat for medical reasons, so no amount of vat grown meat is gonna feed them.

[Bohandas]

Soy was being used way before finding substitutes to animal agriculture became widely viewed as an ethical or environmental concern. My guess is, as a protein and iron source, it'll pretty much always be cheaper than meat (lab grown or otherwise). It's not going away any time soon.

Plus some people cant eat meat for medical reasons, so no amount of vat grown meat is gonna feed them.

But why soy? Isn't there protein and iron in peanuts? I mean, I know some people have severe allergies to peanuts, but not nearly enough people to account for all the tofu that gets sold.

And on a related note, having protein and iron doesn't make something a meat substitute. Peanut butter is not a meat substitute. A peanut butter sandwich is not a hamburger.