The reality is, the appeal to eating a vegan pizza to some is that they know it will be cruelty free, and I admire that, to be sure.
However, if you want to win over the average consumer, or someone who has developed tastebuds over twenty years, or really anyone who doesn't already eat a vegan diet, you have to overcumb 1 crucial thing:
It needs to taste good or better than whatever you are trying to replace.
I haven't come across a vegan pizza that doesn't taste like the way I have come to expect pizza to taste, the cheese just isn't right. All the food science in the world can't seem to solve this problem (I've tried it homemade, by several skilled professionals, I've tried what was rated as some of the best vegan pizza in my city, mutiple times of the years, and the list goes on).
Until it tastes like the pizza I have fundamentally come to expect pizza to taste like, it just isn't worth switching for me.
If you can solve this problem, nobody is going to care if its vegan or not, because it just taste good.
I wish PETA and the like would focus their time and money on this, since it would actually yield the net benefit results they're looking for without the air of hositility some of their followers have.
Yes, you can debate whether its right or wrong to even think this way. The truth is, people in large already do, why not meet them where they are at?
Its good tasting at its price point, I'd argue (if you like McDonalds anyway). Nobody is going to be pay more for the same and I think at scale vegan food is cheaper, generally. Its why its all about taste.
For anyone curious, the largest non-profit focusing on exactly that (cheap & delicious vegan alternatives) is the Good Food Institute: https://www.gfi.org/
New York Pizza in The Netherlands has a great vegan shoarma pizza containing shoarma by De Vegetarische Slager ("The Vegetarian Butcher"?), nowadays an Unilever subsidiary. It contains caramelized onions, vegan cheese, a garlic swirl, and tomato sauce. The shoarma contains the correct spices, and is salty. Crust is crunchy enough. Highly recommended.
There's also research into meat grown from stem cells. Right now it is still too expensive to grow, but I believe that is the way forward.
One of the best lies about impossible burger and the likes that got me to try them was that it tasted so real that it made vegans sick. Naive me. It made me sick.
"I'd switch in a heartbeat if vegan food is cheaper, healthier and as tasty or tastier"
duhhh you'd be stupid not to at that point. Until we get there the consumer needs to signal big corporations that demand exists and McDonald's adding plant based options is a huge step. Every burger sold will contribute to encourage more companies to offer vegan options, even cheese
However, if you want to win over the average consumer, or someone who has developed tastebuds over twenty years, or really anyone who doesn't already eat a vegan diet, you have to overcumb 1 crucial thing:
It needs to taste good or better than whatever you are trying to replace.
I haven't come across a vegan pizza that doesn't taste like the way I have come to expect pizza to taste, the cheese just isn't right. All the food science in the world can't seem to solve this problem (I've tried it homemade, by several skilled professionals, I've tried what was rated as some of the best vegan pizza in my city, mutiple times of the years, and the list goes on).
Until it tastes like the pizza I have fundamentally come to expect pizza to taste like, it just isn't worth switching for me.
If you can solve this problem, nobody is going to care if its vegan or not, because it just taste good.
I wish PETA and the like would focus their time and money on this, since it would actually yield the net benefit results they're looking for without the air of hositility some of their followers have.
Yes, you can debate whether its right or wrong to even think this way. The truth is, people in large already do, why not meet them where they are at?