Photo by Caitlin Abrams
Vegan burger at J. Selby's
The Dirty Secret at J. Selby's, a double-stacked burger made with wheat-based beaf patties.
First, let me just get it out there that I am a full-on omnivore: I’m eating all the things, all the time. I have no problem with crickets as a future form of protein, and I happily eat corn fungus, which is also known as huitlacoche and revered in Mexican cuisine. One thing I’ve never described myself as is vegan. And now, suddenly, neither are they.
Veganism is, by definition, the practice of eating only plants and avoiding all animal protein or animal products in your diet. Chicken is out, and so are eggs. No steak, obviously, no butter, no dairy. If you aren’t a vegan but have dined with one, you may know of the withering glance as you gnawed on your chicken wings. As stereotypes go, the vegan cliché is one of a militant PETA warrior who, with moral superiority and a healthy wardrobe of hemp, shames you into submission while living off of tofurkey. But the times are a-changing.
Being vegan, which is now commonly known as “choosing a plant-based diet,” is no longer just a hippified moral stance for friends of fauna. For celebs like JayZ and Beyoncé, it’s both an environmental and health choice. Bill Gates is backing the California-based Impossible Foods, which is developing meatless burgers for fast-food chains. These new, more populist and mainstream icons of veganism are enough to put the Beef Council in fits. Increasingly, more notables are stepping out of the meat lane and championing their renewed energy and beauty benefits, along with a stewardship for the planet. Hard to argue with that.
This paradigm shift is brilliant. Instead of making you feel evil for your burger-love, vegans are creating a fun and all-access club. Think about the fervor our own Herbivorous Butcher launch caused. It garnered international press as a “butcher shop” filled with plant-based “meats,” but you have to agree that half the draw was the stylish and kitschy brother-sister duo who made it seem like they were throwing a wheat-based party. If you question their mainstream appeal, just remember that they scored a spot at Twins Stadium this year.
We’ve had vegan options at restaurants for a long time, at places like Birchwood Café and notably, with edge, at the Triple Rock Social Club. But recently, we saw something new: a mainstream, non-shaming, entirely plant-based eatery with J. Selby’s in St. Paul. It opened to such demand that they ran out of food and had to close for a week just to catch their breath. Could you have imagined that happening 20 years ago? Since the shop reopened, they seem to be firing on all levels and, on my visits, are attracting a wide range of eaters. The menu has plenty of the expected veggie-focused dishes such as falafel, salads, and rice bowls, but there are also some nods to the new altered universe of plant-based eating like nachos, corn-dogs, Buffalo “wings.” Most of these plates are bolstered with products like the Herbivorous Butcher’s “beaf” patties, or “cheeze” sauce, which of course will be a shade off of the expected for an omnivore, but the key here is the newfound playfulness that’s been missing in the movement.
Even if you’re not ready to completely give up your eggs and fried chicken, many Americans have embraced the idea of Meatless Monday, a dedicated day to not eating meat. What if you can give up meat, but still indulge in a “double-beaf cheeseburger” and walk away feeling like you’re part of new club? That’s how they get you.
