There’s no doubt veganism is far more substantial and reputable than a fad or trend. It’s not an inconvenience or a hassle and it’s not dumb. However, the reasons for choosing a vegan diet – or plant-based, as it’s referred to at Boon Burger Café – are still loosely connected and not easily pinned down.
Walking into the Ottawa street restaurant, the most recent Ontario location since the chain made the move east from its flagship location in Winnipeg, the love of animals is the striking reason. A glassy-eyed piglet tromping through wildflower grass next to a smiling goat will leave you guilt-stricken and resorting to fight or flight instincts. Mike Spadafora, the owner, insists it’s the minimalized environmental impact a plant-based diet allots to – it’s vital to reduce the water and feed as well as methane-rich farts at competing inputs and outputs. Jokes aside, it’s legitimate, and so is the menu.
It’s more burger joint than café and their burgers aren’t shy on flavour. All grilled, there’s four hand-pressed patties to choose from, including the Buddha (chickpeas and brown rice spiced with curry, ginger and cilantro), the white (chickpeas, brown rice and oats with nutritional yeast and a potato crumb crust), the black bean (black beans, red beans, lentils and brown rice seasoned with chilies), and the most popular Boon patty (mushrooms, brown rice, lentils and oats with oregano and a firm hit of black pepper). From there, just choose any of the globally inspired burgers, like the Jamaican Me Crazy, Mariachi, Bombay Heat or Greek Almighty with an exceptional tzatziki.
The popular choice is the bacun cheeze burger. And this one fits most neatly into the vegan propaganda of meat imitation. Absolutely, with pickles, vegan mayo and a slice of daiya cheese, it’s satisfyingly similar to the real thing. It’s great, but it begs the question: is veganism destined to remain a quasi-cuisine or will it break the Western mold of meat as the protagonist surrounded by supporting vegetables?
Veganism fits most Asian and East Asian cuisines, in curries and stir fries, where meat is a luxury. But in those cultures, animal cruelty activists and environmentalists are few and far between. It’s the added health benefit that makes up the third camp of reasoning for vegans. And in that lands the advent of pizza. In Italian cuisine exist disparity between the meaty comfort classics and the seasonally light dishes. And pizza fits both arrangements. At Boon, it’s peace-za.
The cheekily named “animal lovers” pizza comes on a crisp and airy crust dressed with a sweet tomato sauce, silky bacun (tofu), a lattice of smoky barbecue sauce and arugula to cut the richness. For plant-based it throws its weight around.
The reasons for veganism. The benefits. The outcomes. They can all become distracting. What’s fundamental and emerging – lurching into the mainstream – is that veganism is good. And so is Boon Burger Café. So grab a beer or a kambucha, whether your planning or nursing a hangover, and live life as happy as a pig in shit.
.mike 