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    Vegging Out

    From Big Mac to McVegan: My journey to a meatless life

    Joel Luks
    May 9, 2010 | 6:02 pm
    • Joel Luks went from a McDonald's man to a vegan.
    • Alicia Silverstone is just one of the sexy vegetarians.
    • Moby doesn't believe in meat either.

    “Would you like fries with that?” I would ask, often with a hint of teenage I-know-it-all-and-I-am-better-than-you attitude.

    And I was. Fashioning high tech drive-thru gear gave me a false sense of self-importance. I had a trendy uniform with accessories, a myriad of flair à la Office Space and a custom-made brass nametag.

    Allowing my report card to act a pseudo reference letter, I landed my first paying gig at the local McDonald’s. I guess I must have said something right as much later in my utopian vocation, I was allowed to look at my first interview notes. They read: Candidate for promotion.

    I climbed the "two all beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions on a sesame seed bun" restaurant ladder landing myself a spot in the management team.

    I was 16.

    I loved my job and was dedicated. I planned events and birthday parties, trained new employees and handled customer complaints. Leading impromptu tours was my favorite activity. I would scout the restaurant, find well-behaved kids with adult supervision and teach them to cook a burger and make their own sundae concoction.

    It was about making them smile, and it felt good.

    Of course, some of my duties were banal: Restocking, ordering, taking inventory and accounting. But all these bedazzling new responsibilities were exciting and I took them with the utmost pious seriousness. I took pride in having my kitchen so well stocked that our over-populated lunch crowd would get their fine delicacies in record time.

    One day, during prep, while I ambitiously carried — well, Cirque du Soleil-type balanced — two boxes of quarter pounder patties, a colleague (obviously not a manager) mooed. The boxes hindered my line of vision and while starting to chuckle, then laugh, then convulse, I managed to drop them both on my foot. Both boxes broke and patties elegantly glided everywhere, like oversized frozen hockey pucks.

    It was not one of my finest moments.

    It was during clean up that I realized what was inside those boxes and begun a slow transition into giving it up. First meat, then chicken, then fish, and years later, limiting dairy and egg products.

    Looking at stacks of assorted boxes of processed meat was enough to make me feel like a cat trying to exorcise a hairball. What started and felt as some sort of post-traumatic fad — some told me I was practicing Jewish lent — turned more permanent.

    I am by no means a picture-perfect vegan. It is quite plausible to drive oneself to irrational insanity in the quest for the Holy Grail, meaning 100-percent exclusion of all animal products not just in sustenance, but also in personal products, clothing and furniture. I dropped to my knees in universal thanks at learning that my skin care routine included animal-free products.

    My acne cleared up, my skin radioactively glowed, my hair, well it is fabulous, and I felt like Aquaman.

    Sexy vegans: Ellen Degeneres and delicious Portia de Rossi, Joaquin Phoenix, Woody Harrelson, Alicia Silverstone, Moby, and yes, lead singer of Radiohead, Thom York.

    Whether you do it for health, for the environment, or for animal welfare, it seems that most people who transition to vegetarian and vegan diets and lifestyles experience some sort of traumatic epiphany. Although there is a strong but small movement in favor of raising vegan children and there are enough studies out there now to advocate the practice, most vegans make a go of it through a transition period in adulthood.

    Dare I challenge you to try it for a week?

    Tip 1: Eat a balanced and varied diet.
    Tip 2: Eat colorful and beautiful food.
    Tip 3: Wean yourself off meat over a week. Treat it as a side dish first.
    Tip 4: Expand your culinary vocabulary. Learn about new fruits, veggies and cuisines.
    Tip 5: Do not be afraid to dine out and be proud of your foodie exploration. Most restaurants have great options. Even steak houses will be happy to accommodate you.

    Let me know how it goes in the comments section. Or just tell me, if you think I'm a McNut — us vegans have heard it all before.

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    ps, we're closed

    Houston's most pretty-in-pink restaurant quietly closes in Upper Kirby

    Eric Sandler
    May 12, 2025 | 12:16 pm
    Postscript restaurant interior
    Photo by Jenn Duncan
    You'll see a lot of pink at PostScript.

    PostScript, Upper Kirby’ posh pink restaurant, has quietly closed, CultureMap has learned.

    Although the restaurant is still accepting reservations on OpenTable — and is, as of this article’s publication, listed as open on both Yelp and Google — reports circulated on social media this weekend that it had abruptly canceled diners’ Mother’s Day reservations. In addition, its dining room in the Shops at Arrive mixed-use development has been emptied of furniture.

    [Update: After the publication of this article, PostScript's management provided CultureMap with the following statement:

    We are saddened to announce the closure of PostScript HTX.

    We sincerely thank our patrons for their loyalty and support. It has been an honor to serve you and be part of your special moments. The people and culture in Houston are first class. We wish you all the best and hope our paths cross again in the future.]

    PostScript opened with considerable fanfare in February 2024. Owners Veeral Rathod and Obi Ibeto, brought their experiences as partners in the Dallas-based GAP Hospitality to the project, which operates establishments such as XOXO Dining Room, Lyla, and Drai’s Dallas. Particularly inspired by XOXO Dining Room, they created an ode to pink that included pink exterior and interior walls, a pink quartz bar, and a pink grand piano. “Push for Champagne” buttons added to the lively spirit.

    Chef Bryan Caswell created the menu. Best known for his pioneering Gulf Coast seafood restaurant Reef that closed in 2019, Caswell’s menu included fried chicken with hummus, oysters three ways (raw, roasted, and fried), a sushi roll, and the double smoked pork chop that was a Reef staple. A doughnut topped with caviar became a customer favorite.

    Since Caswell was only consulting on the project, he left a couple of months after opening. Latuli, Caswell’s new Gulf Coast-inspired restaurant in the Memorial area, is expected to open soon.

    CultureMap has reached out to PostScript via email, phone, and Instagram message for comment on the decision to close the restaurant. We will update this article if they reply.

    PostScript’s closure follows that of Cru, which ended a 13-year run in December 2024. On the other hand, Kira, a sushi hand roll concept from Houston’s Comma Hospitality that’s also located in the development, is thriving, having earned the No. 4 spot on Texas Monthly’s list of the state’s best new restaurants. The development is also home to beloved Indian restaurant Pondicheri, an outpost of the steakhouse chain Eddie V’s, and top tier Houston shopping destination Tootsie’s.

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