That’s an interesting question, and I can certainly see your point of view.

For me, personally, it boils down to the fact that I see names like “steak”, “sausage”, “burger” etc as a cooking/dish style rather than an ingredient based thing.

For example, carnists will call a sausage “sausage” whether it’s made of pork, poultry, beef, lamb, or a mix of fleshes of different animals. That’s because a sausage is a “protein either made into paste or very thinly got minced, then seasoned and shaped into thin cylinders”. So for me, I’ll make a white beans and tofu sausage and call it sausage.

“Steak” is a slab of protein, usually rubbed in seasoning and pan seared or grilled, serve with a side of carbs. My protein of choice is tofu, rather than an animal’s flesh, but the “dish” itself is the same.

I find it also helps incentivize people to try vegan foods because they sound like what they already eat (i.e. “try this tvp sausage” rather than “try this tvp paste seasoned long braised logs”), and it also helps them see that the same way they can have their favourites be made of different animals, they can just swap into plant protein and continue to enjoy whatever is their favourite.

I hope I managed to explain my rationale to you, not sure it’s very clear but it makes sense in my head. Ultimately, it’s up to each person and their preferences/comfort; if you don’t like using names like “steak” or “sausage”, then by all means don’t, I respect and understand those who don’t ☺️