A common question & a great answer I found online

Okay so with a title like "theveganator" no surprise I thankfully do not eat any animal products....Christmas can be a challenging day with family (as many vegans would attest to). However this year I did come across some adversity, but some support too (which I am grateful for).The support came in with some of my family bringing vegan wine (Wait what? some wines aren't vegan....Seriously....do 'they' have to screw with everything???? Far out!!!!)Also some vegan garlic bread (A bit heavy on the garlic but hey- it's all good...).I even was gifted a super cool vegan cookbook! So here goes CHAPTER 2 as promised...(for those of you who read chapter 1 thanks- for those of you who didn't.... welcome aboard).
So adversity wise...someone asked me 'THAT' question....."Why do vegans try to replicate meat & dairy?" this got me thinking... I like seitan...vegan cheese, aquafaba, jackfruit, tofu & yes we call things "cheesecake", "burgers", "tofurkey" blah.blah,blah....Who cares? Carnivores... I think?? Anyway I don't always think fast on my feet....Wishing I was one of those people who come top with clever retorts super fast but alas not I.... So my first response was probably a bit feeble... pretty dub... sorta stumbling through... Like "why do meat eaters process animal products and rename some products to not even resemble the animals they eat?- (Yep crap answer!- okay I know)...
Anyway I found this article & thought it was pertinent & probably a better answer...It's from Huffpost by Ed Coffin dated 07/082013 (being a steemit minnow hope this is okay-if not oops my bad...) (Hey just wondering do other people like parentheses as much as i do?!) So here goes & I quote ften referred to as “fake” meat, these products are actually quite real. They are not imaginary or inedible, but strikingly delicious versions of animal products in every form. A look back at the etymology of the word “meat” actually shows us that it is rooted from the Old English term, “mete,” which literally meant “item of food.” Semantics aside, this leaves some non-vegans to wonder why vegans, who eschew all animal products, would want to eat foods that have the same tastes and textures of animal flesh?

The answer is quite simple once you understand why people choose to remove animal products from their lives in the first place. As it turns out, vegans did not stop eating animals because they didn’t enjoy the taste. Who doesn’t enjoy the taste of a juicy hamburger, or a few slices of bacon? However, vegans chose to stop consuming and using animals on an ethical basis. (It should be noted that there are some people who eat a plant-based diet for health reasons, but these people are not “vegan” as they still use animals in other ways.)

..."Vegans believe it is morally wrong to kill and use animals when it’s completely unnecessary to do so. So, it’s not that they didn’t like the taste, it’s that they didn’t like participating in the senseless killing of animals when we know that nutritionally, animal foods serve no purpose to live healthfully. In fact, it actually benefits us to avoid them. Not to mention it’s arguably the single-most important thing one person can do to protect the environment.

If the familiar tastes and textures of animal foods can be replicated from 100 percent plant-based sources, there then exists no moral dilemma against consuming the food at hand. (If you believe “plants have feelings too,” maybe you should read this.) Vegans are in no way being hypocritical, or proving they are suppressing their desires by eating “fake” meats. In fact, they are being morally consistent and enjoying their food just like everyone else, sans the animal products."

Follow Ed Coffin on Twitter: www.twitter.com/eatconsciously

Ed Coffin
Gay. Vegan. Rabble-rouser.

Anywho... we brought some kickass "sweet potato, almond feta sausage rolls", a sumptuios salad with roasted spiced chickpeas and a vegan blueberry "cheesecake".... not a bad day & some interesting discussions were sparked by our contributions to the table ....Thoughts? If one person chooses to reduce their consumption for just one day a week.... well it's a start, I encourage anyone reading this just make a start no matter how small & for some inspiration I've attached a photo of our "cheesecake" - Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays ( which ever resonates with you) fellow veganators & anyone just starting out - I encourage you on your journey to being cruelty free, healthy, happy & reduce your footprint for future generations-
THANK YOU!