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	<title>The Unvegan &#187; meat</title>
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	<link>http://unvegan.com</link>
	<description>The Unvegan</description>
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		<title>FuRaiBo Knows</title>
		<link>http://unvegan.com/reviews/furaibo-knows/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=furaibo-knows</link>
		<comments>http://unvegan.com/reviews/furaibo-knows/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 26 Jan 2012 18:35:07 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>The Unvegan</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Reviews]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Chicken Wings]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[fried chicken]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[FuRaiBo]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Japanese]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Little Little Tokyo]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Los Angeles]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[meat]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[restaurants]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://unvegan.com/?p=8832</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Oh, Little Little Tokyo, the gem of the LA&#8217;s west side.  Aside from Little Ethiopia, there&#8217;s really nowhere else that you can be driving along regular LA streets, suddenly find yourself in a foreign country for two blocks, and then pop back out into regular LA again.  There&#8217;s a pretty steady stream of awesome restaurants [...]
Related posts:<ol>
<li><a href='http://unvegan.com/reviews/dipping-with-honey-at-honeys-kettle-fried-chicken/' rel='bookmark' title='Dipping With Honey at Honey&#8217;s Kettle Fried Chicken'>Dipping With Honey at Honey&#8217;s Kettle Fried Chicken</a></li>
<li><a href='http://unvegan.com/reviews/a-little-cajun-at-the-cheesecake-factory/' rel='bookmark' title='A Little Cajun at The Cheesecake Factory'>A Little Cajun at The Cheesecake Factory</a></li>
<li><a href='http://unvegan.com/reviews/happy-hour-meats-at-gyu-kaku/' rel='bookmark' title='Happy Hour Meats at Gyu-Kaku'>Happy Hour Meats at Gyu-Kaku</a></li>
</ol>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div id="attachment_8833" class="wp-caption alignleft" style="width: 230px"><a href="http://unvegan.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/furaibo-1.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-8833" title="unvegan furaibo 1" src="http://unvegan.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/furaibo-1-220x164.jpg" alt="" width="220" height="164" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">FuRaiBo knows fried chicken.</p></div>
<p>Oh, Little Little Tokyo, the gem of the LA&#8217;s west side.  Aside from Little Ethiopia, there&#8217;s really nowhere else that you can be driving along regular LA streets, suddenly find yourself in a foreign country for two blocks, and then pop back out into regular LA again.  There&#8217;s a pretty steady stream of awesome restaurants and stores in this foreign territory and for this review a group of us headed to <a target="_blank" href="http://www.furaibou.com/">FuRaiBo</a>.  In order to be seated immediately, we had to sit in their floor room (like a tatami room, without the tatami).  This meant sitting on the floor.  While this sort of seating is not common in modern Japan, it certainly still exists.  The trouble with this seating at FuRaiBo, however, is that their floor seating gives a distinct lack of leg room, such that my legs couldn&#8217;t even get under the table.  Nonetheless, while seating played a role in the meal, it didn&#8217;t define it.<span id="more-8832"></span></p>
<p>FuRaiBo&#8217;s menu is great, and not only because the first couple pages are entirely Japanese.  No, it&#8217;s great because of what it offers, which is a vast array of Japanese foods that are neither sushi nor ramen.  So, in looking at the menu, I couldn&#8217;t help but think of Bo Jackson, who according to a Nike campaign back in the day, knew just about everything.  It was called &#8220;<a target="_blank" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9sz6xhPkGJ4">Bo Knows</a>&#8221; and I figured I could twist that around for this review.</p>
<p><strong>FuRaiBo Knows Beer</strong></p>
<p>$9.50 for a pitcher of Kirin or Sapporo.  Just sayin&#8217;.</p>
<p><strong>FuRaiBo Knows Chicken</strong></p>
<div id="attachment_8834" class="wp-caption alignright" style="width: 230px"><a href="http://unvegan.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/furaibo-3.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-8834" title="unvegan furaibo 3" src="http://unvegan.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/furaibo-3-220x164.jpg" alt="" width="220" height="164" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">FuRaiBo only kind of knows wings.</p></div>
<p>Well, at least the fried variety.  My first dish (as pictured above) was the Tori Pirikara.  This was some sweet and spicy fried chicken (nuggety in size) and delivered precisely on that promise.  As with most Japanese food, the spiciness itself was questionable, but there was a little kick.  The sauce went perfectly with the karaage-style texture of the chicken and was easily the highlight of my meal.  I also ordered their Teba Saki (chicken wings) and to continue on the spicy theme I ordered them &#8220;Extra Spicy.&#8221;  Although this had been called FuRaiBo&#8217;s Special Chicken on the menu, I was quite disappointed.  The wings were pretty dry and had very little flavor.  Even the extra spiciness added very little to the wings.  Although the price was right at $4.10, I polished these off thinking I could do better at home.</p>
<p><strong>FuRaiBo Knows Beef</strong></p>
<div id="attachment_8835" class="wp-caption alignleft" style="width: 230px"><a href="http://unvegan.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/furaibo-2.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-8835" title="unvegan furaibo 2" src="http://unvegan.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/furaibo-2-220x164.jpg" alt="" width="220" height="164" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">FuRaiBo knows raw.</p></div>
<p>Here&#8217;s where I managed to surprise myself.  I consider myself quite knowledgeable when it comes to Japan and Japanese food.  Not an expert by a long shot, but still I feel pretty confident.  What that said, I somehow managed to accidentally order Beef Sashimi.  I don&#8217;t know what came over me, but as I read the item on the menu and said it aloud to our waitress, I kept thinking I was ordering sukiyaki.  Huge difference, but one that has led me to appreciate raw meat just a little.  These tender strips of beef had been seared ever-so-slightly around the edges to kill off any bacteria, but were utterly raw otherwise.  They had a great even marbling and came with a ponzu sauce for dipping.  I&#8217;ve gotta say, I was surprisingly happy with this cold beef.  It was easy to take down, had good, beefy flavor and didn&#8217;t have any of the uncomfortable chewiness I&#8217;ve experienced with tartare.  Would I trade in cooked beef for sashimi?  Hell no, but I am glad to know my accidental order gave me a new appreciation for a crazy food.</p>
<p>By the time I had finished, my legs had fallen asleep more times than I could count, and I found myself doing my best to sprawl on the floor.  While not every dish was a home run, I was very happy with my meal.  It was good to eat at a restaurant that paid homage to authentic Japanese food and if I don&#8217;t hit up FuRaiBo again, it will only be because LA has so much other food to offer.</p>
<p>Related posts:<ol>
<li><a href='http://unvegan.com/reviews/dipping-with-honey-at-honeys-kettle-fried-chicken/' rel='bookmark' title='Dipping With Honey at Honey&#8217;s Kettle Fried Chicken'>Dipping With Honey at Honey&#8217;s Kettle Fried Chicken</a></li>
<li><a href='http://unvegan.com/reviews/a-little-cajun-at-the-cheesecake-factory/' rel='bookmark' title='A Little Cajun at The Cheesecake Factory'>A Little Cajun at The Cheesecake Factory</a></li>
<li><a href='http://unvegan.com/reviews/happy-hour-meats-at-gyu-kaku/' rel='bookmark' title='Happy Hour Meats at Gyu-Kaku'>Happy Hour Meats at Gyu-Kaku</a></li>
</ol></p>]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>At Home at Victor&#8217;s Meats &amp; Delicatessen</title>
		<link>http://unvegan.com/reviews/at-home-at-victors-meats-delicatessen/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=at-home-at-victors-meats-delicatessen</link>
		<comments>http://unvegan.com/reviews/at-home-at-victors-meats-delicatessen/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 25 Jan 2012 17:00:47 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>The Unvegan</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Reviews]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Delis]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Los Angeles]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[meat]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Palms]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[pastrami]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sandwiches]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Victor's Meats & Delicatessen]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://unvegan.com/?p=8826</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[I must confess that I have lived quite literally two minutes (by foot) from Victor&#8217;s Meats &#38; Delicatessen for the past six months, yet had not once set foot in the place until this past weekend.  &#8220;Why?&#8221; you ask.  Well, the answer isn&#8217;t simple.  It&#8217;s also not difficult, because there is no answer save for [...]
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<li><a href='http://unvegan.com/reviews/mixing-meats-at-the-stage-deli/' rel='bookmark' title='Mixing Meats at The Stage Deli'>Mixing Meats at The Stage Deli</a></li>
<li><a href='http://unvegan.com/reviews/vague-and-tasty-meats-at-pinocchios/' rel='bookmark' title='Vague and Tasty Meats at Pinocchio&#8217;s'>Vague and Tasty Meats at Pinocchio&#8217;s</a></li>
<li><a href='http://unvegan.com/reviews/home-is-where-the-slop-is/' rel='bookmark' title='Home is Where the Slop is'>Home is Where the Slop is</a></li>
</ol>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div id="attachment_8827" class="wp-caption alignleft" style="width: 230px"><a href="http://unvegan.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/victors-deli-1.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-8827" title="unvegan victor's deli 1" src="http://unvegan.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/victors-deli-1-220x164.jpg" alt="" width="220" height="164" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Meatwich!</p></div>
<p>I must confess that I have lived quite literally two minutes (by foot) from Victor&#8217;s Meats &amp; Delicatessen for the past six months, yet had not once set foot in the place until this past weekend.  &#8220;Why?&#8221; you ask.  Well, the answer isn&#8217;t simple.  It&#8217;s also not difficult, because there is no answer save for my foolishness.  And it is pure foolishness because Victor&#8217;s is a dream come true.</p>
<p>While part of the place is straight-up butcher, Victor&#8217;s also serves up sandwiches and assorted pre-cooked foods and salads and such.  I was in for a sandwich, but I got more than I expected.<span id="more-8826"></span></p>
<div id="attachment_8828" class="wp-caption alignright" style="width: 230px"><a href="http://unvegan.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/victors-deli-2.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-8828" title="unvegan victor's deli 2" src="http://unvegan.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/victors-deli-2-220x164.jpg" alt="" width="220" height="164" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Yes, I did the muenster mash.</p></div>
<p>First, I have to say that Victor&#8217;s is slow, but not in the annoying &#8220;I&#8217;m being ignored&#8221; way, but in the &#8220;wow, they really spend a lot of time with each customer&#8221; way.  In a world of fast food, I found this incredibly refreshing, even if it did mean my starving belly didn&#8217;t come into contact with meat for an extra 7 minutes or so.</p>
<p>I decided to go with their hot pastrami sandwich, which ordinarily comes with a plethora of toppings unfit for an unvegan.  Instead, I simply went with muenster cheese and Russian dressing.  I watched as my helper sliced the pastrami himself, loaded up the bread with muenster and toasted the sandwich and my mouth got into some deep watering.  I also decided to get myself some mac and cheese as a side, because one can never have too much cheese.</p>
<p>In total my meal cost about 10 bucks and took my bag of grub back home to take care of business.</p>
<p>Business was delicious.  The pastrami was definitely not the best I&#8217;d ever had, and got to be a bit salty at times, but still made me very happy.  I was more than happy to have muenster cheese, which simply is not offered as an option at enough places. Honestly, I&#8217;m not sure of the last time I saw it outside of my own fridge.  The Russian dressing was a nice addition of flavor and kept the sandwich from getting too dry, although the pastrami was plenty juicy.  Finally, there was the bread itself.  I must say, while it did not compare with bread like that of <a href="http://unvegan.com/reviews/the-dream-sandwich-at-bay-cities-italian-deli/">Bay Cities</a>, it was still quite good.  It held up strong and I feel like it would be great for something like a Philly cheese steak as well as simple deli sandwiches like mine.</p>
<div id="attachment_8829" class="wp-caption alignleft" style="width: 230px"><a href="http://unvegan.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/victors-deli-4.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-8829" title="unvegan victor's deli 4" src="http://unvegan.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/victors-deli-4-220x164.jpg" alt="" width="220" height="164" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Could I get muenster on top of this?</p></div>
<p>The mac and cheese made for a nice side, but wasn&#8217;t really anything special.  This is not necessarily a bad thing, as Victor&#8217;s isn&#8217;t some revolutionary deli, but it still could have been a little more interesting.</p>
<p>So, Victor&#8217;s is awesome.  No, it is not the best sandwich in the world.  No, it is not the fastest service in the world.  But you know what, the place is damn endearing, the prices are damn good and it is seriously worth checking out, even if you are more than two minutes away.</p>
<p>Related posts:<ol>
<li><a href='http://unvegan.com/reviews/mixing-meats-at-the-stage-deli/' rel='bookmark' title='Mixing Meats at The Stage Deli'>Mixing Meats at The Stage Deli</a></li>
<li><a href='http://unvegan.com/reviews/vague-and-tasty-meats-at-pinocchios/' rel='bookmark' title='Vague and Tasty Meats at Pinocchio&#8217;s'>Vague and Tasty Meats at Pinocchio&#8217;s</a></li>
<li><a href='http://unvegan.com/reviews/home-is-where-the-slop-is/' rel='bookmark' title='Home is Where the Slop is'>Home is Where the Slop is</a></li>
</ol></p>]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>Dining in Cooks County</title>
		<link>http://unvegan.com/reviews/dining-in-cooks-county/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=dining-in-cooks-county</link>
		<comments>http://unvegan.com/reviews/dining-in-cooks-county/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 18 Jan 2012 17:00:56 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>The Unvegan</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Reviews]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Cooks County]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[duck]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[lamb]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Los Angeles]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[meat]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Mid City]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[restaurants]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://unvegan.com/?p=8809</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[You may think that as a meat blogger I am constantly defining which restaurants my girlfriend and I eat at.  Often that is the case, and for no other reason than that people are constantly giving me suggestions, but this weekend we reversed the trend and she took me out to dinner at a place [...]
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<li><a href='http://unvegan.com/reviews/dining-alone-at-di-vitas-pizzeria/' rel='bookmark' title='Dining Alone at Di Vita&#8217;s Pizzeria'>Dining Alone at Di Vita&#8217;s Pizzeria</a></li>
<li><a href='http://unvegan.com/reviews/nawlins-dining-at-ralph-brennans-jazz-kitchen/' rel='bookmark' title='Nawlins Dining at Ralph Brennan&#8217;s Jazz Kitchen'>Nawlins Dining at Ralph Brennan&#8217;s Jazz Kitchen</a></li>
</ol>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div id="attachment_8810" class="wp-caption alignleft" style="width: 230px"><a href="http://unvegan.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/cooks-county-1.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-8810" title="unvegan cooks county 1" src="http://unvegan.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/cooks-county-1-220x164.jpg" alt="" width="220" height="164" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Say cheese!</p></div>
<p>You may think that as a meat blogger I am constantly defining which restaurants my girlfriend and I eat at.  Often that is the case, and for no other reason than that people are constantly giving me suggestions, but this weekend we reversed the trend and she took me out to dinner at a place from her own to-eat list.  The place was <a target="_blank" href="http://www.cookscountyrestaurant.com/Home.html">Cooks County</a> in Mid-City and although a quick Google search will reveal no county named Cooks, there is certainly at least one Cook County (in Illinois), which may be some sort of basis for the naming of this restaurant.<span id="more-8809"></span></p>
<p>Wherever the naming comes from, this woul prove to have no bearing on the food.  The menu at Cooks County is constantly changing, as our waiter told us when we noticed a couple of items missing that had been on the online menu.  Apparently, this is because the place buys all their vegetables at a farmer&#8217;s market each day and that determines what will be available.  I like the concept of that, but just don&#8217;t get your heart set on something before making your way to the place.</p>
<p>With the menu at hand, we started out with a &#8220;snack&#8221; fiscallini cheddar (from Modesto, Cal) with oat biscuits.  The cheddar was of the awesome white variety, and not very sharp, which was cool although I would like mine a little stronger and more aged.  The oat biscuits were definitely new to me and had a great, soft taste to partner with the cheese, but were both crumbly in texture and application.  After accidentally destroying my first biscuit, I was sure to be careful with my next.</p>
<div id="attachment_8811" class="wp-caption alignright" style="width: 230px"><a href="http://unvegan.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/cooks-county-2.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-8811" title="unvegan cooks county 2" src="http://unvegan.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/cooks-county-2-220x164.jpg" alt="" width="220" height="164" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Duck legfit!</p></div>
<p>We also ordered an appetizer of Duck confit, which came with a mini salad of blood oranges, shaved fennel, pistachios and some sort of lettuce.  I&#8217;m no master of duck confit, but I&#8217;ve always seen it as kind of a pulled meat.  At Cooks County, though, the confit was essentially a duck leg, whole.  But with our forks and knives, we quickly made the leg into confit and it was quite delicious.  Duck can sometimes be oily, but this was not the case with Cooks County.  We both commented that it brought back memories of China, but this confit couldn&#8217;t quite compare with <a href="http://unvegan.com/reviews/peking-duck-number-287585-at-quanjude/">Beijing duck</a>.  Yes, I realize the processes are quite different, but duck is still duck.</p>
<div id="attachment_8812" class="wp-caption alignleft" style="width: 230px"><a href="http://unvegan.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/cooks-county-5.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-8812" title="unvegan cooks county 5" src="http://unvegan.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/cooks-county-5-220x164.jpg" alt="" width="220" height="164" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Bahhhhhhh</p></div>
<p>And then there was my finale, Strozzapreti.  This noodle dish was prepared with braised lamb shoulder, spigarello, walnuts and pecorino.  I wasn&#8217;t really sure what spigarello was, but I figured I could pass it onto my unsuspecting girlfriend if it was some sort of vegetable.  It turned out that it was kind of like a spinach and was fairly easy to avoid in my meal, although next time I will be sure to order without it.  As for the flavor, this main course served me well.  The lamb was juicy and tender, although I would have liked to see more meat.  The noodles themselves were awesome, and I will have to look out for them in the future, as they offered a unique twist.  Basically, they were noodle roll-ups.  The pecorino cheese was a nice burst of flavor where you might ordinarily find parmesan instead.  Finally, I really liked the addition of walnuts.  Nuts always seem to be an underrated addition to dishes, but they almost always make the dishes more awesome (see: Kung Pao Chicken).</p>
<p>Cook County was definitely a good meal and I admire their attempt to keep their menu local and fresh.  It wouldn&#8217;t hurt to add a few more unvegan choices, but I imagine such options change daily.  They could definitely do a little something with the acoustics, as the room got deafeningly loud despite there being no music playing.  Nonetheless, Cooks County put a unique twist on a few dishes and they turned out great.  As long as they can continue to churn out that innovation, Cooks County could be a player for a long time to come.</p>
<p>Related posts:<ol>
<li><a href='http://unvegan.com/beers/beer-me-some-cooks-lager/' rel='bookmark' title='Beer Me Some Cooks Lager'>Beer Me Some Cooks Lager</a></li>
<li><a href='http://unvegan.com/reviews/dining-alone-at-di-vitas-pizzeria/' rel='bookmark' title='Dining Alone at Di Vita&#8217;s Pizzeria'>Dining Alone at Di Vita&#8217;s Pizzeria</a></li>
<li><a href='http://unvegan.com/reviews/nawlins-dining-at-ralph-brennans-jazz-kitchen/' rel='bookmark' title='Nawlins Dining at Ralph Brennan&#8217;s Jazz Kitchen'>Nawlins Dining at Ralph Brennan&#8217;s Jazz Kitchen</a></li>
</ol></p>]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>Bulgarians Love Meat</title>
		<link>http://unvegan.com/rants-and-raves/bulgarians-love-meat/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=bulgarians-love-meat</link>
		<comments>http://unvegan.com/rants-and-raves/bulgarians-love-meat/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 11 Jan 2012 17:26:23 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>The Unvegan</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Rants and Raves]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Bulgaria]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[meat]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://unvegan.com/?p=8755</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[While some people still try to claim that meat is bad for you, I think just about everyone across the spectrum of vegetarianism can agree that meat is unquestionably healthier than cigarettes.  So when I read an article entitled &#8220;Meat Displaces Cigarettes from Bulgarians&#8217; Diet,&#8221; I was nearly as happy as Khan Krum must have [...]
No related posts.]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="wp-caption alignleft" style="width: 230px"><a target="_blank" href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/df/Krum1.jpg"><img class=" " title="unvegan bulgarians" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/df/Krum1.jpg" alt="" width="220" height="169" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">More meat, Mr. Khan?</p></div>
<p>While some people still try to claim that meat is bad for you, I think just about everyone across the spectrum of vegetarianism can agree that meat is unquestionably healthier than cigarettes.  So when I read an article entitled &#8220;Meat Displaces Cigarettes from Bulgarians&#8217; Diet,&#8221; I was nearly as happy as Khan Krum must have been when his Bulgarians defeated the Byzantines at the Battle of Pliska.<span id="more-8755"></span></p>
<p>The story goes on to describe other changes in the Bulgarian diet between 1999 and 2010, but the most important part to glean is that Bulgarians are now a healthier people, and it all comes down to meat.  I don&#8217;t have any statistics to prove it, but I&#8217;ll bet the Bulgarians that avoid meat are still smoking down cigarettes nonstop.  But let them smoke, we all know that the world will be rid of them soon enough.  If the smoking doesn&#8217;t kill them, their diet certainly will.</p>
<p>(via <a target="_blank" href="http://paper.standartnews.com/en/article.php?d=2012-01-05&amp;article=38087">Standart News</a>)</p>
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		<title>Beer Belly for My Fearless Belly</title>
		<link>http://unvegan.com/reviews/beer-belly-for-my-fearless-belly/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=beer-belly-for-my-fearless-belly</link>
		<comments>http://unvegan.com/reviews/beer-belly-for-my-fearless-belly/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 06 Jan 2012 17:00:47 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>The Unvegan</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Reviews]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Bar Food]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Beer]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Beer Belly]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[duck]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[gastropubs]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[grilled cheese]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Koreatown]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Los Angeles]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[mac and cheese]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[meat]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://unvegan.com/?p=8739</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Two of the things I love most in this world are beer and my belly.  No, I don&#8217;t have a beer belly&#8230;much, but when a gastropub in Koreatown called Beer Belly opened up, I figured I had to try it out.  I was meeting a group of people, and arrived to find the place packed.  [...]
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<li><a href='http://unvegan.com/beers/beer-me-some-henry-weinhards-private-reserve/' rel='bookmark' title='Beer Me Some Henry Weinhard&#8217;s Private Reserve'>Beer Me Some Henry Weinhard&#8217;s Private Reserve</a></li>
<li><a href='http://unvegan.com/beers/beer-me-some-leinenkugels-honey-weiss/' rel='bookmark' title='Beer Me Some Leinenkugel&#8217;s Honey Weiss'>Beer Me Some Leinenkugel&#8217;s Honey Weiss</a></li>
</ol>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div id="attachment_8740" class="wp-caption alignleft" style="width: 230px"><a href="http://unvegan.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/beer-belly-3.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-8740" title="unvegan beer belly 3" src="http://unvegan.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/beer-belly-3-220x164.jpg" alt="" width="220" height="164" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">There are peas in my cheese!</p></div>
<p>Two of the things I love most in this world are beer and my belly.  No, I don&#8217;t have a beer belly&#8230;much, but when a gastropub in Koreatown called <a target="_blank" href="http://beerbellyla.com/">Beer Belly</a> opened up, I figured I had to try it out.  I was meeting a group of people, and arrived to find the place packed.  And this was not a big place.  Like about 8 tables and a few bar stools big, and all of them were loaded.  Plus, it was first come, first served, so we got to hang around the tables like vultures surrounded a wounded gazelle.  It was the tail end of happy hour, though, so I ordered a beer and hoped a table would clear out soon.  Fast forward thirty minutes and we&#8217;re still waiting when a woman working the place asks if we&#8217;re waiting for a table.  Uh, no, lady, we&#8217;re just standing here awkwardly for the hell of it.  She then proceeded to ask us if we wanted to be on the list.  This &#8220;list&#8221; was new to us, and apparently also new to her, as she told us she had just started it.  Well, at least we wouldn&#8217;t have to stand awkwardly any longer.<span id="more-8739"></span></p>
<p>About 20 minutes later, we were finally seated and got right down to ordering food.  The menu looked nothing short of spectacular, so we decided to order a bunch of things to ensure everyone could get a good taste for the place.  By the time we were done, we felt like we had ordered the entire menu, then we waited for our food.  But the waiting game wasn&#8217;t hard, for a few reasons.  The first reason was that Beer Belly had set up a sweet jukebox for the 21st century.  By that I mean you could download the Remote app for your iPhone, log into their wireless network and choose songs from their list to play over their speakers.  It was genius in that customers set the tone of the restaurant, but the tone can&#8217;t be too terrible because Beer Belly chooses the songs to make available in the first place.  Of course, this assumes Beer Belly chooses good songs in the first place, and they did.</p>
<p>The waiting game also wasn&#8217;t hard because just a few minutes after ordering, our first order came through &#8211; Buttermilk Fried Chicken.  These were certainly a delight and came with a roasted fennel aioli for dipping.  The combination was great, and the seasonings on the chicken were spot-on.  The only minor gripe I had was that some of the chicken had been left frying a bit too long and were a bit burnt.  Fortunately, though, the chicken remained moist and the seasonings outweighed the taste of burning.</p>
<div id="attachment_8741" class="wp-caption alignright" style="width: 230px"><a href="http://unvegan.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/beer-belly-1.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-8741" title="unvegan beer belly 1" src="http://unvegan.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/beer-belly-1-220x164.jpg" alt="" width="220" height="164" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Duck and cover me with these fries.</p></div>
<p>Next up were the Duck Fat Fries, which we upgraded to DeathbyDuck (Duck Confit) for an additional 2 bucks.  These were an amazing choice and quite possibly some of the best fries I&#8217;ve ever had.  I mean it.  While they were doused in duck fat, they tasted light and were perfectly crispy on the outside.  They came with a raspberry mustard sauce, which managed to meld perfectly with the fries.  The confit was a nice addition, but a bit to minute to merit the $2 upgrade, especially because the fries alone were so unveganly awesome.  Had I stopped at the fries, I would have left perfectly happy, but more goodness was yet to come.</p>
<div id="attachment_8742" class="wp-caption alignleft" style="width: 230px"><a href="http://unvegan.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/beer-belly-2.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-8742" title="unvegan beer belly 2" src="http://unvegan.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/beer-belly-2-220x164.jpg" alt="" width="220" height="164" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Grilled Cheese? More like Grilled Heaven.</p></div>
<p>And by more goodness I mean the Beer Belly Grilled Cheese.  Those of the lactose intolerance beware&#8230;this double-decker stack of grilled cheeses was loaded with cheddar, asiago, gruyere, goat cheese, applewood bacon and then lightly drizzled with maple syrup.  I don&#8217;t know how they did it, but I&#8217;m pretty sure Beer Belly perfected the grilled cheese sandwich.  Of course, white bread with Kraft singles will always have a place in my heart, but this grilled cheese will always have a place in my belly.  It sounds like too much cheese, which I have actually experienced before, but Beer Belly managed to apply the most perfect balance of ingredients that a grilled cheese has ever seen.  And just when you think it might be getting too salty, a smack of maple syrup brings you back up for air &#8211; and another bite!</p>
<div id="attachment_8743" class="wp-caption alignright" style="width: 230px"><a href="http://unvegan.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/beer-belly-4.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-8743" title="unvegan beer belly 4" src="http://unvegan.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/beer-belly-4-220x164.jpg" alt="" width="220" height="164" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Chip off the old pig.</p></div>
<p>The final major dish I experienced was the Pork Belly Chips.  What were they?  Exactly what they sound like: thin strips of pork belly that have been breaded and fried to a near-crisp.  They were served with a forgettable dipping sauce, but fortunately someone had ordered the Grilled Broccoli, which was served with homemade Mondo Cream Ale cheese whiz.  It was the first time in my life I&#8217;d ever been thankful for broccoli, because the pork belly chips tasted like little slices of pig heaven when dipped in that cheese whiz.</p>
<p>I also tried a bite of the Pub House Mac n&#8217; Cheese, which was a pretty big disappointment.  While the cheese and mac themselves were good, they paled in comparison to the grilled cheese.  And even worse, the mac was loaded with carrots, onions and peas.  These have no place in a mac and cheese, and certainly no place in my mouth.  It tried to redeem itself with a slice of short rib on top, but failed.</p>
<p>So Beer Belly was awesome.  Yes, despite the wait and despite a couple of under-performing dishes, Beer Belly truly shined.  But do I need to go back?  Yes, I really do.  If I&#8217;m in the area again, I will certainly return to Beer Belly, but I could also see myself making the trek on a random evening that calls for amazing fries and grilled cheese.  Those alone are worth it, and the other dishes aren&#8217;t too shabby either.</p>
<p>Related posts:<ol>
<li><a href='http://unvegan.com/reviews/aptly-named-salsa-and-beer/' rel='bookmark' title='Aptly Named Salsa and Beer'>Aptly Named Salsa and Beer</a></li>
<li><a href='http://unvegan.com/beers/beer-me-some-henry-weinhards-private-reserve/' rel='bookmark' title='Beer Me Some Henry Weinhard&#8217;s Private Reserve'>Beer Me Some Henry Weinhard&#8217;s Private Reserve</a></li>
<li><a href='http://unvegan.com/beers/beer-me-some-leinenkugels-honey-weiss/' rel='bookmark' title='Beer Me Some Leinenkugel&#8217;s Honey Weiss'>Beer Me Some Leinenkugel&#8217;s Honey Weiss</a></li>
</ol></p>]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>An Explosion of Flavor at C4</title>
		<link>http://unvegan.com/reviews/an-explosion-of-flavor-at-c4/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=an-explosion-of-flavor-at-c4</link>
		<comments>http://unvegan.com/reviews/an-explosion-of-flavor-at-c4/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 02 Jan 2012 17:00:26 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>The Unvegan</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Reviews]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Arizona]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[C4]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Cave Creek]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Cave Creek Coffee Company]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[lahvosh]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[meat]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[phoenix]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Pizza]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[restaurants]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Travel]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://unvegan.com/?p=8690</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Remember playing Cowboys and Indians as a kid?  Thankfully, there is a place in the world where that fantasyland still exists.  It&#8217;s called Arizona, and while not everyone runs around with a gun or bow and arrow, there are places you could picture saddling up a horse just as easily as stopping by in a [...]
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<li><a href='http://unvegan.com/reviews/pizza-man-not-the-best-man-2/' rel='bookmark' title='Pizza Man, Not the Best Man'>Pizza Man, Not the Best Man</a></li>
<li><a href='http://unvegan.com/reviews/turkish-food-week-part-i-pide/' rel='bookmark' title='Turkish Food Week, Part I:  Pide'>Turkish Food Week, Part I:  Pide</a></li>
</ol>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div id="attachment_8691" class="wp-caption alignleft" style="width: 230px"><a href="http://unvegan.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/cave-creek-coffee-company-1.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-8691" title="unvegan cave creek coffee company 1" src="http://unvegan.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/cave-creek-coffee-company-1-220x164.jpg" alt="" width="220" height="164" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Oh Arizona.</p></div>
<p>Remember playing Cowboys and Indians as a kid?  Thankfully, there is a place in the world where that fantasyland still exists.  It&#8217;s called Arizona, and while not everyone runs around with a gun or bow and arrow, there are places you could picture saddling up a horse just as easily as stopping by in a hybrid.  One such place is the <a target="_blank" href="http://cavecreekcoffee.com/">Cave Creek Coffee Company</a>, affectionately known as C4 by locals.  The facade is reminiscent of Tombstone, but the interior is pure class (not that Tombstone was lacking in class&#8230;).<span id="more-8690"></span></p>
<div id="attachment_8693" class="wp-caption alignright" style="width: 230px"><a href="http://unvegan.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/cave-creek-coffee-company-2.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-8693" title="unvegan cave creek coffee company 2" src="http://unvegan.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/cave-creek-coffee-company-2-220x164.jpg" alt="" width="220" height="164" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">All class.</p></div>
<p>And despite the name, there were no caves or creeks to be seen and the menu was not limited to coffee.  Instead, the menu had a nice-looking selection of breakfast food, sandwiches and a little something called Lahvosh, described on the menu as traditional Mediterranean cracker bread.  This stuff was served kind of like a pizza and one of them caught my eye pretty easily.  It was called the T-Rex and was topped with genoa salami, pancetta ham, prosciutto, garlic olive oil, fresh basil and of course mozzarella cheese.  I knew it had to be mine, and made it so.</p>
<div id="attachment_8694" class="wp-caption alignleft" style="width: 230px"><a href="http://unvegan.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/cave-creek-coffee-company-3.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-8694" title="unvegan cave creek coffee company 3" src="http://unvegan.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/cave-creek-coffee-company-3-220x164.jpg" alt="" width="220" height="164" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Look out for the Meatosaurus Rex!</p></div>
<p>When it arrived, the thing certainly looked like it could feed a T-Rex.  It was about the size of an extra large pizza, and despite the lahvosh being a lot less filling than dough, I knew I wouldn&#8217;t be able to tackle this beast in one sitting.  Despite its size, though, the T-Rex was nothing short of beautiful.  The evenly dispersed sprinkle of meats made my mouth water and I carefully separated out a piece before going to town.</p>
<div id="attachment_8695" class="wp-caption alignright" style="width: 230px"><a href="http://unvegan.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/cave-creek-coffee-company-4.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-8695" title="unvegan cave creek coffee company 4" src="http://unvegan.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/cave-creek-coffee-company-4-220x164.jpg" alt="" width="220" height="164" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Up close and personal with Rex.</p></div>
<p>In the T-Rex, I found an awesome mix of meaty flavors, which went great with the subtle cheese.  Despite being loaded with meat, the lahvosh was not at all overwhelming.  It could almost have been called a &#8220;lite&#8221; meat-lover&#8217;s pizza, and not &#8220;lite&#8221; in the way that usually means you&#8217;re giving up flavor.  Nope, this T-Rex was full of flavor and that garlic olive oil made the cornucopia of meats taste even better.  The use of lahvosh definitely made for an interesting experience very different from a normal pizza.  The crust was hard like matzah, and was actually pretty tough to eat without shattering it into cracker bits.  I wonder what it would have tasted like on a more bread-like crust, but also wonder if that might screw up the balance that the T-Rex had achieved.</p>
<p>With a couple slices left to go, I threw in the towel.  I am no carnivorous dinosaur and the the T-Rex was too much food for me to handle.  Nonetheless, the food was quite good.  Local cowboys would be impressed with the delicious meats and I could easily imagine a T-Rex asking for a few more rounds.</p>
<p>Related posts:<ol>
<li><a href='http://unvegan.com/reviews/a-taste-of-chicago-at-oreganos/' rel='bookmark' title='A Taste of Chicago at Oregano&#8217;s'>A Taste of Chicago at Oregano&#8217;s</a></li>
<li><a href='http://unvegan.com/reviews/pizza-man-not-the-best-man-2/' rel='bookmark' title='Pizza Man, Not the Best Man'>Pizza Man, Not the Best Man</a></li>
<li><a href='http://unvegan.com/reviews/turkish-food-week-part-i-pide/' rel='bookmark' title='Turkish Food Week, Part I:  Pide'>Turkish Food Week, Part I:  Pide</a></li>
</ol></p>]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>Meet Horse Meat</title>
		<link>http://unvegan.com/rants-and-raves/meet-horse-meat/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=meet-horse-meat</link>
		<comments>http://unvegan.com/rants-and-raves/meet-horse-meat/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 02 Dec 2011 23:54:31 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>The Unvegan</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Rants and Raves]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[donkey]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[horse]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[meat]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Raves]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://unvegan.com/?p=8603</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[What&#8217;s your favorite type of meat?  Is it beef, chicken or pork?  Or maybe it&#8217;s something cool and exotic like venison or rattlesnake?  What about horse?  Didn&#8217;t think about that one, did you?  Not exactly exotic, but also not exactly meat to most Americans.  Now, though, thanks to a little slip of legislation, the slaughter [...]
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<li><a href='http://unvegan.com/rants-and-raves/oh-the-importance-of-meat/' rel='bookmark' title='Oh, the Importance of Meat'>Oh, the Importance of Meat</a></li>
<li><a href='http://unvegan.com/rants-and-raves/and-meat-is-still-safe/' rel='bookmark' title='And Meat is Still Safe'>And Meat is Still Safe</a></li>
<li><a href='http://unvegan.com/rants-and-raves/meat-the-evolution-catalyst/' rel='bookmark' title='Meat: The Evolution Catalyst'>Meat: The Evolution Catalyst</a></li>
</ol>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div id="attachment_8604" class="wp-caption alignleft" style="width: 230px"><a href="http://unvegan.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/n2203120_33653124_9015.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-8604 " title="unvegan horse meat" src="http://unvegan.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/n2203120_33653124_9015-220x165.jpg" alt="" width="220" height="165" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Sitting on a pile of food.</p></div>
<p>What&#8217;s your favorite type of meat?  Is it beef, chicken or pork?  Or maybe it&#8217;s something cool and exotic like venison or rattlesnake?  What about horse?  Didn&#8217;t think about that one, did you?  Not exactly exotic, but also not exactly meat to most Americans.  Now, though, thanks to a little slip of legislation, the slaughter of horses for meat has been legalized in the USA.<span id="more-8603"></span></p>
<p>Of course, just legalizing the process doesn&#8217;t mean people will start to eat horse meat.  It&#8217;s still thought of as pretty taboo, but why?  The French eat it, as do the Kazakh and other sweet Central Asian people.  Let&#8217;s not forget how much the Japanese love their horse meat.  <a target="_blank" href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f7/Horse-meat.jpg">Raw</a>.  Or even as <a target="_blank" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_SD4eU30CWiY/RlfUfEbD5yI/AAAAAAAAAAQ/KjwR3hyxHFw/s320/horse.jpg">ice cream</a>!  And if you want to get all high and mighty and say you&#8217;ve never eaten horse, I want you to prove to me that you never shoved a wad of dried up glue in your mouth as a kid and swallowed.  Yeah, that was horse.</p>
<p>Aside from the rite of passage of eating glue, I&#8217;ve gotten pretty close to eating horse meat by chowing down on the other half of the mule: donkey.  It was weird at first, but once I got down to eating, I found it to be an enjoyable experience.  You can read more about my <a href="http://unvegan.com/strange-eats/strange-meats-donkey-and-tripe/">donkey-eating here</a>.</p>
<p>Plus, are horses really good for anything other than racing and movies about horse racing?  We have cars now.  And our own feet if we want to go somewhere cars can&#8217;t.  Or what about bikes?  Maybe they can&#8217;t go everywhere horses can, but they also don&#8217;t take giant dumps and you can walk behind them without fear of getting the crap kicked out of you.</p>
<p>So, government, I must commend you for allowing the slaughter of horses.  Bring on the meat!</p>
<p>(via <a target="_blank" href="http://eatocracy.cnn.com/2011/11/30/horse-coming-soon-to-a-meat-case-near-you/?hpt=hp_bn8">CNN.com</a> and the Holzmaniac)</p>
<p>Related posts:<ol>
<li><a href='http://unvegan.com/rants-and-raves/oh-the-importance-of-meat/' rel='bookmark' title='Oh, the Importance of Meat'>Oh, the Importance of Meat</a></li>
<li><a href='http://unvegan.com/rants-and-raves/and-meat-is-still-safe/' rel='bookmark' title='And Meat is Still Safe'>And Meat is Still Safe</a></li>
<li><a href='http://unvegan.com/rants-and-raves/meat-the-evolution-catalyst/' rel='bookmark' title='Meat: The Evolution Catalyst'>Meat: The Evolution Catalyst</a></li>
</ol></p>]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>Heading for Philly at South Street</title>
		<link>http://unvegan.com/reviews/heading-for-philly-at-south-street/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=heading-for-philly-at-south-street</link>
		<comments>http://unvegan.com/reviews/heading-for-philly-at-south-street/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 18 Nov 2011 17:00:59 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>The Unvegan</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Reviews]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Burbank]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Los Angeles]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[meat]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[philly cheese steak]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[restaurants]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sandwiches]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[south side]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://unvegan.com/?p=8578</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[While LA may not have a signature food (the closest it gets is either Asian fusion or burgers), it has a hell of a lot of options for immigrants who miss the signature food of their homeland, be it Chicago Pizza or Detroit Coney Dogs.  The Philly Cheese Steak is no exception, with plenty of [...]
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<li><a href='http://unvegan.com/reviews/first-fridays-with-the-south-philly-experience/' rel='bookmark' title='First Fridays with the South Philly Experience'>First Fridays with the South Philly Experience</a></li>
<li><a href='http://unvegan.com/reviews/big-mikes-philly-steaks-subs/' rel='bookmark' title='Big Mike&#8217;s Philly Steaks &amp; Subs'>Big Mike&#8217;s Philly Steaks &#038; Subs</a></li>
<li><a href='http://unvegan.com/reviews/heading-south-with-mayura/' rel='bookmark' title='Heading South with Mayura'>Heading South with Mayura</a></li>
</ol>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div id="attachment_8579" class="wp-caption alignleft" style="width: 230px"><a href="http://unvegan.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/IMG_2160.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-8579" title="unvegan south street 1" src="http://unvegan.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/IMG_2160-220x164.jpg" alt="" width="220" height="164" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Looks eerily like natto.</p></div>
<p>While LA may not have a signature food (the closest it gets is either Asian fusion or burgers), it has a hell of a lot of options for immigrants who miss the signature food of their homeland, be it <a href="http://unvegan.com/reviews/sketching-out-at-hollywood-pies/">Chicago Pizza</a> or <a href="http://unvegan.com/reviews/a-true-detroit-experience-at-coney-dog/">Detroit Coney Dogs</a>.  The Philly Cheese Steak is no exception, with plenty of places offering their &#8220;authentic&#8221; version.  I don&#8217;t claim to be an expert on the cheese steak (only been to Philly once, during a massive blizzard), but the sandwich has always been a dear friend of mine.  After all, what can go wrong when meat and cheese mix?  Don&#8217;t answer that if you&#8217;re one of them Kosher people.  <a target="_blank" href="http://www.southstreetcheesesteak.com/">South Street</a> in Burbank has been bringing Philly toLA for a few years, so I thought I would see how they measure up.<span id="more-8578"></span></p>
<p>For a cheese steak place, South Street has a pretty extensive menu that includes salads, pizzas and even non-cheese steak sandwiches, but I only had an eye for one thing &#8211; the original.  Well, without the vegetables, of course.  At $6.95, the regular 9 inch Philly Cheese Steak came with rib-eye steak and a special melty blend of provolone and white American (like me!) cheese.  It also would have been topped with sauteed onions if I wasn&#8217;t an unvegan and was piled into an authentic Amoroso&#8217;s Italian roll, which is apparently straight out of Philly.  The roll actually doesn&#8217;t arrive fully baked and South Street finishes the job themselves to keep from getting lazy and perhaps even to keep it fresh.  But I didn&#8217;t stop with the steak, I also ordered a side of cheese fries, which at South Street means topped with cheese wiz.</p>
<p>South Street prepared our food pretty quickly and soon I found my face consuming a delicious mix of cheese and meat.  The rib-eye steak was damn delicious and I loved the blend of cheeses.  I usually prefer wiz on my cheese steak, but figured I would go with the house here and it was a great choice.  The roll was a little softer than I anticipated, but still did a great job of holding together my sandwich.  When it all came together, it was purely awesome, but the trouble was that it didn&#8217;t come together enough.  Let me clarify&#8230;the sandwich wasn&#8217;t filled enough.  I get that I didn&#8217;t have onions, but I still kind of expected the roll to be filled end to end with meat and cheese, but by the time I got to the end, I was just sucking down bread.  But, things like this are bound to happen when you have an insatiable appetite like mine.</p>
<div id="attachment_8580" class="wp-caption alignright" style="width: 230px"><a href="http://unvegan.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/IMG_2162.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-8580" title="unvegan south side 2" src="http://unvegan.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/IMG_2162-220x164.jpg" alt="" width="220" height="164" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">My fries got wizzed all over.</p></div>
<p>And thankfully I had the fries to make up for the shortened sandwich.  This may have been the most massive fries I have ever been given for the price of $2.50.  Maybe they were trying to make up for the sandwich, but either way it was awesome.  I downed more wiz than any man has any right to, and that was without getting wiz on my sandwich.</p>
<p>South Street certainly delivered a delicious Philly meal and one worth returning to.  It wasn&#8217;t the best cheese steak I&#8217;d ever had (honors still go to <a href="http://unvegan.com/reviews/first-fridays-with-the-south-philly-experience/">South Philly Experience</a>), but the price is unbeatable and the the meal will not disappoint.  If they could only get some Yuengling, that would vault the place over the top.</p>
<p>Related posts:<ol>
<li><a href='http://unvegan.com/reviews/first-fridays-with-the-south-philly-experience/' rel='bookmark' title='First Fridays with the South Philly Experience'>First Fridays with the South Philly Experience</a></li>
<li><a href='http://unvegan.com/reviews/big-mikes-philly-steaks-subs/' rel='bookmark' title='Big Mike&#8217;s Philly Steaks &amp; Subs'>Big Mike&#8217;s Philly Steaks &#038; Subs</a></li>
<li><a href='http://unvegan.com/reviews/heading-south-with-mayura/' rel='bookmark' title='Heading South with Mayura'>Heading South with Mayura</a></li>
</ol></p>]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>Liam Hemsworth: Unvegan Hero</title>
		<link>http://unvegan.com/heroes/liam-hemsworth-unvegan-hero/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=liam-hemsworth-unvegan-hero</link>
		<comments>http://unvegan.com/heroes/liam-hemsworth-unvegan-hero/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 Nov 2011 17:00:59 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>The Unvegan</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Heroes and Villains]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[liam hemsworth]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[meat]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[miley cyrus]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[steak]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[steak and shake]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://unvegan.com/?p=8573</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[I&#8217;m going to be up front with:  until I started browsing the internet for meat news today, I had no idea who Liam Hemsworth was.  But now, with the beauty of research, I can proudly proclaim him as an Unvegan Hero. Why? Well, it certainly has nothing to do with his poor decision to date [...]
Related posts:<ol>
<li><a href='http://unvegan.com/heroes/michael-bloomberg-unvegan-hero/' rel='bookmark' title='Michael Bloomberg:  Unvegan Hero'>Michael Bloomberg:  Unvegan Hero</a></li>
<li><a href='http://unvegan.com/heroes/mischa-barton-unvegan-hero/' rel='bookmark' title='Mischa Barton: Unvegan Hero'>Mischa Barton: Unvegan Hero</a></li>
<li><a href='http://unvegan.com/heroes/casey-casasanta-unvegan-hero/' rel='bookmark' title='Casey Casasanta:  Unvegan Hero'>Casey Casasanta:  Unvegan Hero</a></li>
</ol>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="wp-caption alignleft" style="width: 225px"><a target="_blank" href="http://www.teenidols4you.com/blink/Actors/liamhemsworth/liamhemsworth_1264543389.jpg"><img class=" " title="unvegan liam hemsworth" src="http://www.teenidols4you.com/blink/Actors/liamhemsworth/liamhemsworth_1264543389.jpg" alt="" width="215" height="277" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">We can&#39;t all be perfect...</p></div>
<p>I&#8217;m going to be up front with:  until I started browsing the internet for meat news today, I had no idea who Liam Hemsworth was.  But now, with the beauty of research, I can proudly proclaim him as an Unvegan Hero.<span id="more-8573"></span></p>
<p>Why?</p>
<p>Well, it certainly has nothing to do with his poor decision to date Miley Cyrus.  But before I get into some tirade about Miley and how damn catchy &#8220;Party in the USA&#8221; is, let&#8217;s concentrate on the meat at hand.</p>
<p>You see, Liam Hemsworth recently described what a meal is like at his favorite date spot, Steak and Shake.  He said, &#8220;When I look over at her when she&#8217;s biting into a steak sandwich and there is some steak sauce dripping down her chin, there is nothing sexier than that.&#8221;</p>
<p>I might even be able to agree with that.  Of course, I&#8217;ve never seen Miley dripping with steak sauce, but I have to imagine it is one of the few things that can make her sexy.</p>
<p>I just have to question the choice of Steak and Shake, because the last one I went to had a bearded lady that looked mildly tastier than the actual steak sandwich I ordered.</p>
<p>Yet, the point is that Hemsworth has realized that steak makes women sexy, and that is certainly something any good unvegan can agree with.</p>
<p>So, for realizing how aesthetically pleasing a smattering of steak sauce can look on the face of the one you are making extracurricular activities with, Liam Hemsworth, you are a true Unvegan Hero!</p>
<p>(via <a target="_blank" href="http://tv.yahoo.com/news/liam-hemsworth-miley-cyrus-sexiest-shes-biting-steak-165616052.html">Yahoo</a>)</p>
<p>Related posts:<ol>
<li><a href='http://unvegan.com/heroes/michael-bloomberg-unvegan-hero/' rel='bookmark' title='Michael Bloomberg:  Unvegan Hero'>Michael Bloomberg:  Unvegan Hero</a></li>
<li><a href='http://unvegan.com/heroes/mischa-barton-unvegan-hero/' rel='bookmark' title='Mischa Barton: Unvegan Hero'>Mischa Barton: Unvegan Hero</a></li>
<li><a href='http://unvegan.com/heroes/casey-casasanta-unvegan-hero/' rel='bookmark' title='Casey Casasanta:  Unvegan Hero'>Casey Casasanta:  Unvegan Hero</a></li>
</ol></p>]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>Digesting Your Vitamin B12 (and Other Goodies)</title>
		<link>http://unvegan.com/general-thoughts/digesting-your-vitamin-b12-and-other-goodies/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=digesting-your-vitamin-b12-and-other-goodies</link>
		<comments>http://unvegan.com/general-thoughts/digesting-your-vitamin-b12-and-other-goodies/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 14 Nov 2011 05:48:05 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>The Unvegan</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[General Thoughts]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[B12]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[meat]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[vitamins]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://unvegan.com/?p=8557</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[There are more than a few things lacking from a vegetarian diet, many of which are more essential than tastiness. Needless to say, carnivores who enjoy a balanced diet not only benefit from all the pleasures only a medium rare rib-eye with all the trimmings can bring, but by proxy we don’t need to worry [...]
Related posts:<ol>
<li><a href='http://unvegan.com/rants-and-raves/the-meat-myth-2/' rel='bookmark' title='The Meat Myth'>The Meat Myth</a></li>
<li><a href='http://unvegan.com/rants-and-raves/and-meat-is-still-safe/' rel='bookmark' title='And Meat is Still Safe'>And Meat is Still Safe</a></li>
</ol>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="wp-caption alignleft" style="width: 210px"><a target="_blank" href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b5/Aging_meat.jpg"><img class="  " title="unvegan b12 1" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b5/Aging_meat.jpg" alt="" width="200" height="266" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Mmm delicious B12.</p></div>
<p>There are more than a few things lacking from a vegetarian diet, many of which are more essential than tastiness. Needless to say, carnivores who enjoy a balanced diet not only benefit from all the pleasures only a medium rare rib-eye with all the trimmings can bring, but by proxy we don’t need to worry about the nutrition we could be missing out on by having selective diets.</p>
<p>Of course, the science behind it all is fairly fascinating. For instance, vegetarians are always taking pills to top up their vitamin B12 levels…but why do we need vitamin B12? What the heck is B12, anyway?<span id="more-8557"></span></p>
<p>To start with, raw, unprocessed meat from the muscle is made up of 15-22% protein, 3-15% fat, 1-5% minerals and carbohydrates and 65-75% water. That’s probably a lot more water than you guessed.</p>
<p><strong>Vitamin B12</strong></p>
<div class="wp-caption alignright" style="width: 230px"><a target="_blank" href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0c/Grilled_meat_%28steaks%29_in_Czech_Republic.jpg"><img title="unvegan b12 2" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0c/Grilled_meat_%28steaks%29_in_Czech_Republic.jpg" alt="" width="220" height="147" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Veggies don&#39;t know how to look this good.</p></div>
<p>Humans are designed to eat meat. That’s why water soluble B vitamins from meat and entrails aid a human’s vitamin supply. To be accurate, we’re dependent on B12 vitamins from animal sources. A small portion of the muscle meat you will take in gives between 25 and 100% of your B vitamin needs and your liver will be happy to receive its vitamin A supply.</p>
<p>You just can&#8217;t get a better source of B12 than meat, and here&#8217;s further proof. The vitamin doctors suggest that pregnant vegetarian mothers eat meat to get to their required intake of B12 because the B12 tablets just don’t give them enough.</p>
<p>Science lesson number two: meat is a highly digestible source of protein, iron, calcium, enzymes, B12 and other vitamins, and amino acids. You need them every day and if found in other sources your body may not be able to utilize them efficiently.</p>
<p><strong>Protein</strong></p>
<p>You need <a target="_blank" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protein">protein</a> to give the body its amino acid supply. There are about 20 amino acids. Your body makes some of them and the ones we can’t make are called essential amino acids. You’ll find them in their greatest make-up in meat protein.</p>
<p>It&#8217;s not the energy drink in the slim blue and silver can, but the protein that provides energy. It’s critical in two main areas. One, it is crucial for both growth and cell repairs. Two, it protects your immune system against pathogens.<br />
Still want to turn vegetarian? Enjoy your pathogens!</p>
<p><strong>Fat</strong></p>
<p>Some experts say you should only eat lean meat, while others suggest that the taste and quality of meat is determined by the fat content. Fat in meat provides energy, while fat from the muscle contains fatty acids, necessary for humans. It has a high nutritional value. Various trace elements are found in meat. Iron, in particular, is utilized well by humans with a daily supply found in a portion of meat along with sufficient zinc. When you read those food packaging labels you’ll see how much of each element the <a target="_blank" href="http://www.fda.gov/">FDA</a> expects you to need for daily living. Meat will fill most needs for trace elements.</p>
<p><strong>The Non-Science</strong></p>
<p>Search the internet for these main items – protein, fat, B12 and amino acids – and you will find plenty of websites suggesting you avoid meat altogether. They’ll say a balanced diet of fruit and vegetables will be good for you. They give complicated lists of produce you’ll need to buy from different places in town and then suggest a visit to the supplement shop to look for anything else you might be lacking.</p>
<p>Why is it so difficult to eat this way when it’s so easy to eat meat and get the protein, fat and B12 you need in a form that’s easily digestible? Avoiding meat altogether is taking you away from what nature intended. You only have to look at human teeth and compare them to those of animals that eat meat to see the resemblance. We’re meat eaters by nature, and should be unashamed carnivores in practice.</p>
<p>If fat is of great concern to you because maybe your family history tells you that weight and heart problems may be inherited, what you can do? Eat leaner cuts of meat. Keep away from nasty oils such as industrial strength hydrogenated vegetable oils and watch the trans fat intake when eating. Those <a target="_blank" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trans_fat">trans fats</a> are so bad for your health that some countries have even banned them. In contrast, natural fat is found in meat. In a nutshell, If you eat your meat and throw in a little exercise here and there, the next time you take a <a target="_blank" href="http://www.iglucruise.com/promotion_id30">last minute cruise</a> you won’t have any trouble finding a bathing suit that fits.</p>
<p>You have your choices on a plate, metaphorically speaking. You can go to great effort to gather together all the products you need to eat with supplements or you can choose a nice cut of meat that tastes good and brings you everything your body needs.</p>
<p>This guest blog is courtesy of Isabella Woods.  Thanks for being a part of the cause!</p>
<p>Related posts:<ol>
<li><a href='http://unvegan.com/rants-and-raves/the-meat-myth-2/' rel='bookmark' title='The Meat Myth'>The Meat Myth</a></li>
<li><a href='http://unvegan.com/rants-and-raves/and-meat-is-still-safe/' rel='bookmark' title='And Meat is Still Safe'>And Meat is Still Safe</a></li>
</ol></p>]]></content:encoded>
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