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@BBQdude - I don't know, vegan food is very diverse and really the only thing hard to replicate is straight up meat. If you want a steak on a plate then vegetarianism can't really replicate that. Although I have made some seitan ribs that were pretty good and I used in a sandwich. I never ate much egg or cooked with much egg but really the only thing I can think of that can't be replicated (or is difficult to do so) is meringue which is something I never liked anyway.

There was also an interesting blog not too long ago that recreated Anthony Bourdain recipes but with all vegan ingredients. The people that did the recipes were quite creative, much more than myself. I don't know much about food science but in order to replicate textures, tastes, etc, it does take quite a bit of knowledge and I salute those that do it.

One that I would like to add is that many vegans and vegetarians find themselves expanding their horizons in terms of food once they stop eating meat and other animal products.

For me, even though I considered myself willing to try everything and interested in trying new restaurants and new types of cuisines, it wasn't until I went vegan that I realized that there was a lot I hadn't tried. There are wonderful vegetarian and vegan restaurants that I had never been to and there were many ethnic restaurants that I didn't seek out. Ethiopian, Ghanian, Burmese, Malaysian, Nepalese and other ethnic restaurants are great for vegans but not always sought out until you find yourself looking for options.

Also, vegans tend to have many tales of non-vegans being unwilling to try vegan food. If something is labeled vegan, many people would be wary of it for some strange reason. While on the other hand if people don't know it is vegan, they happily eat it and may even comment that the food is really good. I had my own experience with a dessert I bought at a vegan restaurant and I offered a piece to a family member. The dessert happened to be my family member's absolute favorite dessert. The family member didn't want to try the dessert because it was vegan and even said "I would be able to taste the tofu". There was no tofu in the dessert.

Lastly, I stopped liking the taste of meat which is the initial reason I started down the veg road. I don't think I'm missing anything by not eating meat or animal products. I think it is possible for non-vegs to miss out on some really good food because of a reliance on meat and animal products but really that is their choice. I enjoy cooking good food, I enjoy eating out at good restaurants and I just enjoy food.