Mission
Find and try out a vegetarian burger from a fast food chain
Plan grocery purchase with parents
Plan and cook climate-friendly meals for one week
How did the week go?
In my entire life, I have only once tried a vegan burger at Killer Gourmet Burgers (KGB) called Chloe's Earth Burger. Despite the weird taste, I appreciate that KGB considers their vegan customers by providing a 100% Vegan option. Chloe's Earth Burger consists of Blackbean pistachio patty topped with sweet potato crisps, Guacamole and Chipotle Mayo, special eggless buns, plant based margarine and a custom soybased KGB spike sauce. It is in fact, very plant-based and healthy. The only downside is the price of the burger which was about RM16.90, something that was above my budget as a fresh regular wager.
Other than KGB, I found out that Burger King sells their Mushroom Veggie Burger at an affordable price of RM6.90. Of course one does not expect it to be as succulent as Chloe's Earth Burger for a lower price. Instead of a vegan patty, the insides consist of sliced mushrooms, tomatoes, lettuce and mayonnaise. As for the buns and margarine, I doubt that they are plant-based. Nevertheless, this is equivalent to one less beef or chicken patty consumption as we are aware of the high amount of carbon footprint in the meat industry.
Besides Mushroom Veggie Burger, I found other vegetarian options on Burger King's menu - French Fries, Onion Rings and Salad, to which is not much of an enjoyable meal, even for an occasional vegetarian like myself. This is quite demotivating for me because large chains such as McDonalds and Burger King either do not serve or has under average vegetarian meals, compared to smaller chains and even cafes located at areas far from my residential area. It is ironic yet interesting to observe these large chains not seriously considering demands from eco-conscious customers who call for vegetarian options. From my point of view, this situation has turned vegetarian or vegan burgers into gourmet burgers with exquisite and premium features in many cafes, giving rise to the burger's price whereby sadly, it is not affordable by the lower social class. You can check out the prices of vegetarian or plant-based burgers to compare their prices and decide if they are economically suitable for all social groups.
I may not have the full experience of trying out different vegan or plant-based burgers but this first video shows the journey of trying out restaurant-cooked vegan burger and home-made vegan burger.
Can A Vegan Burger Satisfy A Burger Lover by Goodful
The Impossible Patty that was mentioned in this video refers to the Impossible Burger developed by Vanderbilt Campus Dining in the United States. It's a plant-based meat that uses food science to replicate the taste and feel of beef. A study found that the burger uses
87% less water than beef, uses 96% less land, and cuts water contamination by 92%, making it having a carbon footprint 89% smaller than pure beef burger.
8 Amazing Veggie Burgers by Tasty
The second video by Tasty on the other hand, has inspired me to try making a vegan burger after the Movement Control Order ends.
Here's an interesting article I found on Cnet that debates on Impossible Burger VS Beef that gave me more information to help with my food and diet choices towards being more climate-friendly.
My second and third missions went hand-in hand with each other. Before this challenge, I used to buy groceries without having a proper checklist nor checking with my family on our inventory. This has led to unnecessary waste as I would end up buying the same items as my parents did. Since I had more time to cook in the evening for Week 3 and 4, I decided to cook more. Hence I planned out a meal schedule while looking up some recipes to list down the right amount of groceries or ingredients needed. Before I went off to the supermarket, I checked our kitchen inventory to double confirm the available items and their expiry dates. Having a prior inventory check and a proper checklist allow me to shop wisely - only buying the things I need. On top of that, I also spend less time at the supermarket which is a good thing considering that it is not advisable for us to be outside for long during the pandemic.
This week's dishes
ABC Vegetable Soup
Stir-fried Mixed Vegetables & Kuchai Omelette
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