Slutty Vegan: My experience with black veganism
Last year I tried to go vegan
cold turkey and that was a disaster but I still wanted to give it a try and often found myself drooling over vegan recipes I saw on Youtube. So this past Saturday, I got off of work and I was looking for something to eat. I checked instagram and saw the the Slutty Vegan food truck was going to a new location closer to me so I decided that I would check them out. The truck was located at the Food Truck Park off of Howell Mill Rd. There was plenty of parking. I arrived around 5:00pm and the line was pretty long already. The truck had recently arrived and they were not taking orders yet. I walked around and took some pictures and waited…waited some more… waited some more…waited some more… finally orders started going out!! Yay!! Well guys I waited 3 1/2 hours to get a vegan burger from Slutty Vegan. I ordered the One Night Stand which was a Patty, vegan bacon, American cheeze, grilled onions, lettuce, tomato, and special sauce on a Hawaiian bun. It was literally 8:30pm when I placed my order. Now Was it worth, YES! Would I do it again, ummm I’m a bit undecided. Keep reading to find out my thoughts.
What is Black Veganism? Black Veganism is a movement and according to Monique Koch, a vegan family coach, also known as the Brown Vegan on Youtube. “The black vegan movement is one of the most diverse, de-colonial, complex and creative movements.” Many people who give up eating animal products do it for their health, or for animal welfare. The same is true for the new Veganism among African-Americans. As I researched, I learned that Black Veganism is also rooted in politics. For many joining the movement its not always about health but also directly correlated to the social injustices the black community faces. Food can be very political and going vegan can be a way to rebel against the norms of eating food that is literally killing us, while bringing to life areas that have been deemed a food dessert —an urban area in which it is difficult to buy affordable or good-quality fresh food. Black vegans have been tasked to show us how we can change our lives and support the community by eating good food and living healthier lives.
The experience and the burger it self was worth it because Slutty Vegan ATL is a Blacked owned business and I love supporting black owned businesses. It was very refreshing to see that people were willingly to wait and even though it was a long wait everyone was excited to try these burgers. When the first order was given out everyone was clapping and cheering. It was really cool!! I found that on that particular day a lot of the people where new and heard about Slutty Vegan from Instagram. I talked to seven different people and 4/7 were first time guest and the other three were previous customers before the food truck started. Slutty Vegan supports black Veganism and healthy eating and lifestyle with an original concept. In 2018, healthy eating and lifestyle is on the rise and we all know that it’s almost impossible to actually know what is really in our food. So many people have started seeking alternative because they want to live longer and avoid diseases and cancers that come from the food we eat. While vegan eating is not necessarily new NEW, It’s definitely gaining traction especially in the Black American communities. Many of the foods we eat lead directly to high cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes, chronic illnesses etc…So having alternatives that are healthy and non toxic is great. Plus the Slutty Vegan has a great original concept that is not only attention grabbing but pretty comical and engaging.
Now personally, as a consumer and being that I worked in a relatively expensive burger spot waiting 3 & 1/2 hours is pretty insane. Most people at a restaurant do not want to wait more than 20-30 minutes for food; 45 minutes at most because after that you are basically about to start giving away free food, so I probably won’t ever do that again. I did hear someone say that most times during the week the wait is more like 15-30 minutes however I feel like with the increase of visibility and exposure on social media, wait times are probably going to be crazy.
I was disappointed that the patty was an impossible patty, I don’t have anything against the impossible burger and it's actually pretty popular however I feel it would have been much more worth it if the patty was a special blend that the owners created. I feel however that it was still great to try the burger, so now I’m familiar with the impossible burger and when I’m eating out I may actually order more vegan burgers. The burger does come with a small order of crinkly fries which was nice considering the burger was $15, however they were very much frozen fries and by the time I walked to my car they were kinda lukewarm. I would feel better if the burger was $12 and the fries or maybe another side option, were separate for like $2-$3. Also the online menu says that the orders also come with pickles which was not with my order. The burger itself was pretty filling, the special sauce was good with a slight kick to it. The patty had a nice ground beef texture/consistency and the vegan bacon was pretty tasty. overall I would definitely order again. Something else to consider is that the entire menu was not available. I orginially wanted to try the Dance Hall Queen, which was a jerk with plantains but it was not available that evening. I wasn't able to take pictures of the burger because my phone died while waiting :(
I’m happy to see that people are eager and excited to try alternative options to beef, this definitely supports the notion that black people— and people in general, are looking to live healthier lifestyle especially when it comes to the food they consume, as well as people are looking to support more black owned entrepreneurs. As a burger lover nothing beats a fat juicy burger and my One Night Stand was definitely good but giving up meat is still hard for me. I can’t wait to see the business blossom. There are so many other burgers on the menu I definitely want to try. If you are just as curious as me, want to try vegan options or you are already vegan, make sure you guys follow them on Instagram @sluttyveganatl or on their website sluttyveganalt.com.
Let me know if you have any comments, suggestions or recommendations.
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