Is Vegan a 4 letter word?

I love to bake and, when I find a good recipe I also like to share.  I am not prejudiced against a recipe by the side note: vegan or vegetarian but, I find it funny the reactions I get when I say this about something I've baked.  There are generally two different responses, the first of which is joy and excitement at the opportunity of a healthy alternative, that if coming from my kitchen is almost always a hit.  The second reaction is one that amuses me, it's the horror that spreads across the face of someone that just found out their soon to be treat will most likely, in their minds, taste like cardboard and they will have to come up with a convincing response as to why they must avoid consumption of such an item.  I have in the past been disappointed by the "healthy" alternatives and had my share of cardboard cookies and loaves of gluten free bread that could impale someone but have not let those disastrous encounters cloud my optimism.  So I turned to one of my favorite vegetarian cookbooks, ReBar, and began to find something I hadn't made yet.  Vegan, gluten free, trail bars and power spheres won out and I planned my trip to Whole Foods to pick up a few items.  By mid morning on Sunday my kitchen was full of the sweet smells of my vegan snacks.  Flavours of apple, apricot, pineapple and peanut butter, mixed with toasted hazelnuts and sesame seeds, filled my home and gave the neighbours something pleasant to smell while walking through the main lobby to the elevator.  I finished, wrapped and packed some up to share at work and voila, success!  Wrapped up little bundles of proof, that vegan is not a 4 letter word and some recipes can hold their own with the best of them even without animal by-products.