1 hour ago, Alex said:
That would be nice. I've yet to taste one that would be even shouting distance from "reasonably pleasant."
Honestly, I think they'll get there. I expect texture will actually be a bigger challenge than flavor in the long term, because we're getting better at manipulating flavor molecules either directly or through manipulation of yeasts, bacteria, fungi etc.
I don't feel a strong imperative to curb my dairy consumption for environmental or other reasons, because it's already pretty minimal, but I know a lot of people who are lactose-intolerant (and vegans are a steadily growing contingent as well). The market is absolutely there, if they get it right. Logic suggests we'll see an initial "artisanal" product to generate a halo effect while they're working out how to manufacture at scale (ie, Tesla's progression from Roadster to Model S to Model 3), though if somebody makes a breakthrough on the manufacturing side we may see a mass-market "good enough" product followed by niche specialty products afterward. I have no crystal ball, but I'm all in on having options.
ETA: I actually popped for an "artisanal" vegan cheese at the supermarket a few months ago, simply because it was marked down to half price. It was a Boursin-ish soft, flavored cheese, with lime and jalapeno. The flavor was perfectly acceptable for what it was, but the texture was slightly wrong in a way that was difficult to articulate. The best I can get is that it had a hint of that cream-cheese gumminess about it, as opposed to the fine-grained smoothness of the real thing.
