The Unvegan

Recent Posts

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

‘Food’

Meat Hall of Fame

Just when I thought hall of fames were becoming a tired concept (there’s a Robot Hall of Fame?!), I discovered the Meat Industry Hall of Fame. At first, I hoped this might be a place to showcase the best and most famous meats. Inductees could be the porterhouse steak or buffalo wings. But then I got scared. If this is anything like sports hall of fames, the meats would have to be retired and I would be stuck watching reruns of their greatest hits on Food Network Classic, rather than enjoying them on my plate. Fortunately for unvegans of the world, our favorite meats are safe. The Meat Industry Hall of Fame isn’t around to thank meats for feeding us, but to thank the people that help to bring those meats to our plates.

Ted Nugent: Unvegan Hero

Well, it was really only a matter of time before Ted Nugent got the spotlight on People for the Ethical Eatment of Animals. We all know he is a great rock star and outdoorist (read: hunter), but in a recent episode of Penn & Teller: Bullshit, he really goes off on animal rights “extremists” like PETA. He declares, “Meat is food. Case closed.”

He also gets a little personal on the subject, saying that the lives of his children have been threatened because of the lifestyle they live as meat eaters. Amazing that these extremists care more for the animals than for their fellow humans.

Barry Groves: Unvegan Hero

Same same same same different.
Same same same same different.

Barry Groves is a man who knows a lot about health. And he’s not just some know-it-all with a blog (read: me), he has a PhD to back it up. So when he decided to write about the diet of some important mammals, as compared to humans, I took notice. In his article, “Should all animals eat a high-fat, low-carb diet?” he debunks some common theories that vegans cling to in order to justify their unnatural lifestyles.

Simply Good Burgers at Big Daddy’s Burgers

It's just too pretty.
It’s just so simply right.

Sometimes it’s best to keep things simple. As Henry David Thoreau once said, “Simplify, Simplify, Simplify.” Quite often, restaurants fail to recognize this necessity by throwing in vegetable garnishings or trying to turn a burger into a gourmet meal. Big Daddy’s Burgers in Lake Tahoe, however, wouldn’t dream of crossing this line. They only make burgers, hot dogs and fries. It’s a menu so simple that it makes In-N-Out Burger’s menu look like a novel.

Is Vegetarianism an Eating Disorder?

It’s not technically an eating disorder, but maybe it’s time to think of vegetarianism as one. According to research from some reputable universities earlier this year, “[vegetarians] may be at increased risk for binge eating with loss of control.” That’s an eating disorder in my mind.

I can’t say that I’m too surprised. Malnourished vegetarians certainly do not get enough of the foods their body needs. If I ate salad and kale for every meal, the first opportunity I had to eat food with nutrients would definitely send me into a food binge.

Howard’s Famous Bacon & Avocado Burgers

Eat it.  It's famous.
Eat it. It’s famous.

Nearly daily I have driven past Howard’s Famous Bacon & Avocado Burgers in Palms and wondered what sort of greatness lay within. Finally, I decided to check the place out.

Walking in, I kind of expected the place to reflect the decor of the awesome sign outside. This was not to be the case. Instead, it had a basic booth layout with a counter to order from. I didn’t mind so much, since all I really wanted was bacon and avocado on a burger. I checked out their menu on the wall, and saw all the options they had. In a way, I was hoping they had a limited menu consisting of bacon, avocado and burgers, but instead I found a menu with many burger options and an almost passively bolded lettering of their namesake.

The Dodger Dog

There's just something about that dog.
There’s just something about that dog.

In celebration of National Hot Dog Day, it’s time to write about the Dodger Dog. I’ve always enjoyed a good hot dog at a baseball game, but until I moved to LA, I didn’t realize that hot dogs were a baseball necessity.

Dodger Stadium offers two kinds of Dodger Dogs, one regular hot dog, which I assume is filled with various pork products, and their Super Dodger Dog, an all-beef version for an extra bit of money. I prefer the all-beef, so I ordered mine with a load of garlic fries, which I could smell from the moment I entered the stadium and just knew they had to be mine.

A Late-Night Mess at Norm’s Diner

Which part of the Mignon is this filet from?
Which part of the Mignon is this filet from?

A long night of drinking compelled me to head to Norm’s Diner in West LA. Of course, this decision wasn’t the best I’ve ever made, but my decision of what to eat at Norm’s was a far worse one.

When I walked in the door, their specialty of the night/morning was on display and even a long look at their long menu couldn’t take my mind off of it. The special was a Filet Mignon, with eggs, hash browns and pancakes. Yes, pancakes. Whoever thought of this one was clearly on something that made him happy and delirious. Best of all, it was a whopping 10 bucks.

Anthony Bourdain: Unvegan Hero

Anthony Bourdain of No Reservations gets paid to travel the world and eat. It’s not a shabby job, and one I would kill for (almost). Living a life like that, you would think that he might get soft, but this is not so. In his travels, he has eaten animals bits of all shapes and sizes, from sheep testicles to raw seal eyeballs. Oh, and he also hates vegetarians.