Fair enough. I've been vegan for about the same time as you. I guess I just think the more 'meaty' something tastes it reminds me of eating real animal flesh. I'm not sure anyone goes vegan for just one reason necessarily because most, if not all, vegans care about each issue like animal welfare/rights, environmentalism, health, etc. to varying degrees but one huge reason I am vegan is that I genuinely think animal flesh and secretions are fucking disgusting.

Living organisms are really gross. We shit, our skin has boils and puss filled pimples, we are all muscles attached with sinewy tissues and move and contract at the electric pulses of a mushy and gooey gray matter in our thick calcium shells we carry around. Mammals squirt fluids out of glands and humans want to drink that shit? That's for babies!

I went vegan as a teenager in a small-ish town outside of Nashville. I had no idea what I was doing really, but I was super dedicated and never 'cheated'. So that means I ate like shit. It was pb&j's and pasta and cans of beans. I went to California and some friends took me to Wheel of Life in Irvine which is a vegan Chinese and Thai place. I had a piece of the Orange chik'n and almost threw up. I was furious thinking that there was some sort of mistake or some joke was being played on me. It was so 'real'. I've never been able to stomach foods like Gardein or Beyond Meat or even Boca.

I think there are so many genuine and awesome flavors and textures in vegan food and cooking that the analogue stuff seems unnecessary. I know a lot of people like it and that's great. I know it also helps people transition and it's super easy for people that don't have a lot of time.

Sorry for the long response.