Snoop Dogg Shares How He Introduced Plant-Based Meat to His Family

It's no surprise that Snoop Dogg, who helped Dunkin Donuts celebrate its launch of a new Beyond Sausage Sandwich and is an investor in Beyond Meat, is a big proponent of plant-based foods. But what may come as a surprise is the way the rapper and cultural icon admitted to introducing his family to plant-based meals.

In a video on Beyond Meat's twitter account, the celebrity recalled how he first got his family to try vegan meat alternatives. Turns out, the secret to his success lies in the element of surprise. In the clip, he recalls, "I just slid it to them. I snuck it in. You know, you gotta sneak it in, because so many people are accustomed to a certain taste or a certain way of doing it. So you gotta slide it in and let it just be a way of coming in." He mimics their reaction, "mmm"-ing at the hypothetical Beyond Meat dish being served, and continues, "What is that?" and  answering himself by replying, "Oh, that's something new. It's Beyond Meat. It's actually plant-based." And then he switches to their voice, saying: "I didn't know I liked plant-based."

Snoops logic makes sense: Many potential consumers of meat-alternatives hear the term "plant-based" or "vegan" and immediately assume that the product will not be up to par with the real thing, based on preconceived notions or past experiences. (It's worth acknowledging how far meatless products have come, even in the past few years.) Perceptions may skew their judgment of what they think it will taste like. When you don't announce to your family that this is in fact a meatless burger, but simply serve it in the same casual manner you would one made with real beef, they're less likely to bring negative stigmas associated with "vegan" to their reaction.

Recently, one of The Beet's writers was challenged to serve her family plant-based meals without divulging they were made of meat- and dairy-free ingredients. Their reactions were similar to those in Snoop's household: Delight, and, in many bases, obliviousness to the fact that what they were eating wasn't in fact the cheddar cheese they were accustomed to, but instead vegan Violife shreds. Another one of our writers decided to challenge his chef father to cook with Beyond Meat, who thought the final product tasted just like the real thing.

Right now, the "meatless meat" industry has seen a 35 percent rise in sales during the COVID-19 pandemic, and it makes perfect sense: With none of the cholesterol in beef, meatless meats are heart healthier than the real thing, and kinder to the planet. And evidently, differences in taste cannot be discerned in a blind test. What's not to love?