Chef butchers meat in front of animal rights protesters

[Beau Vine 54230]

Quote

The first few times the protesters showed up at Michael Hunter’s restaurant, he didn’t engage with them. Three months later, frustrated by chants of “you’re a murderer,” and “you’ve got blood on your hands,” the chef did what he felt was reasonable. He began butchering deer meat in the window.

“I figured, I’ll show them. I’m going to have my own protest.”

The situation, before it became so heated, began with a short, simple message written on a sandwich board.

 

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Antler Restaurant & Bar co-owner and chef Michael Hunter carves a deer leg in the window of his restaurant during an animal-rights protest in Toronto on March 23.

Antler Kitchen & Bar is a small restaurant on Dundas Street West. Mr. Hunter, a co-owner, is both a hunter and forager. In addition to a pair of antlers that hang from the kitchen window (the first buck Mr. Hunter killed), the restaurant is decorated with photos of wild leeks and morel mushrooms foraged by Mr. Hunter and his business partner, Jody Shapiro.

While the chef feeds his family meat that is almost entirely wild (he hunts deer, duck and wild turkey), these meats cannot be served in Ontario restaurants. Nevertheless, Antler’s menu reflects Mr. Hunter’s opposition to factory farming, and belief in using every part of the animal. The tougher cuts of whole boar are braised, other parts turned into charcuterie, sausage and a terrine made from the head, and the belly is smoked. Pasture-raised venison (deer) is served as a stew with Moroccan spices, house-made tahini and couscous, the roasted rack mounted on top.

 

The restaurant is friendly with the Federal, a neighbour down the block, and the two businesses use their sidewalk signs to playfully feud, trash-talking each other’s burgers and making food jokes.

One day in December, an employee at Antler picked up the chalk and wrote: “Venison is the new kale.”

“There was no offence meant,” Mr. Hunter said. “I’m not trying to promote a meat diet. I have a lot of respect for the vegan diet because I know how hard it is.”

But offence was taken. The sign caught the attention of Marni Ugar, who already had experience organizing animal-rights protests. Ms. Ugar, who runs a dog-walking business, A Bark in the Park, arranged a demonstration for Dec. 7.

The block has multiple other restaurants. Across the street is a butcher shop. Ms. Ugar says her main reason for picking Antler for her protest is to debunk the myth that raising animals in pastures free from hormones and antibiotics is more ethical than factory farming.

 

“People feel like they’re doing the right thing by going there. That they’re eating ethical meat,” Ms. Ugar said.

The first event was small and peaceful. Ms. Ugar and a group of six to eight gathered in front of the restaurant on a Thursday night with signs such as “speciesism = discrimination = injustice.” Over the winter, the protests grew larger and louder, activists chanting with megaphones outside the restaurant.

Some customers were amused. Some were upset. After a while, Mr. Hunter realized ignoring the protesters was not working. The restaurant had tried using the sandwich board to promote its vegan dishes: mushroom yakitori, sweet potato gyoza, vegan lumpia. But it didn’t work.

“The goal always is for a restaurant to go fully vegan,” Ms. Ugar said. “To reduce the animals they kill, for me, isn’t good enough.”

Walk-in traffic was down. Attempts to talk to the protesters had failed.

“I’ve left every time they came because it’s so upsetting,” Mr. Hunter said. “I just felt helpless. It’s hurting our business. I hoped it would fizzle out and go away.”

 

On Friday, March 23, each time the door opened, a shout of “murderer” reverberated through the restaurant. Mr. Hunter decided he’d had enough.

“This is who we are and what we do,” he said. “They’re offending us; I’m going to offend them. So I went and got a deer leg.”

The chef walked to the kitchen and brought back a cutting board, a knife and the hindquarter of a deer. He sanitized the table and then cut up the leg while protesters watched.

“When I was finished, I cleaned the area down and I went back to the kitchen. At the time, I felt like I had stood up for myself,” he said.

To Ms. Ugar, it looked like the chef was unravelling. “He was losing it because we were there disrupting his business.”

Despite the initial satisfaction, Mr. Hunter soon regretted the stunt.

“After, I didn’t feel good about it. I felt like they got to me and I played into them.”

The next day, Mr. Hunter received an e-mail from Ms. Ugar, offering to reduce the frequency of protests to once a month in exchange for an animal-rights sign to be displayed in the window: “Attention, animals’ lives are their right. Killing them is violent and unjust no matter how it’s done.”

Mr. Hunter responded with plans to introduce a vegan tasting menu and an invitation for Ms. Ugar’s group to join him on a foraging trip.

So far, Ms. Ugar has not responded. Although she said she is thinking it over.

“I’d always rather have dialogue. I want to sit down. I’m not targeting him. I’m there to defend animals.”

Ms. Ugar’s efforts have made a change. Since video of the protest and Mr. Hunter butchering the deer leg was posted online, the restaurant has seen a direct impact. Reservation requests are up.

 

[SubliminalHorn 6794]

God those people are annoying

[3adays 454]

Some people just need a good ass kicking. These are those people. 

[Superhero 8830]

I’d participate in a shag surly trip to Ontario just to eat at the Atler and annoy some vegan assholes. 

[Fondren & Main 6718]

Canada is a fucked up place full of fucked up people.

[TexasFootball18 48]

Bravo Mr. Hunter, BRAVO! Keep it up!

[Larry T. Spider 1746]

Would such targeted protests be allowed here. I can see holding signs but yelling “murderer” in the faces of customers seems to cross the line of free speech into harassment. But I’m not a lawyer and I did not stay in a holiday inn express last night.

[Ben Tobin 374]

 Meat is murder. Sweet, delicious murder. 

[Herpa Derpa 6126]

mmm, murder meat.

Edited March 31, 2018 by Herpa Derpa

[Kringelbert Fishtybuns 943]

There is no way the narrator of the video has any descended testicles.

[beer 3220]

1 hour ago, SubliminalHorn said:

God those people are annoying

[Deej 76796]

Wait, bitch thinks meat is murder, but has no problem, as a dog walker, with people "owning" dogs? PETA would like to have a word with her.

[happyhookem 224]

1 hour ago, Kringelbert Fishtybuns said:

There is no way the narrator of the video has any descended testicles.

 

I don't think he knows what dismemberment means either. As a matter of fact, he spoke like he was a bit regarded.

[Anastasis 23471]

If I make it to Ontario definitely eating there. 

[Dark Horse 2280]

Michael Hunter owns a wallet with bad mother fucker written on it.

[achooloco 1072]

Team butcher. Sucks he has to deal with retards but so is life. Fuck those uppity veggies

[Amos Moses 795]

Good for him - those protesters need to find something better to do with their time.

[Anastasis 23471]

Seriously.  This guy is trying to make a living at what sounds like a pretty responsible restaurant focused on sustainable game. And these fucking veggies protest this guy.  GTFO.  Go protest the corporate chicken warehouse dumbass. 

[Judge Roybeanbag 11819]

Motherfuckers need to spend a hot ass summer picking grapes or some such shit.  

[swraith 347]

How do these people have the time to protest such trivial matters?

[El Diablo 4232]

16 minutes ago, swraith said:

How do these people have the time to protest such trivial matters?

Liberal Arts.

[Incredulity 11674]

It’s gonna get worse before it gets better.  Fully a result of spending 3 plus decades telling everyone they are a bright shining start whose opinions matter.  

[686 3449]

Here’s what I’ve never understood with these people - isn’t eating vegetables “killing” as well? The carrot is growing, I pull it, skin it alive, and eat it. Where does it end? Where is the arbitrary line drawn?

[RexWilson 1347]

I would like to know more about his vegan tasting menu. I have always wondered what a vegan tasted like.

[Beau Vine 54230]

6 minutes ago, 686 said:

Here’s what I’ve never understood with these people - isn’t eating vegetables “killing” as well? The carrot is growing, I pull it, skin it alive, and eat it. Where does it end? Where is the arbitrary line drawn?

I'm not a vegan, but "Does it have a brain/CNS?" doesn't seem like an arbitrary line.

[F250 28777]

LOL at the end of the video.

Narrator referring to the police in the restraunt. "I do see them smiling and that's unfortunate."

 

That video made me hungry.

 

[Steel Shank 9425]

I've got some fresh, unmurdered meat some of those hot protester chicks can fully and wholly support.

[686 3449]

26 minutes ago, Beau Vine said:

I'm not a vegan, but "Does it have a brain/CNS?" doesn't seem like an arbitrary line.

What about snails, oysters, etc. that don’t have brains, are they on the menu or not?

[Beau Vine 54230]

16 minutes ago, 686 said:

What about snails, oysters, etc. that don’t have brains, are they on the menu or not?

I think there are a lot of vegans who eat those.  

[686 3449]

46 minutes ago, Beau Vine said:

I'm not a vegan, but "Does it have a brain/CNS?" doesn't seem like an arbitrary line.

What about insects? Do these folks not use bug spray, etc? E.g., pouring fire ant killer on a single ant mount possibly kills more “living things with a brain” than the total number of “living things with a brain”  an average person eats in their life. As a species, we are committing genocide against ants, I guess?

[El Diablo 4232]

Long ago there were men and there were ants. The ants started some shit. The sins of the fathers etc...

[Larry T. Spider 1746]

18 minutes ago, 686 said:

What about insects? Do these folks not use bug spray, etc? E.g., pouring fire ant killer on a single ant mount possibly kills more “living things with a brain” than the total number of “living things with a brain”  an average person eats in their life. As a species, we are committing genocide against ants, I guess?

That would also mean that eating a blue whale would be better than something like chicken. Thousands of lives lost vs just one.

[WhatTheBuck 28783]

1 hour ago, El Diablo said:

Liberal Arts.

That doesn't even make sense.

[UDontKnow 10445]

1 hour ago, 686 said:

Here’s what I’ve never understood with these people - isn’t eating vegetables “killing” as well? The carrot is growing, I pull it, skin it alive, and eat it. Where does it end? Where is the arbitrary line drawn?

I'm not supporting any side. But vegetables lack pain fibers - that is the basis for one argument for vegetarianism. The other that comes to mind is plant based diets are allegedly healthier than diets high in meat (especially red meat).

Edited April 1, 2018 by UDontKnow

[686 3449]

32 minutes ago, Larry T. Spider said:

That would also mean that eating a blue whale would be better than something like chicken. Thousands of lives lost vs just one.

The biggest factor I’ve seen that seems to determine if people think it has “rights” or not is how much charisma is it has. I.e., Deer, cattle, foxes etc have people protesting; meanwhile bees, quail, bighorn sheep, and boatloads of other stuff on the ESL, etc  have been having some real struggles and none of these folks are doing anything about that. This leads into another factor I don’t understand the logic of: I think they are more pissed that people are killing and eating the animals than if the animals were dying of disease, or indirect human cause. 

A new resident around Yellowstone asked an old backcountry guide “what can I do to help preserve the ecosystem around the park?” The answer: burn down your house and move back to California. 

We all live in buildings that destroyed habitat and displaced fauna. Farming vegetables on a industrial scale displaces fauna. Our individual existence results in the death of animals. Killing them to eat them vs driving them out of their habitat and/or into death by some other means seems arbitrary.

Edited April 1, 2018 by 686

[Larry T. Spider 1746]

So, let’s say my vegan friend drives from Houston to Austin to have dinner with me at my house. Along the way 87 insects and other small animals smashed against his windshield and die. He then eats a salad for dinner. I eat a steak. 

He killed 87 animals and I killed 1/100th. Who is the bigger monster? Does intent matter?

[Bort 9]

These protests just seem to make meat eaters mad. Not entirely sure who they are protesting to.

[WhatTheBuck 28783]

If I was the butcher across the street I'd feel a little left out. Hey, why don't you come picket my place every now and then?

[F250 28777]

39 minutes ago, WhatTheBuck said:

That doesn't even make sense.

It's a joke about the employability of liberal arts majors.

[Jive Turkey 12598]

Those people should be mocked.  You wanna be vegan?  Fine.  Good for you.

But don't go to meat restaurant and call everybody in there murderers or supporters of murder just because they like the sweet, sweet taste of medium rare steaks.

[Anastasis 23471]

26 minutes ago, UDontKnow said:

I'm not supporting any side. But vegetables lack pain fibers - that is the basis for one argument for vegetarianism. The other that comes to mind is plant based diets are allegedly healthier than diets high in meat (especially red meat).

None of which are good excuses for acting like some fucking assholes. 

[WhatTheBuck 28783]

6 minutes ago, F250 said:

It's a joke about the employability of liberal arts majors.

Oh I know where he was coming from. It just doesn't fit in this story. It's a non sequitur. It could just as easily mean that liberal arts majors make such a lucrative living that they have time for trivial protests. His pet gripe doesn't apply here. He's got a hammer so is inclined to see a nail. 

[George 492]

Hero

[FORTY NINE TO ZERO 2652]

That honestly made me hungry 

[El Diablo 4232]

10 hours ago, Anastasis said:

Seriously.  This guy is trying to make a living at what sounds like a pretty responsible restaurant focused on sustainable game. And these fucking veggies protest this guy.  GTFO.  Go protest the corporate chicken warehouse dumbass. 

I'd eat at "The Chicken Warehouse". Just sayin'...

[kmac30 416]

Those people should be mocked.  You wanna be vegan?  Fine.  Good for you.
But don't go to meat restaurant and call everybody in there murderers or supporters of murder just because they like the sweet, sweet taste of medium rare steaks.

This.

Her stated goal is to turn every restaurant vegan? Sounds like she’s a food dictator to me.

[DocZaius 65]

11 hours ago, Beau Vine said:

I'm not a vegan, but "Does it have a brain/CNS?" doesn't seem like an arbitrary line.

There is mounting evidence that plants have greater sensory perception than traditionally believed - even though they lack sensory organs.  They may not have "nerves" in the same way that animals do, but they do react to all kinds of stimuli.  It's not outside the realm of possibility that they "feel" pain in some way.

http://www.bbc.com/earth/story/20170109-plants-can-see-hear-and-smell-and-respond

 

 

[In re UofA 29]

When does the protest fad go away? Not everyone’s opinion should be foisted on others.

[Jerry Callo 8703]

you can say that again.

[MNLonghornFUKM 8817]