*UPDATE*!! Bad news! I returned to E-Mart and double-checked the ingredients list on these soy meats, and I found that they have some egg in them! I don't know how three different people could miss this when checking the ingredients, but I'm sorry to say, they are NOT vegan . Maybe the egg is a new addition, I dunno. Either way, I apologize!
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About 2 weeks ago, I was just browsing around E-Mart, when to my amazement, I found a section selling a whole line of soy meats! I guess I never noticed it before because it was in the refrigerated section, and I just rarely go down those aisles since nothing in those fridges are vegan. But lo and behold. Soy meat.
I immediately scanned the ingredients list, and then asked my friend, as well as one of the ladies working nearby to confirm that there were zero animal products in it, and she assured me that it was all animal-free. It even says on the packaging that it's all plant-based protein! Can this be for real? Does anyone else know about this? Am I just slow?
I don't miss or crave meat, so not having many options for soy/wheat meat in Korea isn't a big deal for me. But when I see something in a major supermarket that's vegan, I tend to buy it, just because I can. Plus, by buying it, it's like I'm voting for that product and telling the company to head more in that plant-based, cruelty-free direction.
Anyway, the soy meats I saw at E-Mart were pretty much just different types of soy sausages/hotdogs, which I never crave, but I was so intrigued that I bought one. heheh... For about 2 weeks, it just sat in my fridge because I didn't know what to do with it! I'm not used to cooking with meat, even if it is just soy meat.
In the end, I just ended up slicing up these little buggers and stir-frying 'em up with some onions, bell peppers, and broccoli. I can't fully remember what animal hotdogs taste like, but I thought these did fairly well in giving off that sausagey smell and taste. The 'meat' flavor wasn't that strong, but it was there. It also wasn't half as salty as I remember regular hotdogs to be. I'm sure those who are omnivores or new vegetarians wouldn't be too impressed, but all in all, I didn't think it was half bad. I remember how meat hotdogs would just ooze greasiness, but these had none of that. That gross oily feeling I would get after eating a hotdog is not something I miss one bit!
One thing I did notice though, was that the texture was a lot different. It had a soft, slightly dry, spongy texture, which might turn you off, depending on your preferences, but I didn't mind it much. I'm sure that if you cut the sausages up and marinated them, the spongy, porous texture would suck up any flavors really well.
So there you have it. Homeplus has vegan ice cream, but E-Mart has soy dogs. Is it a tie?
