Overheard a customer at the counter ask for a 'vegan flank steak'
I was wrapping up a side of beef for a restaurant order when this guy came in. He looked at our case and said, 'Do you have a vegan flank steak, something that mimics the grain?' I had to keep a straight face. We talked for a minute and he was dead serious, looking for a meat-free cut with the same texture for a recipe. It made me think about how people outside the trade just don't know how animals are built. Has anyone else gotten a request that showed a total gap in basic meat knowledge?
Wow, what a wild request! I used to be that person who thought "vegan chicken" was just a block of tofu you cut up. Then I worked in a kitchen that tried to make a jackfruit "pulled pork" and it was a total mess, nothing like the real thing at all. It really showed me how complex meat's structure is, with all the fibers and fat. Now when I hear stuff like that, I get it, they just want the experience, but it's impossible to copy exactly. That gap in how food is made is so real.
Wait you actually tried to make pulled pork from jackfruit? I saw a video where it looked kind of stringy and I almost bought some to try. That's so disappointing to hear it was a total fail. It makes sense though, like you said, meat has all that built in texture you just can't fake. I guess the videos make it look way easier than it actually is.