When my Uncle Zach and I travel, we often worry about food. Both of us have eating restrictions, him being celiac and me being a vegan. As you can imagine, it can be difficult finding restaurants that can accommodate both diets. Since IGLTA, the International Gay and Lesbian Travel Association, was hosting their 2019 travel conference in New York this year, we were both hopeful it would be easy finding options for us. After consulting some local New York vegans, we came across a brand-new restaurant, called MTHR Vegan. It was a burger joint selling the hottest burger in the news, the burger made from plants, the Impossible Burger.
So what is the Impossible Burger?
The Impossible Burger is essentially just a burger, it looks like a burger, cooks like a burger, has comparable nutrition to a burger, and even tastes just like a burger. And that’s not just coming from a vegan, multiple meat lobbyist seems to think so as well. What makes the Impossible Burger different from a regular burger is that its ingredients are all derived from plants. The company’s goal is to make meat without using animals, lessening the carbon footprint this food places on the world. The Impossible Burger was developed in a lab and is mimicking meat at even a molecular level. It contains soybeans that have been genetically altered to produce excess heme, a compound found in the blood that Impossible Foods thinks is responsible for meat-like flavor.
MTHR Vegan
Not only did we have the chance to eat the impossible burger, but MTHR Vegan itself was a great restaurant. There were many burger options, including a guacamole burger, a BBQ option, and a classic. The restaurant also had other items, including cauliflower wings, rice bowls, and fried tofu sandwiches. The place also served cocktails, beer, and kombucha. The staff was extremely helpful and friendly, and we even had a chance to meet the owner and his brother.
How Mother Burger Became MTHR Vegan
The story behind MTHR Vegan is incredibly inspiring. MTHR Vegan has taken over a space that used to be known as Mother Burger, just a standard burger joint in Hell’s Kitchen. The restaurant owner Ken, who owns many different restaurants throughout the city, decided to transform Mother Burger into an all-vegan establishment after trying an Impossible Burger. His reason for this was that our current world is saturated with burger joints, which are responsible for a large number of animal deaths. In order to make a positive change in the world, Don believes there needs to be more places like MTHR Vegan, serving tasty plant-based foods. It also looks like the decision paid off, as MTHR Vegan was a popular place, especially during lunchtime.
Verdict on MTHR Vegan and the Impossible Burger
We loved MTHR Vegan so much that we ate there five times, despite being in New York for only a week. One time for lunch we even brought other members of IGLTA along so they could try the Impossible Burger. The reception for the burger and the place was very positive, even though many of the people we brought were lifetime meat-eaters.
The increase in interest in vegan food in the past few years has been incredible. This has prompted us at HE Travel to start the development of vegan tours. To those who are interested in joining these tours, let us know in the comments where you would like these tours to take place.
Travel with me on our Grand Canyon Rafting tour this July! Read an account of how magical an experience this tour is written by Zach. And read about more vegan restaurants here.
