The AWFUL TRUTH about the Star Trek replicators

In all series of Star Trek but the Original Series (where they eat common household sponges), most of the crew's food comes from the replicator. The official line is that this is a machine which synthesises food, through Star Trek magic. But think of it; how much simpler would it be if it were simply a 3D printer which produced the 'food' out of whatever biomass was available (human waste, crew members shot by the Romulans in the previous episode, etc.); tongue implants would then be used to lie to the brain about what the subject is tasting.

This would also explain why, when they visit Earth, we see people cooking, even though they have the magic ultra-convenient replicators.

It can, in fact, even explain the peculiar tendency of Kirk-era Starfleet people to eat kitchen sponges (watch an old episode if you believe me not); presumably the secret to 3D printers was lost in the turbulent years of the 21st century (along with circuit breakers to stop consoles randomly frying operators, emergency stop buttons for enormously dangerous things like the Holodeck, emergency brakes for lifts, and so forth), and subsequently rediscovered (unlike any of that other stuff). 

And why do we never see toilets on Star Trek? Because the toilets discreetly built into the back of the 'replicators' would be distasteful to modern audiences!