View Full Version : Artificial Food
edyzmedieval
09-22-2016, 22:14
Natural - but artificial - as in lab-grown food. It's natural, made out of natural proteins, but made in a lab, so artificial. :freak:
The reason I'm bringing this up for debate is because we're slowly - ok not slowly, RAPIDLY - depleting some of our precious food stocks around the world. I personally like to eat tuna (canned), because it's packed with protein, good for your health and goes excellent in salads. But the tuna is unfortunately heading for an unwanted extinction from the world's oceans, due to serious overfishing, depletion of stocks and increasing demand worldwide. In other words, if this doesn't stop, then in a couple of years we'll have no more tuna, no more sushi and we just destroyed an entire species of fish that is a key link for the ecosystem.
For a while I've kept thinking about lab grown food, made out of natural materials - I saw a video of researchers making a lab grown meat burger. It tastes like meat, except it's not made of meat - well not the traditional way. It's made out of bovine stem cells.
So sustainable, no serious problems to the environment and no cruelty involved.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2o0MCZwL_VE
That sounds like a great idea - except that it might be years away until we see it because we don't know the effect of it for the moment. And plus we can't mass produce it yet, so there's still efficiency to sort out.
However, until this happens, we might run out of important sources of food such as different types of fish because we depleted the stocks and we didn't find proper alternatives.
Thoughts? Would you eat lab-grown food?
:bow:
Montmorency
09-22-2016, 22:23
Just keep in mind that the taste will be slightly different, as the harvested meat of raised animals is not pristine and homogeneous. On the other hand, regularity means almost no chance of bad meat.
edyzmedieval
09-22-2016, 22:25
Taste will be different, as this is expected, but we have to go on a way for sustainable food production without destroying the food/fish stocks and the environment around us to raise animals.
Case in point - Amazon deforestation for raising animals.
Obligatory:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9IKVj4l5GU4
Resolving the fishery stock depletion issue would be a better solution than vat-grown meat. We need to be able to properly utilize the uninhabitable 70% of the Earth's surface as the population grows.
Or we need to curb population growth, I'm sure the arms industry has some ideas... :rolleyes:
On a more serious note, I don't think this is the worst idea, if we can then also figure out how to re-combine CO2 from the atmosphere into coal or oil without too much effort, we have solved all our problems.
It's funny that you talk about overfishing and one of the arguments for the UK leaving the EU was that the fishing quotas of the EU were not large enough. So good luck with fixing that.
The idea of artificial meat is kinda ewwwww but it's something we can get used to. I don't think I can eat that but it's the future probably.
Montmorency
09-23-2016, 01:56
Artificial insect meat. :whip:
edyzmedieval
09-23-2016, 02:40
Utilising the 70% of the unhabited part of the world would cause more environmental damage -> accelerating climate change and global damage.
Unless you find a way to reclaim a considerable part of the Sahara and turn it into a wonderful lush oasis. Then that will work out.
Pannonian
09-23-2016, 03:25
The idea of artificial meat is kinda ewwwww but it's something we can get used to. I don't think I can eat that but it's the future probably.
If you eat burgers or meatballs, then you already eat something that is akin to artificial meat.
Montmorency
09-23-2016, 03:30
[SIZE=5]
The Director snapped his fingers, and a limousine pulled up. The Director held Erebus at gunpoint and drove off without the rest of his entourage, leaving his goons and even the committee members behind. "Salvatore's Ristorante, driver." The Director looked at Erebus, studying him carefully. "My cousin Sal runs a restaurant. Only the finest food in all Fatlington, and it is authentic Italian food. You'll love it." Erebus looked back, a little uneasy about what was going to happen. They pulled up to a luxurious restaurant, complete with valet parking and the red carpet laid out for them. It was grand, possibly the most exquisite looking restaurant that Erebus had ever seen. "A little further. This isn't the place I had in mind." said the Director. They continued down several streets, and took a couple of turns down some rather shady-looking alleys. Finally they pulled into a tiny parking lot behind a dilapidated building, where a flickering neon sign read 'Sal's Ris----nte'. It seemed that Sal's was still open for business. The parking lot had a few stripped down vehicles in it, and none of them were in working condition. The Director led Erebus inside, even holding the door open for him. Inside, the place was poorly-lit and filled with cigar smoke. The floor was sticky and hadn't been swept. A burly looking man at the bar didn't even say hello as they entered, merely nodding at the Director while wiping a filthy glass with a dish rag. The swinging doors to the kitchen opened, and an enormous man in a greasy, blood-stained white undershirt came out. "Oh, hold on... I'll get youse guys a couple of menus" said the man. "Please, have a seat anywheres" said [B]Sal.
Erebus looked at Sal, then at the Director, and wondered how on earth Sal was related to Santino. They seemed nothing alike. The Director looked particularly out of place here, wearing only the finest, immaculate white suit and red tie, with a white fedora. There was no way the Director would be able to keep his suit clean in a dump like this. They sat down at a booth which had used napkins and a basket of half-eaten stale breadsticks on it. The seat cushions each had enough crumbs on them to fill a shot glass. The booth was very uncomfortable, as the seats were too high and the table was too low; getting in and out of the booth was a chore and a half.
"What will youse be having?" said Sal, as he plopped hand-written menus down on the table in front of the guests. There were only 3 items on the menu, pasta 'preemavarra', 'chikin' alfredo, and steak. Erebus thought about it, and decided to pick the one item on the menu which was spelled correctly, hoping that Sal knew how to cook something he was at least familiar with spelling. The Director ordered the pasta preemavarra, while staring at Erebus with a stone-faced expression. "Excellent uh, choices... I'll gets right on making it for you" said Sal, as he waddled back to the kitchen, coughing the entire way. "I don't believe in butchers, I likes to save money by cutting out the middle man" he said.
They sat in silence for what seemed like half an hour. Erebus could swear he heard a cow mooing off in the distance, but about ten minutes in, the mooing stopped. Soon enough, Sal came back covered in a fresh coat of blood, wiping the blood off of his arms and face with an even filthier dish rag than before. "It will be ready in about five minutes. You guys need anything?" "I could use a strong drink" said Erebus, as he looked back at the bar, and saw the bartender giving one of the shot glasses a spit shine. "On second thought, maybe I'll pass." The Director continued to stare at Erebus, keeping his gun trained on the man. Sure enough, five minutes later, Sal came out of the kitchen holding two plates. One had the pasta 'preemavarra' and the other had a steak on it. He set down the plates in front of the two guests, and waited.
"Go ahead, take a bite" said the Director. Erebus looked at his plate and saw that the steak looked rather lonely, there were no side items. "Doesn't the steak come with anything?" asked Erebus. "Oh yeah, I forgots!" said Sal, reaching into the front pocket of his apron and pulling out a fist full of french fries, dumping them onto Erebus' plate unceremoniously. "Dinner is served, buon appetito!" said Sal. The Director looked at him coldly, until Sal remembered something else. "Oh right, the mood. Here you go, Santino" said Sal, as he placed a candle on the table and lit it. It was a rather sad display, sort of like putting a brand new set of hubcaps on an old wreck of a car; pointless and absurd.
Erebus pushed the french fries to one side, not intending to eat them, and looked at the steak again. He wasn't sure he wanted to take a bite of it, so he delayed the whole process by cutting the steak into smaller and smaller bites. Eventually the Director got impatient, and raised the gun. "It's considered rude to not even take a bite of a meal someone serves you" warned the Director. "I don't particularly care for impoliteness at the dinner table. Civility, mister Erebus... now take a bite."
Erebus looked at the steak and it seemed to at least have been cooked and it did smell okay. That said, he still took the bite with much trepidation. The steak was surprisingly good. Very good, in fact... Erebus' face lit up as he took another bite, and another.
"Surprising isn't it, Mister Erebus? In this place, in this part of town, with this atmosphere, it's the one thing you'd never expect. It's the absolute best steak in town, and I should know. Ever since I became a... businessman, I've been eating nothing but steak. Never could afford it before. I stayed away from Sal's place because I knew it was like this on the inside, but I never dreamed that the man actually knew how to cook. And I never would have known, if I hadn't bothered to try something unfamiliar and dangerous." Erebus just tuned out the Director. He never did care much for monologuing. He just kept eating the steak, greedily, voraciously. It was worth listening to the Director drone on and on, just to have the flavor of this succulent meat filling his senses.
Erebus ate the steak too fast, and began to choke. The Director just kept talking, about fate and destiny and choice, and seemed to be either oblivious or apathetic to Erebus choking on the meat. Erebus reached instinctively for a glass of water or whatever drink was served with the meal. Then he remembered he had actually turned down the offered drink because the glasses were filthy. What he wouldn't give for a filthy glass of cheap liquor right about now. He turned blue in the face, and began to panic. He tried to stand up but the booth was bolted down and very cramped.
"Is something wrong with your steak, mister Erebus?" asked the Director, just as he was beginning to pass out from the lack of oxygen. "You shouldn't eat it so fast. Even when you find yourself with the good fortune to enjoy the best steak you've ever tasted, always take slow and careful bites. Patience is a virtue I can see you are not fully acquainted with."
Erebus tried to give himself the Heimlich maneuver against the table itself, but was having trouble. "Do you need me to help you, mister Erebus?" asked the Director. Erebus nodded quickly, hoping to dislodge the meat in time. "I would, but there's this matter of your insulting my honor that is holding me back. I should do a favor for you, an impolite man? Why should I? That would be rewarding uncouth behavior. Civility, mister Erebus... always civility. But I will offer you something else. You see, I'm not very hungry. Here, you can share my pasta."
The Director slid the plate of pasta forward, just as Erebus keeled over dead from choking. Erebus landed face-first in the oily noodles, arms sprawled forward.
"And you should keep your elbows off the table. I guess your mother didn't teach you any manners at all." said the Director, as he tucked his gun back into his coat pocket. He left a generous tip for his cousin Sal, and wiped his suit clean with the entire supply of napkins that was on the table. Somehow, the Director made it out of there without a spot on him. Now that was truly a miracle.
Relevant?
Artificial insect meat. :whip:
Eating more insects would be a great alternative, really healthy and they are very tasty. They grow really fast and hardly need food
Most frozen processed meat which so many people in so many parts of the world eat on a daily basis, is like mush anyway. Maybe in the US and Europe people get fresh sausages and salami everywhere but over here the frozen stuff I buy every week is half chicken and half 'binding agent'. Doesn't taste anywhere near as good as the chicken I get fresh from the local butcher, but hey, slather it with dressings and salad toppings and it makes a great sandwich.
So if this artificial meat can actually be produced in a sustainable manner it might actually taste better than the usual processed meat and it might also solve the major issue vegetarians have with meat, that it's cruel to kill animals. And in India it'll put and end to a crap-ton of social issues that cause mini-riots and protests pretty much every single day.
Gilrandir
09-23-2016, 13:11
If you eat burgers or meatballs, then you already eat something that is akin to artificial meat.
This.
Almost everything I ate in the USA back in 1992 tasted as if it was artificial. So Americans won't see any difference if artificial food will replace what they call natural food.
Where did you eat all the time
Gilrandir
09-23-2016, 14:26
Where did you eat all the time
College cafeteria, sometimes was taken to dinner to college professors' homes.
College cafeteria's are crap everywhere, must have been unlucky at the times you were invited for dinner. American beef is in general excellent, well marbled and fully blooded
Greyblades
09-23-2016, 15:26
I wouldnt mind my diet being supplimented by grown meat like this and real meat becoming a luxury food, but I dont think I would ever want to give up real meat completely if only because I cant see grown meat having the same textures I enjoy. I saw an article on someone that was planning on developing "prawn fungi", and I can say lumps of prawn flavoured mushroom would never be a substitute for a good prawn.
edyzmedieval
09-23-2016, 15:48
In time, the lab-grown meat, given that it's made from the same stem cells that we get our beef from, should have the same marbling and texture as the one that we are used to. :yes:
No more environmental damage, no more cruelty, and more efficient to make.
Greyblades
09-23-2016, 16:06
Well, no cruelty until we find out livestock doesnt evaporate upon replacement.
Montmorency
09-23-2016, 16:37
Well, no cruelty until we find out livestock doesnt evaporate upon replacement.
Er, yes, that's why we don't leave it until after it's already over.
You don't begin a new property development without first removing the existing tenants, right? The bodies reduce structural integrity.
In time, the lab-grown meat, given that it's made from the same stem cells that we get our beef from, should have the same marbling and texture as the one that we are used to. :yes:
No more environmental damage, no more cruelty, and more efficient to make.
The cruelty isn't all that bad really, it's really fast, halal and kosher should be banned though it has no place here. But if they can make it work it's real progress. My first thought remains that you are eating a cancer, there is something perverse about it to me. Sweetspot would be making real meat a luxory-thingie if this takes of
edyzmedieval
09-23-2016, 17:59
Removing meat consumption worldwide will probably never happen, it will at most reduce. Which is why we're probably better off if we can work a way to get lab-grown food that's healthier and doesn't do damage environmentally and to animals.
But we're at least 10 years away from mass-producing lab grown food. At the very least.
I think it's really clever but should we solve this problem really as maybe it solves itself. Antibiotica led to more resiliant viruses, we aren't the only ones who evolve. Maybe we should try to do a little less and not change too much, and accept that we are still very vulnerable and that it can look really bad.
it's a musing not an argument, the argument of why it's a good idea is obvious, but I'm weary, it might just weaken us
edyzmedieval
09-23-2016, 18:33
We do need to do some "disrupting" like in many other technologies. The current model is currently leading us to a serious "ravine" to put it like that - we can't sustain this pace any longer and we need to look at alternatives.
And fast. We already depleted our allocated resources for 2016 back in August, so we're "borrowing" from the future now.
I don't think it is there is plenty in the sea it just takes some time. Never underestimate how smart people can be, deutorium is an isotope that has all the qualities of other energy-sources, it just doesn't really work yet but the ocean is full of it. My take, grow some grain and hand out condoms untill it does, overpopulation is the problem, you don't need six to ten kids to herd ten goats
Antibiotica led to more resiliant viruses
*bacteria :bow:
Seamus Fermanagh
09-23-2016, 20:31
College cafeteria, sometimes was taken to dinner to college professors' homes.
As noted by Frags, judging the general quality of food by cafeterias is limited. As to professor's homes, one of the downsides of American culture is that darn few of our professionals are ever taught to cook food properly unless they do so as a hobby.
edyzmedieval
09-23-2016, 21:33
Recent reports indicate that for some tuna species - partcularly the bluefin - we're down to around 3% of the historic stocks.
https://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/2016/may/02/overfishing-42bn-tuna-industry-risk-collapse
Tuna is a very valuable fish, both for the ecosystem and for us as humans. And simply farming tuna in fisheries doesn't really work, plus tuna doesn't have the same taste - farmed fishing doesn't have the same taste to ocean fishing.
The problem with the apparent overpopulation is relatively simple for the moment - we can't manage it and we won't do it in the nearby future. Instead of trying to slow down the rate of population growth, I'd rather focus on how to efficiently manage food stocks without posing a catastrophic event for the environment, keeping fishermen happy and keeping the industry rolling until lab-grown tuna steak can be rolled out and the fish can be left alone to their oceans.
:bow:
Lots of tuna is already grown in 'fishfarms', don't worry about eating it, check what's on the can. Wild tuna tastes better and is considerably more expensive. So just keep putting that stuff on a roasted bread with some mayonaise, delicious
edit, oh you said that I posted too fast, apoligies
edyzmedieval
09-23-2016, 23:31
:bow:
This is the point that I'm trying to make across - fish farms offer a choice, but they will never substitute ocean fish. And consumers know that. But at the rate we're fishing the tunas (and not only - there's other species at risk) out of the ocean, we're literally going to run out in perhaps a decade. Hence why we need alternatives.
I am curious however about plant-based substitutes, whether they work in creating different "dishes". Not being a vegetarian, that's just eating plants - I'm referring specifically to protein and other nutrient extraction from plants and turning it into different types of food.
Lab-grown veggie food. Something like that.
Growing veggies is high-tech stuff here, the output of our glasshouses is huge. The answer to mostly replacing meat with supplements is already there, insects. They are proteine-bombs and are in fact incredibly tasty, people are just not comfortable with it yet. Nothing will ever replace a nice juicy steak or spareribs though
Pannonian
09-24-2016, 01:29
:bow:
This is the point that I'm trying to make across - fish farms offer a choice, but they will never substitute ocean fish. And consumers know that. But at the rate we're fishing the tunas (and not only - there's other species at risk) out of the ocean, we're literally going to run out in perhaps a decade. Hence why we need alternatives.
I am curious however about plant-based substitutes, whether they work in creating different "dishes". Not being a vegetarian, that's just eating plants - I'm referring specifically to protein and other nutrient extraction from plants and turning it into different types of food.
Lab-grown veggie food. Something like that.
Growing veggies is high-tech stuff here, the output of our glasshouses is huge. The answer to mostly replacing meat with supplements is already there, insects. They are proteine-bombs and are in fact incredibly tasty, people are just not comfortable with it yet. Nothing will ever replace a nice juicy steak or spareribs though
I'd like to know about the economic viability of aquaponics, especially for fish that can exist on a vegetable diet like tilapia. The good thing about fish is that they can also eat supplemental protein in the form of insects, which in larval form can be used to consume food waste.
Gilrandir
09-24-2016, 15:21
As noted by Frags, judging the general quality of food by cafeterias is limited. As to professor's homes, one of the downsides of American culture is that darn few of our professionals are ever taught to cook food properly unless they do so as a hobby.
I'm not speaking about food (that is dishes ready for consumption). I'm speaking about their ingredients. The products I saw and bought at supermarkets looked and tasted artificial - at least to my (accustomed to natural) taste. And all the four months I spent in the USA I was having digestion problems.
I'm not speaking about food (that is dishes ready for consumption). I'm speaking about their ingredients. The products I saw and bought at supermarkets looked and tasted artificial - at least to my (accustomed to natural) taste. And all the four months I spent in the USA I was having digestion problems.
Do you actually expect food from supermarkets to be any good? Plenty of good food availble.
edyzmedieval
09-24-2016, 22:03
You should expect supermarkets to stock good quality food, that should't be something out of the ordinary.
Gilrandir
09-25-2016, 05:54
Do you actually expect food from supermarkets to be any good? Plenty of good food availble.
Where do you expect an exchange student from the collapsing USSR with a monthly allowance of 40$ to buy anything?
Montmorency
09-25-2016, 05:58
expats
Where do you expect an exchange student from the collapsing USSR with a monthly allowence of 40$ to buy anything?
40$ a month wow, that makes things kinda complicated, I don't know how you managed to live from that, I take it that the college food was free?
Gilrandir
09-25-2016, 11:18
40$ a month wow, that makes things kinda complicated, I don't know how you managed to live from that, I take it that the college food was free?
Accomodation and food were free, the 40$ were used at our discretion. Mostly to buy presents to our families and friends back in Ukraine. I also bought a boombox at an overseas shop in Chicago.
Accomodation and food were free, the 40$ were used at our discretion. Mostly to buy presents to our families and friends back in Ukraine. I also bought a boombox at an overseas shop in Chicago.
Not so bad then, here you have to pay everything yourself, accomondation is incredibly expensive (we don't have campusses you will have to find a place yourself and that can easily cost 400 euro for a few square meters) Even if you have job besides the sometimes cruel amount of learning you have to do you will still build up a debt of 20.000 or so.
edyzmedieval
09-25-2016, 18:30
So as mentioned above, supermarkets should stock quality food, that should be a given.
There's another point here - making food even cheaper can help a lot of people out. Lab-grown food should technically aid in that aspect as well.
nah small scale is the future, a real butcher, a real poultry, a real veggie
edyzmedieval
09-25-2016, 19:01
Small scale, medium scale, large scale, doesn't matter how it really works, as long as we find a way to get it working properly for us in the future when it comes to food stocks. :yes:
Think ask and demand, going to a supermarket used to be cool, WOW they have everyting. But it isn't 1970 anymore. I live in a very touristy spot and small shops are floursishing, whatever it is, chocolate, buddha's, beers. Time to start think differently
How this ties up on topic, if you want something do it smart, make something exclusive
edyzmedieval
09-25-2016, 19:46
Definitely agreed there, small boutique shops are springing up all over the place, and that's a good thing because it encourages entrepreneurship.
Since you mentioned exclusive, lab-grown meat will be initially an exclusive product and then it will go into mass-market.
Pannonian
09-25-2016, 20:40
Definitely agreed there, small boutique shops are springing up all over the place, and that's a good thing because it encourages entrepreneurship.
Since you mentioned exclusive, lab-grown meat will be initially an exclusive product and then it will go into mass-market.
Chicken used to be a rich man's meat (hens were more valued for their eggs). One of the aims of the post-war governments was to "put a chicken in every pot".
Eventually, but that is going to take at least 20 years
@edyz
Montmorency
09-25-2016, 20:48
Today's chickens could eat yesterday's chickens, if their fat legs would allow them the chase.
Supermarkets and wholesales will remain the first stop for household consumption. Boutiques and gourmet shops are luxuries, and obviously the trend under discussion is not toward expansion of luxuries in either today's or tomorrow's sense.
I wouldn't be too sure about that, buying online is getting increasngly easy
edyzmedieval
09-26-2016, 01:22
Buying online is easily accessible for people who live in big cities, not so much for those who live in small towns, villages and places that big companies have not yet entered the local market.
And there would be plenty of people who would be eager to purchase higher quality food without having to pay a lot more.
Plus, the organic growing happens mainly in farms and villages.
Since recources are your main concern what's the problem then. In the Netherlands we absolutily have a lack of something, space. Still the third biggest producer of food in the world because of very efficient high-tech glasshouses, uses a lot of water of course but if there is anything we got enough of it's water.
Gilrandir
09-26-2016, 16:52
I wouldn't be too sure about that, buying online is getting increasngly easy
You think First world countries. It is otherwise elsewhere.
Gilrandir
09-26-2016, 16:54
Not so bad then, here you have to pay everything yourself, accomondation is incredibly expensive (we don't have campusses you will have to find a place yourself and that can easily cost 400 euro for a few square meters) Even if you have job besides the sometimes cruel amount of learning you have to do you will still build up a debt of 20.000 or so.
The exchange program was the first to happen in my city after the fall of the iron curtain, so it was rather a big political deal, that's why the money issues were taken care of by the authorities of the universities or even municipal ones, I don't know for sure.
edyzmedieval
09-26-2016, 19:18
Since recources are your main concern what's the problem then. In the Netherlands we absolutily have a lack of something, space. Still the third biggest producer of food in the world because of very efficient high-tech glasshouses, uses a lot of water of course but if there is anything we got enough of it's water.
Holland is a very developed country, top of the ranks worldwide - but Holland is just one small little country. Eastern Europe for example, not all parts of it are developed, and in some places it definitely might be useful as a means of poverty alleviation.
Holland is a very developed country, top of the ranks worldwide - but Holland is just one small little country. Eastern Europe for example, not all parts of it are developed, and in some places it definitely might be useful as a means of poverty alleviation.
This yes, let's see how far they get. There is an obvious elephant in the room though, should we really do that, ethical question
edyzmedieval
10-05-2016, 15:41
http://www.economist.com/news/asia/21707570-fish-farming-latest-slim-hope-japans-favourite-fish-breeding-bluefin
Speaking of tuna... the Japanese have turned to rearing tuna on fish farms but it's a very expensive and rather inefficient way. At least for the moment.
It's also very expensive to eat so it's worth it I think financialy
edyzmedieval
12-19-2016, 08:19
http://www.sciencealert.com/lab-grown-burger-patty-cost-drops-from-325-000-to-12
Cost of artificial meat drops down to a marginal 80.00 USD per kilogram, according to Mark Post, the guy behind the artificial burger.
a completely inoffensive name
12-22-2016, 07:03
Unless you find a way to reclaim a considerable part of the Sahara and turn it into a wonderful lush oasis. Then that will work out.
Deserts are also ecosystems with biodiversity.
a completely inoffensive name
12-22-2016, 07:05
The standard of living across the world is going to be shocked into submission.
As with most things, the morality comes after the fact.
edyzmedieval
12-22-2016, 11:42
Deserts are also ecosystems with biodiversity.
Clearly, but reclaiming a considerable portion of the desert should be a possibility to explore further because there's a lot of desert, and with climate change, worldwide deserts will expand.
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