A serial in which we compare manufactured vegetarian meat substitutes to the real thing. This week’s contender: MorningStar Bacon Strips, the only other fake-un product I was able to find at my neighborhood grocery store aside from those horrific Smart Life specimens we tasted last week.This section will be on hiatus until I return from Austin, TX at the end of next week. Until then, e-mail me suggestions at sbrickner@seattleweekly.comOur subject: MorningStar Bacon Strips (I should add that MorningStar is a Kellogg company, for those of you who are wary of gigantic corporations). Unlike the Smart Life fake-un, which is refrigerated, MorningStar fake-un must be kept frozen. I’m hoping this makes a difference, as I already know that the MorningStar company makes really delicious faux-sausage patties, too– though they’re significantly more expensive than the Gimme Lean! in a tube. And after that traumatic fake-un experience I had last week, I’ll try whatever. I’m frying this stuff again and hoping for the best. But be warned– don’t overcook the fake-un, or it will taste like cardboard no matter what you do. Main ingredient: A veritable cocktail of egg whites, textured soy protein concentrate, corn starch, wheat gluten…vegans and those with food allergies must avoid this stuff at all costs. Though it’s marketed as healthier than real bacon, it must be said that fake-un is not exactly healthy in and of itself.Calorie count: 60 calories for 2 strips, 40 of which are from fat. Probably why these taste better than the Smart Life strips, which have less fat and less calories overall, but taste like…well, not much. As I noted last week, in a real slice of bacon (that is approximately 7.9 grams), there are 42 calories, 29 of which come from fat. And 191.8 mg of sodium. Price: $5.49 for 5.25 oz of fake-un. All that processing costs money. Meanwhile, our real, all-natural cured bacon cost about $3.50 for 12 ounces.The omnivore says: You know, this is decent fake-un. I think I’ve had it before. It looks better and it tastes better–like, you know, actual bacon. But it still doesn’t hold a candle to the real thing. The vegetarian says: These little babies look more like bacon– complete with white and red marbling– and taste better, too. They even fry and puff up when they’re cooking! As for taste, they’re not as thick and greasy as true pig flesh, but they do have that salty, fatty thing going on that I sometimes get cravings for. A very acceptable, even delicious substitute for bacon– and I bet it’s probably good to cook with, if you’re trying to make a Quiche Lorraine, or emulate all those Southern recipes for collards that call for bacon.