Perry Como??

It's impossible, tell the sun to leave the sky, it's just impossible

It's impossible, ask a baby not to cry, it's just impossible

Can you make a plant based burger taste and looks like a beef burger, is THAT Possible??

Well, there is now a product on the market which attempts to do just that … called “the Impossible Burger”.  One can hardly escape the marketing of the Burger, sold principally at the Burger King (NOT fast food, mind you, "quick service") outlets .   Article after article appears in various food publications and magazine articles about the invasion of plant based products into the animal protein field.   While there are other attempts out there, Impossible Burger seems to lead the field both in “taste tests” and said marketing.  

So, slightly behind the tidal wave, I waded in.  Some nights when either of us has meetings or fatigue, we sink to “eat out of a bag”.  MFO prefers the fries at Burger King to Mickey Dee’s, although I am of opposite opinion.  So, on those nights when she has a late meeting we have an objective discussion as to the menu, and then she does whatever the hell she wants. So this was a good time to weigh in on the fray

When unwrapped revealed

Indistinguishable from a “normal” whopper so far

Under the bun there was no noticeable difference either

Which leaves “taste” on the docket.   To be honest, with all the crap on it, it could be cardboard or shoe leather.  all you get is the fixings..(which always tend to escape onto your shirt)

So, I deconstructed it and compared it to MFO’s beefy version flipping them upside down doing a side by side (a tried and true technique of food reviewing as the "underbelly" can reveal a lot)

No obvious visual or textural differences, so I nibbled a (naked) hunk from each product, and I think I would have to say in terms of texture and taste they were indistinguishable again meaning the IB DID have some flavor.

One thing that is NOT indistinguishable is the price.  It’s kind of hard to come with a direct comparison, they like to cloak it within “meals” but as far as I can determine a single (beef) whopper is $4.19, and impossibly is $5.59 a “whopping” 30% more.  Other interesting comparisons:

Big Mac/McVegan: $3.99/$5.80 (45%)

White Castle Original Slider/Impossible Slider: $0.72/$1.99 (273%!!!)

Del Taco/Beyond Taco:  $1.49/$2.49 (67%)

Quite a load for ditching the non-vegan variety.   WELL, you say, it’s much more healthy eating plant based “proteins”!

One source:

“At Burger King, the meatless Impossible Whopper is 630 calories, compared to the regular Whopper which is 660. (The Impossible burger is made with soy protein, potato protein, coconut oil, sunflower oil and heme, a molecule that makes it look and bleed like real meat).

Both have around the same amount of fat (34 grams of fat, and 11 grams of saturated fat for the Impossible Whopper; and 40 grams of fat, and 12 grams of saturated fat for the Whopper). The meatless version has a whopping 1,240 milligrams of sodium verses 980 for the meaty one.”

So for the Sodium alert Feeder, I get 50% with impossible and “only” 41% of my daily recommended suggestion of sodium for regular (which might include the expendable bun; they somehow are usually sodium rich) 

BTW, the CD café on the Solomons retains the IB on the menu for $14 compared to the Bistro or Turkey Burger at $12, only 17% more.  At one point the Ruddy Duck Brewery (Lusby) I THINK had the IB on the menu, which no longer appears, however for a slight increase you can get Gluten free rolls..

So, bottom line (in the feeder’s personal opinion):  IF you feel strongly about what goes into your body, and it makes you feel good to avoid meat protein and you’re willing to pay around 50% more for something quite like the “beefy” product, go for it.  And FWIW, the stodgy and traditional feeder will stick with his carnivore and pescatorian habits.

Enjoy!

Editor’s note (as usual) He was going to include a piece on the Judges for the Cook-Off, but they deserve more space than being tucked between the IB and an update on

SweetBay-a peek behind the curtain (figuratively speaking)

One of the principals involved put some images in Facebook of progress on SweetBay in Leonardtown (which i freely borrowed).  From the looks it appears they (hopefully!!) are going all out to create a unique space… hope so!

My assumption:  main dining spaces with booths (?) (not the feeder’s fav)

What looks like a lovely bar and back bar (good for them!)

Love the ceiling if that’s final, good noise reduction construction

And to warm the feeder’s heart, they've added what looks like a spacious wine cellar! (double good for them)

A few weeks to go, but early returns look very good!  And a word to the managers, if you put a Mason Jar in front of me, I may launch it!

DFD