I lived in Worthington, OH (home of the above mentioned Worthington Foods and where most of the Morningstar Farms products are made) as a young child. I love Stripples (Morningstar Breakfast Strips) and their corn dogs, which funny enough taste just like the ones we used to get at the charity booths at local events, hmmm... To me, stripples were just another food, not "fake bacon." (Other than the strip pattern and the saltiness, the two have nothing in common.) They are both comfort foods for me. (And a guilty pleasure, like Jan said, they are HIGHLY processed! And stripples are very fatty and salty too.)
I never really liked most meat anyway and once I became a vegetarian (early high school), I didn't see the point in eating "fake meat" and I don't really like most of the fake meat products. I do like gluten and tofu, but not usually when it is prepared exactly the like meat it is supposed to be in some non-vegetarian recipe. My mom used to make casseroles substituting pinto beans for ground beef, and that is really good! The best thing about Gardenburgers and Boca Burgers is that they are palatable and served at restaurants that previously had nothing vegetarian. Also, people seem completely comfortable about my bringing my own fake burger to a BBQ, but if I bring my own food or don't eat it often seems to make them feel uncomfortable.
Julie
