Question of the day: in the Star Trek universe, is replicated food vegan?1 I say yes, since it's not technically an animal product. R says no, since it's indistinguishable from animal protein. Google tells me this is a hotly contested issue whose arguments fall along the same lines currently dividing our own household. I definitely get that if one is accustomed to avoiding animal protein, one would want to avoid artificial animal protein as well - however, this doesn't change the fact that replicator "meat" isn't derived from animal sources. Or. . . is it? The original blueprint for space bacon had to come from somewhere, right? So this facsimile couldn't exist without the death of one final sacrificial pig. VEGAN NERDS, PLEASE GIVE ME YOUR OPINIONS.
