I have not been good about keeping up with entries in this blog. I have committed myself to graduate school, and I have a full-time job. Thus, my spare mental energy and time are not there enough for me to keep up with the blog as often as I'd like. I'd like to say I'm resolved to be better about it, but I don't want to make any promises I may or may not keep. Having the blog has been wonderful. It has let me get issues off my chest and provide some education about vegetarian issues to others who live in the Rio Grande Valley. It is one more useful tool to help vegetarians connect with one another. I hope I've conveyed that eating a vegan diet is not difficult, and anyone can do it. Meat is expensive to buy, and it also exerts a tremendous toll physically and environmentally. Long since it printed a column on its opinion pages with blatantly false information about veganism,
The New York Times finally printed something honest on Sunday about the cost of meat production called
"Re-thinking the Meat-Guzzler" by Mark Bittman. Among his very interesting comments is this nugget: "If price spikes don’t change eating habits, perhaps the combination of deforestation, pollution, climate change, starvation, heart disease and animal cruelty will gradually encourage the simple daily act of eating more plants and fewer animals." The reality is that the planet cannot sustain the current levels of meat eating. It is destroying the environment both in terms of greenhouse gases and pollution to our waterways. It is destroying people's health, and it is making humans desensitized to enormous amounts of pain and suffering by the animals we slaughter.
Veganism in the Valley
Restaurants
Unfortunately, there are no vegan or vegetarian restaurants in the Rio Grande Valley. There are a few places that have vegetarian parts to their menu, and if you are creative, you can assemble a vegan meal at an unlikely place. Stone Court Cafe on Stuart Place Road in Harlingen has several vegetarian items, including two coconut curry dishes. They will prepare items specially for you if you ask. They are really nice. I have them make me a vegan pad Thai. It's really good. Just be wary that one of their hot sauces has fish in it. So, be sure to ask about that. There's also Taqueria la Michoacana on West Jefferson in Harlingen. The papas a la Mexicanas is vegan if ordered with corn tortillas. They are so good but very spicy. Don't eat the refried beans. They are certainly not vegan. A lot of Valley vegetarians like Hop Tung on 10th Street in McAllen. It has a separate vegetarian menu. I personally think they use too much tofu on their plates and not enough vegetables. That said, their General Tso tofu is great. Le Lai is also on 10th Street. My wife liked it more than I did. Tokyo Sushi Bar is on 10th Street. This is a place I like more than my wife, but their food was really greasy, and we both didn't like the smell of the glassware. Taste of India on Nolana Loop in McAllen is really good. It's strange, but you have to beg for extra heat in the meal. They are so trained to people being sensitive to spicy food. They really don't know what they are missing. Thai Red Chili's on Ware Road in McAllen is good. Just be sure ask for the food to be extra spicy. Otherwise, it will be pretty mild. One of my favorite Valley restaurants is Uchi Japanese Restaurant on Ruben Torres Boulevard in Brownsville. They have a rice dish pronounced "dol-so-bob." It can be made with tofu. Just be sure to ask for it without egg. It is rice served in a hot bowl with vegetables and a spicy sauce, and the rice touching the bowl gets crispy. It really is good. At Betty's Tortas, which have several locations in the Valley, including Brownsville and San Benito, you can make tacos with corn tortillas, aguacate slices (avocado) and papas fritas (fried potatoes) with their house hot sauce. It's quite good. In Brownsville, the Vermillion has vegetarian beans, which are hard to find in these parts. Just be sure to be specific which beans you want. They also have charro beans (cowboy beans that are made with pork). I've heard that the Brownsville City Commission used to hold meetings in the Vermillion, so the restaurant had a reputation of being a center of power.
Grocery Stores
The best stores for vegans in the Valley are Sun Harvest on 10th Street in McAllen, HEB on Trenton and 10th Street in McAllen, HEB on Shary Road and the expressway in Mission, HEB on Lincoln and the expressway in Harlingen and the HEB on Ruben Torres and Paredes Line Road in Brownsville. The best two are Sun Harvest and the HEB at Trenton and 10th. Both have really good supplies of bulk items, hearty breads, teas, organic vegetables and, of course, tofu. There's a small health food store in the mall in Brownsville and one in Harlingen on Sunshine Strip. Both aren't that good because they hardly have much in stock. On South Padre Island, Naturally's Health Food Store and Cafe is great, and you can assemble a vegan sandwich there, as well. It is on the main strip. Tokyo Asian Market on 10th Street is really good, especially since they expanded. They have a great selection of Asian foods, many of which I couldn't do without.
2 comments:
Wow, a vegan in the RGV? I have just moved here as well and am trying to find health food stores like Whole Foods or with imports like Trader Joe's. Any luck with this? Seems like the only option is to drive to San Antonio or Houston and stock up.
I really miss Whole Foods and Central Market, both of which are in San Antonio and Austin. We do have a decent health food store in McAllen on 10th Street called Sun Harvest, and just up the road from Sun Harvest is a wonderful HEB at the intersection with Trenton. I go to McAllen once or twice a month to stock up on things I need. We are members of a great CSA, which provides us with locally grown organic vegetables. There's a link to the CSA's Web site on the right, but they don't update it very often. In Brownsville, there's Loop Farms in Southmost. They grow all sorts of things, like cabbage, onions, oranges, peppers, etc. Unfortunately, they are not organic, so I don't buy their greens. Their oranges are just amazing. To get there, you drive down Southmost Boulevard past everything and eventually you'll come across the farm on the left, which has a feed store attached to it. Oh, and I forgot, a great health food store that's much closer for you. It is on the island and called Naturally's. Their Web site is www.naturallys.net. They are really good for a small health food store. They have a small diner attached to it, as well. That's only about 30 minutes from where you are, but Sun Harvest and the HEB in McAllen are worth the trips for other items you may not find on South Padre Island. My wife and I use the Internet for some things, too, such as unfiltered Greek olive oil. Mmmm. Anyway, if you scroll to the bottom of the blog, you'll see some hints on places you can find. I hope that was helpful. Take care.
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