We believe the spiritual destiny of man is such that in time he will view with a

behorrence, the idea that men once fed on the products of animals' bodies.

So said a Yorkshire teacher and woodworker named Donald Watson, who, in November 1944,

having avoided service in World War II as a conscientious objector, founded the Vegan

Society.

Like many Westerners, Watson was simply borrowing and naming a concept from the East, where

many observant Hindus and Buddhists had avoided meat and animal byproducts for centuries.

But by giving English-speaking animal activists a unifying identity, Watson birthed the

movement that took hold in the US during the counterculture era of the 1960s.

As the decades passed and more and more people became vegetarian and vegan, they couldn't

shake the cravings for the meaty textures of their youths, leading to off-terrated meat

substitutes like Tempe Bacon and Toferki.

Then in 2007, a vegan fast-casual restaurant in Irvine, California managed to break through,

offering meatless, dairy-free versions of such traditional comfort fair as nachos, buffalo

wings and cheeseburgers, the concept saw rapid success, distinguishing itself by coming

eerily close to the real thing in both flavor and price.

Now with 26 locations up and down the left coast, does this garden of Eaton deserve a visit

from Omnivores?

This week on Doe Boys, Veggie Grill.

Welcome to Doe Boys, the podcast about chain restaurants.

I'm Nick Wiger, alongside Mike Mitchell, the spoon down.

How you doing, Mitch?

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