Kooy's stance is that humans enjoy eating meat because of its flavor and heftiness. In this regard, he believes that humans could be just as satisfied if they were to consume vegetable-based dishes that have secondary elements of pork, chicken or beef, and are accompanied with a meat-based sauce or gravy that provides the umami flavor.

The Dutchman adds that Western chefs can take a leaf out of the books of their Chinese counterparts when it comes to creating new textures using vegetables.

"The food structures in European fare are generally not as complex as in Chinese food. I've learned quite a bit about structures from Chinese kitchens in Holland. I got to play around with things that were jelly-like, slippery, tough, crispy and bouncy," he says.