This started with Ricky Thai Bistro, and it was a couple of months or so ago. I was talking to Giuliano, who, with his Thai wife, who is the chef, owns Ricky Thai, and I mentioned that I generally prefer to order vegetarian dishes from his place, because I don't like eating animals that were not humanely/pasture-raised. Well... Giuliano told me that in fact, that's precisely the kind of meat he uses. I told him I had no idea, no one else will, either, some people (like me) would need to know that, and he should make this clear on his menu. So now, I'm willing to eat meat dishes from Ricky Thai. (Actually, I already occasionally ordered the Larp appetizer with pork, apparently wrongly thinking I was cheating. It's a spectacular dish, and better if it's on the spicy side. If I get it for myself, I can order it as hot as I want. If I have company, I have to keep it toned down. It's large enough for more than two people.)
I've become acquainted with Alex, who, with his wife, Laura, owns Vega's Burger Bar less than a block from Ricky Thai Bistro. Alex is the chef at Vega's Burger. Vega's Burger, by the way, is also on NE 123rd St, also on the north side of the street (as is Ricky Thai), and it's several store fronts (and a veterinarian front) east of Ricky Thai. I go to Vega's Burger from time to time, when I want a veggie burger. That's all I ever get there, and I order it with "seasoned fries" instead of regular French fries. They're not very seasoned, but they're good. Anyway, I know the serving crew at Vega's Burger, and they know what I want to order. But Alex doesn't. So the day a couple of weeks ago that I went in there, and Alex was sitting out at the bar, instead of being in the kitchen, he asked me if I wanted a hamburger. I told him no, that I only get veggie burgers, because I don't like eating animals that were not humanely/pasture-raised. Yup, Alex said that's the kind of meat he buys, from some place up in Palm Beach County. He wouldn't tell me the place. It was hard to tell whether he was protecting his source, or he wasn't being...truthful. It wasn't Gaucho Ranch, which is down here, and he said it wasn't Florida Fresh Beef. But I decided to believe him, and get a meat hamburger next time. Which was yesterday.
So, there are two very local places that sell the meat I'm willing to eat, and neither of them proudly and prominently advertises the fact. They really should. I told that to both of them. But if they don't, it's their problem, and maybe their loss, if it prevents people like me from ordering certain dishes.
In my opinion, it's a wonderful thing that fewer animals are being mistreated, and are healthier. Until that "one bad day." But I do wonder if there are any other places doing the "right thing," and just not letting their customers know about it. I tell lots of places to get meat from Pablo at Gaucho Ranch. I hope they do it. Florida Fresh Beef is somewhere around Ocala, and the meat tends to be more expensive. I don't know what Alex at Vega's Burger pays for meat, but the hamburger was good. It was 10 ounces, with fries and a pickle, for $13. That's 100% in line with common restaurant prices for a hamburger with fries, and maybe it's even a bit lower than some casual places.
My only complaint about my Vega's Burger order was that it was the "Fireman" hamburger, which supposedly meant it was spicy. When Alex asked me how spicy I want it, I told him to go for it. I told him I wanted to be sorry I asked for that much heat. But all he used was jalapeno peppers, so it wasn't very spicy at all. I'll make myself clearer, and challenge him a bit, next time. I always tell people like Alex that I like to eat food that bites back. He's going to have to step it up. He and I will talk about what other peppers he can use for someone who wants a "Fireman" hamburger. If I have to put out a fire, he's going to have to work harder to start one.
Love Ricky’s. Now I’ve got to try Vegas!
ReplyDeleteFairly typical pub grub, but a very friendly place (perhaps even more than usual with Shannon serving, although Natalie before her, and Ayesha before that, were delightful servers and people), and some nice beers you won't find just anywhere.
DeleteReally, everything I've had there has been great.
The only other thing is it my duty to mention to you, Rafa, is the sweet potato fries. Sometimes, a friend and I get food from Vega's Burger, and my friend always orders their sweet potato fries. But my friend doesn't like to eat "carbs" (so why does she order sweet potato fries?), so guess who eats most of them. They're spectacular, but they must be eaten hot. Sweet potato fries are not nearly as good once they start to cool off. So, if you want something terrific, I would suggest that unless you have an appetite like mine, you and Eddie get one order, and split it. And don't let them cool off.
DeleteAlex, by the way, is an excellent short order pub-style cook. The dishes are always cooked perfectly.
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ReplyDeleteI love Ricky's even though the vegetarian food isn't strictly vegetarian because they use that fish spice in it. As a more than 30 year vegetarian that is the closest that i've come to "cheating" in a very long time.
ReplyDeleteI don't know what the regulations are for humanely/pasture raised animals but I don't believe a word of it. Not on the purchaser's side, but on the farmers or whoever is selling it. I suppose if I looked up the regulations they wouldn't be strident enough for me, but i'm not going to be eating any meat any time soon so I don't feel the need to check it out.
Love Ricky's though.
BrambleWitch,
DeleteYou raise an important point, and the same concern exists about "organic" food: what are the standards, and who verifies that they have been met?
Let me say at the outset that I have gone through phases of omnivorous eating, vegetarian eating, vegan eating, and now, omnivorous eating, but with requirements about the animals and how they're treated.
Having said that, I will tell you that there are two general classes of pastured animals. They are grass-fed, and grass-finished. The latter means animals that were factory farmed until some time near the end, at which point they were allowed to walk around and eat grass. I am against all mistreatment of non-human animals (and human ones), so I reject grass-finished meat.
I should also say that in my evolution of what I eat, I eventually decided that some animals eat other animals, and human animals eat other animals. This, for me, is normal biology. What I do not tolerate is torturing other animals, especially for their whole lives until they're killed. They're all going to have that "one bad day," whether it's old age or illness, a predator, or an abattoir. But they don't deserve any more suffering than that.
I also have great disdain for those people who say they're vegetarians, but they'll eat fish or foul. I tell them I want to be there the day they explain to the fish and the chickens how cows and pigs are animals, but the fish and chickens are not. I'm curious to hear how this argument goes.
Anyway, back to your point, how does anyone know? You could ask this question about the vast majority of things. Either you trust certain people to be honest with you, and do the right thing, or you don't. That's up to you. If you would eat meat on condition that the animals were raised and treated humanely, then you can take yourself on a trip to see the farm. If you can't be bothered to do that, then you're back to either trusting or not.
I don't know if you eat dairy, but if you do, you might be interested to know that dairy animals are often treated worse than animals raised to be killed for meat. Also, if you look at the ingredients used in making cheese, you'll see rennet. It's an enzyme from a cow's stomach. Do you want to know how they get the rennet from the cow's stomach? Let's just say it involves an autopsy of sorts.
Anyway, thanks as always for thinking this through, and for offering your own perspective and experience. I assume you've had Ricky's veggie spring rolls. And their veggie pad Thai. (PS: Do you allow them to use eggs in your pad Thai? Do you know how egg-laying chickens are treated? When you buy eggs, look for "free-range." "Cage free" just means each chicken is not in a cage. It does not mean they're not all massed very tightly together, with little room to roam, and walking in their own excrement. But again, as you point out, whatever the box says, you either believe it, or you don't. Unless you make a pilgrimage to the chicken farms, wherever they are.
PPS: There's a difference, too, between "organic" produce and "certified organic" produce. If you care if the food you eat was grown under meaningful organic conditions, you want "certified organic."
Fred
I am painfully aware of most of the issues you bring up about the treatment of other animals at the hands of humans. I try to be aware of using the most humane products as possibly in all areas of my life but I realize that in our modern day society, it is very, very hard to be entirely vegan.
ReplyDeleteAs I stated before, most Thai food uses that fish sauce in their food and I usually don't specify to keep it out. I also don't often eat Pad Thai but when I do I let them put the egg in. I try to do what I do thoughtfully and keep my participation as low as possible in ingesting animal products but I realize that it is going to happen from time to time.
I am also painfully aware that there are many products where it is impossible to refrain from animal exploitation, such as car tires, etc.
I have tried my best for over 35 years and have mostly stayed within my boundaries for animal rights but I am only one person and my hope is that through knowing me, other people might be inspired to follow a similar path and thus make a difference in the future.
And leather goods.
DeleteIf everyone ate animals as "much" (little) as you and I do, and only humanely treated ones, the whole factory farming industry would collapse. And if animals were treated properly, meat would cost more, which would also inhibit consumption of it.
Fred
One can dream. This issue is (for me) the most important to me in my life.
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