Sorry you had a bad meal. Vegan Plate is one of my favorite places in Chicago, and I’m a big fan of the family the runs it, so I may be a bit biased. :) I can’t say I have ever had a bad meal at VP. They are amazingly consistent. The “chicken” they used for the dish you ordered is likely the thinly sliced tvp, as opposed to the “chicken” they use for the orange chicken. Some people love it, I think it’s good, but I go with the “soy beef.” The “purple rice“ is brown rice. I much prefer it to white rice. Brown rice is served in Thailand. But, just like here in the United States, most restaurants serve white rice. That’s what you are used to when you go to a Thai restaurant. That doesn’t mean that the purple rice is not authentically Thai.