I know we just talked about Natalie Portman yesterday, but let's face it, she's kinda magical. How magical? Enough to make a steakhouse go vegetarian—at least for one night.

It all went down on last night's episode of Top Chef. (Warning: Spoilers ahead for those who haven't seen it yet.) Like my fellow PETA Files blogger, Missy—who gave us a heads-up about this treat back in July—I'm a fan of the show despite its constant emphasis on serving up, well, dead animals (which the contestants bizarrely insist on calling "protein," as if they're nutritionists instead of chefs).

True to form, the opening "Quickfire Challenge" involved creating TV dinners inspired by iconic TV shows, and all of them ended up meat-centered. So when the chefs were told that the "Elimination Challenge" would take place at judge Tom Colicchio's Vegas steakhouse, Craftsteak, they eagerly began planning which cut of meat to use and how to cook it.

But Top Chef loves its surprises, and this week's came in the lovely form of guest judge Natalie Portman, who told the cheftestants, "I love food. I love eating. I'm pretty adventurous with flavors and different cuisines, and the one thing is, I'm a vegetarian." Cue the dramatic music and shocked faces.

 

 

Some of the chefs, like Robin and Mike I., professed confidence in handling a veggie challenge, while others were apprehensive, including Kevin, who had earlier proclaimed, "Cooking meat is me in my element!" But more surprises were in store, as meat-loving Kevin won the challenge with his hearty ensemble of mushrooms, smoked kale, candied garlic, and turnip purée.

I hope this episode provides aspiring chefs—both on and off the show—with food for thought (sorry).

Written by Jeff Mackey

Timeout / CC

I love this stuff. In case you missed it, TMZ posted an article the other day suggesting that a) Morrissey was seen eating at an STK steakhouse in Los Angeles, and b) vegetarians who eat in steakhouses are hypocrites. Both of these statements have turned out to be pretty off base. As far as the first one is concerned, a rep from STK has released the following statement:

And as far as the second point is concerned, you can read my dissertation on the subject here.

Morrissey’s rep also very kindly contacted us last night to alert us to the STK statement and point out that the TMZ piece “also erroneously alluded to a disagreement between Morrissey and PETA who remain mutual supporters and admirers.” True dat!

First of all, let me say that I’m a big fan of TMZ. They're a hell of a lot of fun to read, and (most importantly), they cover stories about PETA whenever we do something awesome—which is a lot. But a blog they posted today, entitled “PETA - hypocrisy, table for one,” is kind of begging for a response—especially since it raises an issue that causes some confusion even within the animal rights movement. Their theory, if I understand it correctly, is that ethical vegetarians are hypocrites if they even step inside a restaurant that sells meat. I get where the idea is coming from, but it’s so fundamentally opposite to the way we actually need to do things if we want to make progress with animal rights that I feel like I should spell it out here.

As much as we’d like it to, Progress ain’t gonna come if we just sit here and wish with all our hearts that all the steakhouses go out of business. When progress does come, it comes in the form of steakhouses adding a veggie option or two to their menus. And then a couple more. And then, when they see that they’re big sellers, keeping them there, and in the process showing some of their regular customers that there are actually a whole lot of really tasty alternatives to meat. But that’s not going to happen if all the vegetarians in the world turn up their noses and refuse to eat at any restaurants that also sell animal products. Same deal with grocery stores—no one’s doing anyone any favors by refusing to shop at supermarkets that aren’t 100 percent vegan. The smart thing to do is to vote with your dollars, because if businesses don’t even know that there’s a big market for vegetarian options, they’re not going to have a whole lot of incentive for providing them.

One last thing on this—I’ve talked about the positive-reinforcement technique, but for every carrot, there’s also a stick, and that’s why PETA and other animal groups apply pressure to specific companies that are the absolute worst of the worst in the way they treat the animals they use, by calling for an all-out boycott until certain improvements are made. It’s a tried-and-true technique, and we’re going to keep using it. But it doesn’t mean that you should avoid going to a fast-food restaurant with your family and ordering the veggie burger. Because that would just be dumb.

Update: This whole thing started when TMZ reported that Morrissey was seen inside a steakhouse. Turns out they actually misreported it after all. My point still stands though.