Out In McAllen

Here’s a question, what do Dennis Kucinich ,Weird Al” Yankovic, Morrissey, Joaquin Phoenix and Margaret Cho have in common? Here’s your answer, they’re all Vegans.

In the words of brilliant Wikipedia editors/geeks, “Veganism is a philosophy and lifestyle that seeks to exclude the use of animals for food, clothing, or any other purpose. Vegans do not use or consume animal products of any kind.” and Vegetarianism is pretty much the practice of a diet that excludes all animal flesh.

Meanwhile, have you ever tried finding a vegetarian or vegan restaurant in the Rio Grande Valley? I certainly hope not because there really isn’t a single one out there.

Try finding a vegetarian specialty store and you’ll be meet with the same level of success, it’s tough but here are a few tips to help you out with your plant-based diets!

Grocery Shopping:

While I personally am not vegan or vegetarian I enjoy shopping at Sun Harvest on 10th in McAllen, they have some great products and there’s always friendly people working who can answer questions and make suggestions. Some local HEB stores like HEB on Shary Road and HEB on 10th and Trenton carry lots of good stuff including organic vegetables, tofu, teas and such. Across the Valley HEB on Lincoln in Harlingen also has good stuff. Our final place, yes this was a short list, is the ever popular (with the veggie-lover crowd) Tokyo Asian Market on 10th, they have a nice selection of Asian foods and stuff but I personally haven’t checked it out myself.

Eating Out: This is where it gets tricky but here’s a quick rundown.

Thai Red Chili’s on Ware Road in McAllen is my personal favorite if I’m dining with a veggie loving person. Hop Tung on 10th in McAllen has a nice separate vegetarian menu, Le Lai on 10th is also an option. Away from the McAllen area Stone Court Cafe on Stuart Place in Harlingen has a handful vegetarian items, and I heard about Uchi Japanese Restaurant in Brownsville through a friend who said it was pretty good.

So that’s it, enjoy your greens while I chill and eat a steak at Texas Roadhouse or something. If your still curious about Vegan and Vegetarian life, Google it. http://www.google.com/search?q=vegetarian

- Jr

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