Animal products are constantly stuck into foods that are not clearly animal-derived. Every vegan is familiar with the experience of having to read the ingredien

Animal products are constantly stuck into foods that are not clearly animal-derived. Every vegan is familiar with the experience of having to read the ingredients list on foods to look for random animal products or ask waiters if (for example) their Brussels sprouts are vegan. Many people don't realize that Jello is an animal products. Some "vanilla" flavoring is made from animals. Confectioner's glaze, many food colorings, Starburst candy, etc. And meat is very often covered or marinated in vegetables during preparation, leading to meat the incorporates the flavors of vegetables. The idea that vegetarians invented the concept of making a food look or taste different from its natural form is simply unrealistic. But more fundamentally, I'm not sure what you're getting at. If "giving foods a different flavor or texture" were a totally new idea that vegetarians came up with, so what? Are you allergic to vegetables, but constantly being tricked into eating vegan food? What is the problem here?