NYT article on vegan stripclub in PDX

[Spine]

The New York Times has an article on Casa Diablo, the vegan stripclub on Highway 30 in Portland that's apparently not doing much better than the pirate-themed vegan restaurant it replaced.

 

"TWO things that you can find a lot of in Portland, Ore., are vegans and strip clubs. Johnny Diablo decided to open a business to combine both. At his Casa Diablo Gentlemen’s Club, soy protein replaces beef in the tacos and chimichangas; the dancers wear pleather, not leather."

 

The article goes on to say that the club is for sale because it's not doing well--imagine that. It's an interesting piece, with a strong focus on body image and sexism as they relate to veganism.

[xbillyx]

I was interviewed for this piece but my comments were edited out. Rats!

[Bill]

That's a really good article. I like how they talk about some of the complexities of promoting veganism.

 

I’m not sure if I buy the argument that this particular strip club was exploitive, or whatever. But I would generally agree that it’s probably not a wise idea to sell veganism through explicit sex appeal because 1) world culture is awash in sexual images, and I doubt seeing one half-naked girl/guy per day out of a few thousand will have much long-lasting effect, and 2) veganism can be unhealthy, if one simply eats refined grains, vegan packaged “meatsâ€

[Guest]

Exploitation is exploitation but stripping isn't necessarily exploitation unless you're very liberal with its meaning...after all...these women choose to do it. When it comes to blatantly saying veganism is healthy...thats wrong but I have less of a problem with that than the majority of people that think red meat makes you stronger than anything else you can eat.