Bill Gates Applauds This Meatless Cheesesteaks: 'Accessible To Everyone — Including Phillies Fans And President Obama'

On the third episode of his “Unconfuse Me” podcast, Microsoft Corporation co-founder Bill Gates engaged in a conversation with Grammy and Oscard-winning musician Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson and spoke about the potential of plant-based foods and the renowned cheesesteak. 

What Happened: Questlove is known for his role as the drummer of The Roots and as a prominent figure in Philadelphia’s culinary scene. During the podcast, he recounted his transformation from a carnivore to a plant-based food advocate.

The turning point came when he discovered the Impossible Burger, conducting a blind taste test that consistently led him to choose the plant-based alternative. 

This revelation led to the creation of the cheesesteak — a plant-based version of the classic cheesesteak featuring Impossible meat. Although, this version cannot be called vegan due to the incision of cheese. 

See Also: Bill Gates Comments On ChatGPT’s ‘Human-Like Nature’ With A Hint Of Naivety In His Podcast On AI

Soon, the planet-friendly version of the cheesesteak started getting massive attention, with Questlove onboarding former U.S. President Barack Obama as a fan of the meatless cheesesteak. 

I'm a fan of @Questlove's mission to make plant-based foods more accessible to everyone—including Phillies fans and President Obama, who love his meatless cheesesteaks. https://t.co/LPkPiSVqyn

— Bill Gates (@BillGates) August 28, 2023

Questlove and Gates emphasized the importance of plant-based foods and alternative meat solutions in addressing climate concerns. 

They discussed the environmental benefits of moving away from traditional animal agriculture. “Of all the climate areas, the one that people are probably least aware of is all the fertilizer and cows —- and that’s a challenge.”

Gates also highlighted the challenges of developing high-quality plant-based alternatives and achieving the right taste and texture.

Watch the complete episode here: 

Why It’s Important: Gates’ has previously backed companies like Beyond Meat Inc. BYND, the first plant-based meat analogue company to go public, and Impossible Meat.

In March this year, Gates said that campaigning for individual changes in lifestyle such as reducing meat consumption won’t have a big impact on limiting climate change. Instead, he thinks that the most impactful solution must come from technology, innovation and political support.

For the unversed, global greenhouse gas emissions from animal-based foods are twice those of plant-based foods, according to a 2021 study published in the journal Nature Food.

Photo by Frederic Legrand – COMEO on Shutterstock

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