I tried Dry January this year, mainly to see if not drinking any alcohol for a month would be an issue or not. While it wasn’t too much of a challenge, along the way I realized some surprising things about meat alternatives and the difficulty of convincing people to try them.
My first non-alcoholic beer
The first time I tried a non-alcoholic beer, I was invited to a friend’s birthday party. Since I couldn’t imagine not drinking at a party, I went to a supermarket to buy my first ever non-alcoholic beer. I had no idea which brand to choose and was very skeptical, to say the least! In the end, I decided to buy the non-alcoholic version of the local beer brand I know and love – which, it turned out, was a mistake. With the first sip, all I felt was disappointment. I was expecting the familiar beer taste and all I got was a sad, bleak resemblance to the original. It didn’t taste like what beer should actually taste like. It did taste kind of similar, but that ‘kind of’ meant that it didn’t taste the same at all…
To be honest, I was shocked by my disappointment and my (internally voiced) complaints. Here I was, sitting at a birthday party on a cold January night, sipping my non-alcoholic beer. What was my problem? After all, I did have a cold beverage to hold on to, peel off the label, and enjoy. No one even noticed or cared that I was drinking a non-alcoholic beverage! So, mission accomplished, right? But why was I so disappointed with my ‘fake’ beer?
The truth is that I expected too much too soon. Later in January, after testing a few more options, I found a non-alcoholic beer that tasted just like the real thing and made me double-check the label! However, the disappointment of my first experience made me question all non-alcoholic beers! One bad experience and I immediately started wondering if it was even possible to have the experience of drinking beer without the alcohol.
And that’s when I realized that what I’d been going through, including my skepticism and disappointment, is quite similar to what I have heard from friends trying meat alternatives for the first time, and also, I should admit, to my own experience when I first went plant-based.
What non-alcoholic beer and meat alternatives have in common
Of course, I’ve heard about bad taste experiences – or even just the fear of having them – as a reason why some people could never go vegan. But before trying to do a Dry January, I always wondered why people would complain so much and be so disappointed. ‘Just try out more products!’ I would think. And here I was thinking the same about non-alcoholic beer: “Well, if this non-alcoholic beer doesn’t taste good, none of them will.”
As a foodie, I know how important taste is. And I do think that life’s too short to eat food that doesn’t taste good. At the same time, a fear of bad experiences should not stop us from trying out new things. And it’s important to remember that taste preferences vary, regardless of what kind of diet you follow. For example, while I love anything made from seitan, I know that it’s not for everyone (some people are just weird!). And the connection between memory and taste is pretty profound, affecting both our perceptions and experience of food and drinks.
So, just like I was very used to the way that beer tastes and even a slight deviation from the familiar taste completely put me off, it was the same when I first stopped eating meat. And once I’d connected the dots, I decided to try more non-alcoholic beer brands, instead of just giving up. Which, it seems, is something that human beings do pretty easily.
My advice if you’re new to plant-based eating
I have been following a plant-based diet for almost nine years now, so I’ve had plenty of time to try all the meat alternatives out there. I have tried amazing products that made me blissful with happiness and others that had me freak out because they tasted too much like meat, but I’ve also occasionally eaten products I didn’t like at all. However, as someone who decided to eat plant-based for the sake of animals, this didn’t stop me. A single disappointment (or even – to be honest – several) didn’t stop me from continuing to eat plant-based food. And while I don’t eat meat alternatives every day, they have a solid place in my diet, and I wouldn’t want to miss out on them. At the same time, it’s important to remember that making the shift to plant-based eating, opens up a whole vista of culinary and sensory possibilities. It’s not just about meat alternatives!
So, just like I eventually found my favorite non-alcoholic beer, with the plethora of meat alternatives on the market nowadays, anyone can find their perfect match. If you’re new to plant-based eating, my advice is simply this: don’t give up and keep trying – there’s a whole wide world of delicious options out there. And, with new products being introduced all the time, there’s so much more to come!
Eileen Valy
International Senior Digital Communications Manager
