Again, the flavor was close to the organic article but not quite there, leaving me with an uncanny-valley feeling. Yet, when dabbed with the plant-based butter next to it on the plate, this faux fish was delicious overall.
or is it
Synthetic fish isn't quite there yet—and may not be worth the effort
Because the article tells me both. Seems the effort is worth while when you consider the fact that salmon aren't faring well as a species currently, due to overfishing. As a result, species which rely on salmon, such as orca whales, are also measurably suffering. So if it's "overall delicious" and can save some damn whales, how is that "not worth the effort" ?
I think that's why the authour is trying to convey. Why do you want to eat this? Is it for ethical reasons? Environmental? As a culinary experience? Simply because it's cool?
I do wish they went into more detail about "the cost" of developing fake salmon.
The cost is just money in this case. It doesn't use rare or unethically sourced materials (at least if you're not a vegan), it advances the biological sciences as a whole and it's something to do for bio grads that might generate a lot of value for society in the future.