Fish alternatives out of water

Yes! That is what Veg Out is called! The name on the sign outside the tiny storefront café in Aiken’s Mitchell Shopping Center appears to have an exclamation point at its end. Pay close attention, though, and you will see that it is not actually a punctuation mark, but a carrot. And the V in Veg is a knife and fork.

The sign is a good analogy for vegetarian fare that pretends to be something it is not: Impossible burgers, chickpea tuna salad, jackfruit pulled pork. Some common imposters come close to what they’re imitating, but in almost every case the best you can say is just that: they come close.