Here's my thing about meat: I'll switch away from meat if you make it taste good. It doesn't have to pretend to be meat, as long as it tastes good, that's all I care about. I will still eat the occasional burger or bbq, but if you can find me vegetarian or vegan recipes that make me as happy as bbq does, I'll try it.
It's less surprising when you realize that stuff that processed almost might as well have been constructed from raw hydrocarbons. It's like some NileRed "turning paint thinner into cherry soda"-level shit.
For bacon bits, they're talking about the drid stuff in the plastic cans - "Bacos" and similar. They're usually soy based with artificial flavor - probably for longer/safer shelf life
I said this above as a reply to another comment, but I do feel there are a lot of interesting dishes around the world that would be loved almost universally and I wish they would become universally accessible too