This is more so a "western" vegan problem. In cultures where vegan/vegetarian eating is more common due to lifestyle and/or religious beliefs, they make good meat-free dishes without trying to recreate meat.

2 key examples:

Jamaican cuisine. Veegetarian Jamaican food is known as "ital" food which is the diet Rastas follow

Indian cuisine. Vegetarian dishes are so common that when you eat at Indian restuarants that their menus generally have 2 sections "Veg" and "Non-Veg"

I have yet to eat anything from these 2 cultures that tries to mimic meat. This is more so a problem for those who come from meat-based societies and want to stop eating meat.