Vegan dinner a truly foreign experience

People who know me, know I talk about food constantly...and when I am not talking about food it's probably because I am busy eating.  In particular I find Bacon and Cheese to be as close to perfection as is possible (notice the capitalization just like with names, because they are like close friends to me).  So when I was invited to a vegan friends birthday dinner I had my doubts.  That being said most the food was tolerable and some of it even delicious.  The first course was some appetizer type stuff including marinated veggies, beets, and a sweet potato type thing.  The second course was my personal favorite and had some salad, bread, and something that tasted like deep fried chicken poppers (my fav. item of the meal).  There was also beans and rice which did for the most part manage to stay in my spice capacity though I picked my way around some fiery peppers.  After that was a pesto pasta dish with some cherry tomatoes.  And finally a Carib cake...I will admit I still despise Caribs, but everyone else found the cake delicious.  The others appreciated my piece more than I probably would have even if it had been a cake of a non Carib base.  Anyway I enjoyed myself, with good food and good company.  But, veganism and veggidom is just not for me.