My Favorite Restaurant is Vegan

Exploring Other Ways of Living

... You read that title right. I, an unabashed meat eater, have been enamored with a small vegan/natural eatery in Austin, Texas for the past eight years. The place, Casa De Luz, is incredible. They grow almost all of their own food, educate anyone who wants to learn how to cook it, and serve up a fixed menu everyday — which has never disappointed me.

…But, I only realized how odd it was that this was my number one restaurant choice in the country after suggesting it to a group of writers and editors after they heard me pitch my new book idea focused on hunting, trapping, and sustainable living this past January...

The looks I got in that room were hilarious... Here I was, Mr Trapper Man from Idaho, decked out in boots, an Idaho belt buckle, and a home made snake-skinned cowboy hat suggesting that we go eat at a vegan restaurant. The irony was that as a vocal meat eater who was literally writing a book about harvesting animals actually made my suggesting a vegan place for dinner more credible. One person even said... “If this guy wants to eat at this vegan place, I bet it must be pretty damn good!” So, we went to Casa De Luz, ordered some of the most delicious natural food available in the USA, and had a great evening where we all lamented on how great the experience was.

A delicious natural meal at Casa De Luz.

Why does any of this matter? Well, the idea of being a “meat eater,” or someone who takes a life to supply food for their family often comes with a caveman, knuckle-dragging, stereotype. Most people’s minds-eye envision a hunter as a dumb southerner poking around the woods with a rifle looking for a deer to shoot for ‘fun’, all while chugging a six pack of beer (Interesting aside... that southern stereotype actually comes from hookworms in the malnourished!).

Though this can be true in some contexts, most hunters are genuinely exploratory people by nature and consider themselves to be conservationists. They seek to find natural sources of protein and will go to great lengths to get it... just like the staff and collective members of Casa De Luz do everyday when they tend to their gardens.

For me, it’s all about learning. Whether it’s my garden (which doesn’t exist in full yet), my protein sourcing, or even a workout to keep my body tuned up... I am always experimenting. As such, I do my best to never write anyone off just because they belong to a certain stereotyped camp such as “Vegan,” “Hunter,” or “[Insert Divisive Encampment Here].” Being open to learning and trying new things is a part of the human experience... We as hunters should be welcoming first-timers (just like I was a few short years ago) into the fold and showing people the ways of our style of conservation, while simultaneously trying and exploring other ways of living as well.

Heck, you may be like me and end up with an awesome vegan cookbook on your shelf that leads to some beyond-delicious meals for your family and uses up that kale that is about to go bad in the back of your refrigerator!