try veganism
recently added a new regular meal to my list: veggie burgers. amy’s makes a kickin’ vegan california burger (would link to the specific product, but their site’s messed up right now), and it turns into dining heaven with a good roll, onions, tomato slices, spring mix, plenty of hot sauce, avacado, and pepper. except for the missing grease, which you can fake with olive oil or italian dressing, it tastes surprisingly close to the burger experience i grew up with — not that it needs to to taste good. it has little char pieces or something for texture. me like. you might be surprised by the deliciousness!
have written about amy’s before. doubleplus good frozen food, clearly marked on the ingredients list as vegan when it is. national chains stock amy’s, and it appears to be growing. the vegan indian dishes are great. lived on amy’s vegan burritos for a long stretch; target sold ‘em for under $2/ea.
if you’ve thought about going vegan completely or just shifting that way now and then, give the veggie burger a try with the full compliment of tasty accompanying fresh veggies. if you’re not free-ranging or hunting (IMO, generally the only ethical means for using animal products), taking a vegan break could eventually mean one less instance of misery for cows or whatever animal you’re replacing the veggie burger with — animals often maltreated by career factory brutes with no respect for those in their charge.
["vegan veggie burger" might sound redundant, but most veggie burgers have egg whites in them — a bummer for vegans who see "veggie burger" on a restaurant menu and don't have the energy/tact to do the whole "excuse me, but i'm a freak from another planet" investigation/education routine.]