The Cracker Barrel Impossible Sausage Comment War Is Symbolic Of A Greater Cultural Divide

There was no telling how much controversy this post would spark. Or was there? With how polarized the current political climate has become, on some level, was it really surprising that a comment war ignited over fake meat?

The Cracker Barrel and Impossible Sausage Controversy 

The Facebook post featured an image of breakfast sausage embedded with an “Impossible” pennant, as well as eggs and hash browns, and the caption read: “Experience the out of this world flavor of Impossible Sausage Made From Plants next time you Build Your Own Breakfast.”

The post has since garnered over 7,000 comments. For reference, a usual Cracker Barrel Facebook post gets only around 100 comments. A sharp ideological divide emerged among the commenters, perfectly reflective of the political divide across America at large. Now, the connotations of conservative and liberal have expanded beyond politics, into everyday aspects of life, down to lifestyle choices including the very foods we eat. It’s fascinating to see which beliefs and choices fall on which side of the political divide. It makes sense that the conservatives, who typically have more traditional values and beliefs would prefer traditional, real meat, while the progressives who typically emphasize the environment and science would take the side of artificial meat. Their respective comments proved just that. 

The outrage over the vegan sausage introduction is reflective of a cultural divide in America.

Here are some of the comments from die-hard meat-eaters:  

• “We don’t eat in an old country store for woke burgers.”

• “Just another reason to avoid Cracker Barrel. You are making sausage from plants and seem proud of it. It is aptly named. ‘Impossible’.”

• “Smh. This is Biden’s America. If we don’t get Trump back this country is in trouble. There shall be no hippie meat in trumps America!!!!!”

• “When we order the Impossible sausage, the terrorists win.”

• “You can take my pork sausage when you pry it from my cold, dead hands!”

I think their strong response stems from an innate fear of change, fear of seeing their way of life taken from them. They see the vegan sausage move as the progressive agenda leaching into a domain they thought was their own. They fear that this is just the first step in a grand scheme to eliminate meat altogether. They feel betrayed by a restaurant that supposedly promotes a down-to-earth, traditional country aesthetic. They, however, are acting just like the progressives they despise by playing the victims in this situation. 

While they have some legitimate concern, considering how other seemingly innocuous moves have grown into monstrosities in the past, like the two-week shutdown that became two years, in this case, it’s just a restaurant. Essentially, the angry commenters made this non-issue into an issue, because the truth is, simply having it on the menu won’t hurt you. You’re not being forced to order it.

On the other side, the defenders of vegan meat didn’t help. While some expressed genuine happiness that there were now more options on the menu, other comments were flippant and arrogant, treating the new vegan sausage like a political jab at the meat-eaters, ironically legitimizing their irrational fears. They acted like it was a great cultural victory for them. 

• “I kind of hope all the folks freaking out get bitten by that tick that makes people allergic to meat.”

• “They’re not replacing your beloved meat, relax. You can keep chowing down towards heart disease as you wish.”

• “Wait til they take away the menus and make them use the qr code!”

• “Why do the same people who get all mad about cancel culture try to cancel something they don’t like that has no effect on them?”

A third group of people just mocked the whole situation. Their sarcastic responses had some truth to them, pointing out the ludicrosity of the whole situation, but most just seemed bitter and angry like the rest. 

• “I twisted my ankle running to this comment section to see all the clogged artery rage over this.”

• “I ordered the build your own breakfast with sausage patties, and my server ‘accidentally’ puts this Impossible Sausage on my plate instead, and didn’t think to tell me until I had eaten the whole thing!! Now I’ve been going around all day demanding universal health care and respecting people’s chosen pronouns!!”

• “Speaking on behalf of all liberals, I can tell you that replacing the meat at Cracker Barrel was at least 20th on our list of ‘goals for achieving world domination.’”

• “This comment section is further proof we need to focus more on mental health in this country and get more people into therapy for anger issues.”

This is symbolic of how many people feel about politics today, that they must either pick a side and take action, or withdraw from the political sphere entirely and lose faith in the system. This leads us to the pressing question: Since when did menu items become political? The issue goes back to the politicization of business in general. 

The Culprits 

For right and left alike, social media has created an echo chamber, a self-selecting group of people who share political views. Within this isolated world, ideas become more and more intense and extreme as they ricochet off each other. Not only that, but the system is rigged to keep you online with algorithms that feed you what you want to hear. Social media exacerbates political differences, preying on people’s most primitive emotions like fear or envy to get more views and likes.

Social media exacerbates political differences, preying on people’s most primitive emotions to get more views.

The decline in religion is also a significant factor to consider. Christian religion is on the decline in the U.S., along with church attendance, while at the same time, the population of those with no religious affiliation is increasing. Human beings have a deep psychological need for religion, that is, something to make sense out of that which is beyond our understanding. There is a definitive need for us to seek out a greater meaning in our lives. In fact, from a biological perspective, our brains are evolutionarily wired toward religious tendencies. The trend toward a lack of religion is concerning because it leaves the population facing a void in their emotional, spiritual, and social lives. If not Christianity, it’s only natural that something else will rise to fill the vacuum. In this case, it’s consumerism and politics. 

Let the Market Decide 

Ultimately, the market will solve the problem. In the free market, we, as the consumers, have the power to decide what items sell and which don’t. This in turn controls what items will be produced. If, and only if, there’s a demand will there be a supply. 

Although it's true that dystopian fake meat feels out of place at a restaurant that markets itself as a down home homestyle country restaurant (which is false because it's a chain), the meat-eaters have nothing to fear, and the oversight from Cracker Barrel’s executives may soon be corrected. 

Already, vegan meat sales are falling, and the product has been widely discontinued as a menu item at McDonald’s and other chains after a three-year trial, according to research from a JP Morgan Chase & Co. analyst. In this case, Cracker Barrel is late to the trend, jumping on the fake meat bandwagon after the product has already been proven unsuccessful. It may not be there to stay. In fact, Beyond Meat, a competitor for Impossible Foods, has already cut 40 jobs to save on costs. 

Closing Thoughts 

The Cracker Barrel comment war only proves how divisive the current political climate is. People are so caught up in their own world on social media that they have no perspective and seemingly no external life. They’re enamored of their own opinions, in love with their grand fight against the strawman enemy, and believe they’re oppressed by the other side, but really, they’re the same. Both sides feel like victims of the other side, which will get them nowhere. 

Without the greater perspective brought by religion, the pettiest of issues become monstrous. In the end, the best we can do is to distance ourselves from the controversy, go out and live our lives, get involved in the community, and take care of our families. You shouldn’t need to rely on corporations to cater to your needs or political preferences. Instead, you can do something that actually makes a difference. Go grocery shopping and cook some real and healthy food for yourself or your family, and the best part of all is that you can decide what’s on the menu.

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