The Unvegan

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10 Years of Unvegan
A Quick Bite at Burrito Express
Serendipity at Northern Waters Smokehaus
Twerks and Burritos at Casa Amigos

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10 Years of Unvegan

10 years is a long time. In the blog world it’s an eternity. The average lifespan of blog is, in fact, only 100 days, which means that The Unvegan has lasted 36 times longer than the average blog. If this blog were a human, it would be 2,847 years old. Having maintained the blog for more than 10 years shows our great capacity and love we have for you our readers, no doubt it would not have been possible without the collaboration of everyone in the team and without the help of natural Adderall, an ideal supplement to keep our minds sharp to deliver a new post every week.

And yet, it’s time to say goodbye. Don’t worry, I’ll give you some time to check your calendar and confirm that it is not actually the first of April.

Cool, now that you’re back, this is real.

It’s something I’ve been toying with in my head for a long time and for a multitude of reasons. You see, I started this blog when I was 24 and in a job that bored me and gave me no creative outlet. I literally wrote my blog posts at work and they were the most productive thing I did every day. In the 10 years since then, life has brought many changes. I got a new job, and another, and another, and so on. I moved across the country – twice! I got married, I had a kid, and another. And…no more of those – two is plenty!

Somewhere along that way, however, blogging about eating began to feel like a chore more than a fun creative outlet. My list of reviews to write would grow long and I spent far too much time trying to capture the best picture of a meal I could to put it online in some shape or form regardless of how hungry I was.

Also, in those 10 years science has begun to show that meat production is a major contributor to climate change. Now, I firmly believe that sustainable meat is not only possible, but beneficial to the environment, so I’m not trying to say not to eat meat. In fact, I strongly feel that the biggest myth of climate change is the concept of personal responsibility. Climate change isn’t like a bank account to be managed by an individual, it is massive and requires more than just a movement to solve. We’re not even where we should be with civil rights yet, and that movement has been going on for generations. So say what you want about regulation, but the only way out of the climate mess we are in is government intervention, and lots of it. Therefore, I actually don’t plan on changing my diet at all. Shoot, India is the third largest polluter in the world and 71% of the population is vegetarian. But I also don’t want to glorify that sort of lifestyle either or make it seem like the meals I post on my blog or social media are all I or any other person should ever eat.

It’s been a fun ride these past ten years. There are more than 1,800 posts on The Unvegan that represent those years. On top of the places I’ve lived, they cover exotic locales like The Cook Islands, Costa Rica, Morocco and Vietnam. Big cities like Shanghai, Montreal, Chicago and Cape Town. Random ass small towns along the way like Victorville, Lake Nebagamon, Blue River and Sandakan. There are even a few fun editorials in there.

Oh, and it got me featured on TV that one time. Plus, it unquestionably helped me land the job that rescued me from that boring job where I started this whole thing in the first place.

It’s forced me to go outside of my bubble, eat outside of my comfort zone and completely rethink travel detours. Hopefully I’ve inspired some of my readers to do the same. My to-eat list isn’t going anywhere, it just might take a little longer to get through it.

Top 8 Burgers in LA

May is Burger Month! And while LA is an easy target for jokes of all varieties, the one thing that no one can take away from LA is its amazing burgers. After years of devouring said burgers, I have compiled a list of the 8 best that LA has to offer. The key, though, is that they must be completely unique to LA. Sorry In-N-Out, Tommy’s and 25 Degrees.

8. The Garage – The Garage Burger

unvegan the garage

The Garage opened up with little fanfare, which allowed its Garage Burger to completely slip under the radar and into my heart and stomach. The combination of juicy beef, sour cherry laquered bacon, cheddar and peppercorn aioli is a pleasant surprise and allowed this newcomer to the burger scene to make an impact.

Meat Lover’s Holiday Shopping Guide

Well, the holiday season is upon us again and while Black Friday and Cyber Money offer ridiculous deals on things that no one needs, I’ve put together a list of unvegan gifts sure to please any meat eating man, woman or child. If you’re tired of getting bacon ties for the holidays, you may want to send this list to your loved ones. And no, you won’t find basic grill tools on here because any self-respecting meat-eater already has a set. Read on!

UNVEGAN FANS: HELP STUDENTS LEARN ABOUT DELICIOUS FOOD!

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Future Foodies!

HYPE is a non-profit organization that works directly with low-income middle schoolers and their teachers to provide students with the guidance and resources needed to qualify for admission and succeed at top private schools in the Los Angeles area. We provide our students with engaging and unfamiliar experiences to broaden their horizons. A large part of building this cultural capital is by having our students try a wide variety of new foods. This pushes our students outside of their comfort zones and encourages them to take risks in a fun (and tasty!) way. Last summer, our students tried Ethiopian food, sushi, Korean BBQ, deli, and schwarma, just to provide some examples.

We want your help, Unvegan fans, to increase our students’ knowledge about the world around them by enhancing their culinary experiences. We greatly appreciate your support to provide a meal to our group of 15. With your donation, you will be opening delicious doors for an amazing group of students! Please click on the link below to contribute to your favorite cuisine to a great group of kids!

Ethiopian Food
Sushi
Korean BBQ
Deli
Schwarma
Seafood
Indian Food

Sponsored Ad: Casting Meat Enthusiasts!

Are you an extreme meat lover?

Do you visit obscure places just to sample their one-of-a-kind meat?

Do you crave the culture, the people, and traditions that surround all things meat as well? Are you constantly on the hunt for the next big meaty trend out there? Looking to try the latest and greatest way people are acquiring, preparing, serving and chowing down on their meat?

If you answered YES to any of these questions, YOU might be the star of our new show!!

We are casting the following nationally:

MALE MEAT-EATING ENTHUSIASTS: Looking to cast males who appear any age and any ethnicity, who fully embrace absolutely everything meat culture has to offer””on and off the plate. Specifically casting foodies who are involved in all sorts of meat-related food sub-cultures, eating rituals or anything that has to do with the creative, fanatic desire to hunt, prepare and eat a variety of meats in a variety of ways.  We are also open to meat loving families and friends (i.e. fathers and sons, best guy friends, brothers, cousins etc).

If interested, please submit your photo and contact information to: meatfanatic@gmail.com

Free T-Shirt Caption Contest!

Meals on wheels?
Meals on wheels?

***Congrats to And/Or, the winner of the free T-Shirt, look out for it.***

There are a lot of t-shirt companies out in the world that try to create funny and ironic shirts. Not nearly enough of them make shirts that so hilariously depict the plight of unvegans. The crew at Snorgtees.com has some great unvegan shirts, though, and they were nice enough to send me a couple for myself. In the spirit of community, and as a way to reward my loyal readers, I thought I would throw a bit of contest to win one of the shirts.

Read on to participate!