-
A Toronto chef taunted vegan protesters by carving meat in front of them.
Michael Hunter is the executive chef of the Antler Kitchen & Bar in Toronto. He calls himself The Hunter Chef since the restaurant specializes in wild game and personally-foraged ingredients.
Marni Ugar, who organized the protest, says she targeted Antler because they claim to support ethical farming. She told Unilad: “I chose Antler because their patrons feel good about eating ethical meat. I believe there’s no such thing; for that one animal, no matter what kind of animal and how they were raised, that’s their life and they don’t want to die.”
She says she first noticed the restaurant when she was walking by last December and saw a sign in front that read: “Venison Is The New Kale.” But when the protesters showed up, Hunter set up shop at the front of the restaurant and began carving up a giant deer leg. Though he seemed fairly composed, Ugar said: “When Michael came to the window carving into the leg of a deer, he looked like a crazed man unravelling in front of us, taunting a group who were there because they care about animal welfare.”
He didn’t just carve the meat in front of the protesters. When it was cooked, he came back to the front of the restaurant and ate it!
Hunter has avoided interviews with the media, but a post to their Instagram featured a spring cocktail with the caption, “Need a drink? We sure do.”
The protesters believe Hunter’s actions were especially cruel, given the circumstances. Activist Len Goldberg said: “We chose that particular location to do our vegan outreach because that restaurant goes beyond the profound problem of serving the bodies of murdered animals, to actually celebrating the murder of animals.”
Their ultimate goal, they say, is for Antler and other restaurants to switch to a 100% vegan operation. It’s unclear if the protests have affected Antler’s business, though plenty of carnivores online are showing their support.
What do you guys think? Do the vegans have a point or are you already trying to make reservations at Antler? Let us know in the comments.
For more stories, follow us on Twitter at @WhatsTrending.
