The Discerning Brute: fashion, food & etiquette for the ethically handsome man » green

HoodLamb’s Warm P-Coat With Hemp-Fur

joshuakatcher — Sat, 05 Nov 2011 01:06:16 +0000

As the weather gets chilly, you might be looking for a stylish, wind-proof and water-resistant coat that has a warm fuzzy lining... made from hemp. The sophisticated Long P Coat is HoodLambs latest additional to its line of durable hemp Winter Jackets. Inspired by the traditional Peacoat, it features a stylish collar, a double-breasted front and custom crest buttons. It is lined with a thinner Satifur lining than the Classic HoodLamb, making it a great Fall jacket. This jackets is made from durable hemp and organic cotton and lined with warm cruelty-free hemp-fur. Treated with eco-friendly waterproof coating made from hemp / organic cellulose (a great alternative to the chemical treatments most other jackets undergo) and are completely water and wind proof. Below is the classic HoodLamb Jacket and hat, with a thicker hemp-fur lining. There is even a Sea Shepherd version of the jacket (below), with $55 going directly to the Sea Shepherd with each purchase, and rad Sea Shepherd details:

Weathered Belts, Broken Records & South Korea’s Dog Days

joshuakatcher — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 15:53:25 +0000

• If you like the look of an old, weathered and beat-up leather belt, you've probably been disappointed with the vegan selections thus far. In comes CLIFF belts to the rescue, made from cork. The cork is lightweight, strong, and the belts are reversable. So put a cork in it and go buy one. Eventually, you can even build your own. According to the CLIFF website:

Cork is environmentally preferable to leather as it comes from a lower carbon impact source (tree bark) and does not use animal products in its manufacture (a vegan product). The environmental concerns associated with leather include the energy and carbon intensity of generating animal products and the chemicals used in the leather tanning process that can be damaging to human health and the environment. Cork is a naturally beautiful and greener alternative to leather.

• I feel like a broken record. A new environmental study urges people to eat far less meat and cheese. This one is interesting, though. Unexpectedly, the biggest offender when it comes to GHG emissions is lamb! Lamb is a whopping 50% worse than beef. Damn! What sicko eats a defenseless, cuddly baby, anyway? Macho men, that's who - guys who are tough enough to stand up to a dangerous creature like a lamb! Take that you puffy, fluffy, gentle threat to my manhood.

The deadly creature in question

The Environmental Working Group (EWG) released the Meat Eater's Guide to Climate Change and Health, a comprehensive study warning Americans that the extreme amounts of meat and cheese we eat take a huge toll on the environment, animal welfare and human health. Meat and dairy products require more energy and resources to produce, and generate more toxic waste and pollution than equivalent amounts of potatoes, rice, beans and other plant-based foods. According to the EWG, if everyone in the U.S. chose vegetarian foods over meat or cheese for just one day a week, the reduction in greenhouse gas emissions would be the equivalent of taking 7.6 million cars off the road per year.

• Every year, two million homeless or captured South Korean dogs are butchered and eaten. They are often electrocuted, strangled, or bludgeoned to death and are then skinned, chopped up, and boiled. The cruelty and suffering endured by these dogs is unimaginable. Even though the country's Animal Protection Law, which was passed in 1991, considers dogs to be "domestic pets, officials often turn a blind eye and allow this to continue . Click here to find out more and help.

A dog rescued in 2010 from South Korea's meat trade - In Defense of Animals

Kyotofu is Sweet, John Bartlett’s Jackets, Move & Speed Demons

joshuakatcher — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 16:37:28 +0000

• Kyotofu is a small Japanese restaurant tucked away in Hell's Kitchen. Their house-made tofu puts all other tofu's to shame; it is creamy, luscious, and delectable on its own - which is saying a lot for someone (me) who doesn't love tofu. The chefs transform the tofu into vanilla-chocolate swirl soft-serve (topped with green-tea mochi, brownie, caramel and fruit) that is to die for. The restaurant is not vegan, but there are several incredible vegan options. The sorbet dessert was delicious, and the the dessert that gets the cake is - the vegan chocolate cake. It is dense and slightly crisp on the outside; moist and rich on the inside, and the cocoa they use is so smooth. I will definitely be heading back for more, I'm addicted! • Prior to the dessert binge - Leanne of Vaute Couture and I went to see vegan choreographer James Koroni of enforcedarch.com perform in a benefit show for Autism. I snapped some pictures of his piece "Arrest Yourself" which was dark, edgy and really fun. • The following evening I attended the launch of John Bartlett's collection for Bon Ton, which included some really handsome, vegan faux-leather jackets. Look out for these next fall. • Lastly, I walked into the Tesla store to see for myself what all the excitement is surrounding this super-charged, electric sports-car. I have to say, even though I am more into the classic car aesthetic, I was in awe of how cool this car is, and I was even invited back for a test drive. I hope to report to you on that - and maybe shoot a video of it like my speed-queen pal Annabella at Ethical Bella. In addition being the baddest electric car on the road, Tesla offers microfiber interiors for vegetarians.

Shred the Streets Green

JohnHolden — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 15:41:37 +0000

by contributor John Holden Since 1986 Etnies has been manufacturing some of the most cutting edge skateboard shoes on the market. Now celebrating their 25th year anniversary they are continuing on that path with a new campaign BUY A SHOE PLANT A TREE. For every pair of Jamieson 2 Eco shoes sold Etnies will plant a tree in the rain forests of Costa Rica. The Jameson Eco 2 is not only a stylish pair of shoes but the out soles are made from recycled bike tires and plastic gloves while the laces are made from Pet recycled plastic bottles.

This is Format

joshuakatcher — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 14:49:19 +0000

• The German label, Format, by Mareike Ulman utilizes organic cotton, local and fair-labor conditions, and avoids mass production in the pursuit of sustainability and individual style. The solid and modern shapes matched with the unsaturated shades of black and white make a statement about casual strength.

Anntian Spring’11, Eat the Living & Animal Rescue Corps

joshuakatcher — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 04:07:15 +0000

• ANNTIAN's Spring 2011 lookbook, inspired by the natural, ripe lushness of fruit, features bright colors, organic, lux textures and patters, and hints of psychedelic tribalism - an ode to the future hippie in a sane world. Anttian says "Behind this is our wish to touch on the subject of how important the relationship and behavior towards nature and food and "living together" is. Anntiain strives to use sustainable materials like organic cotton. • "Should we name them?" This was one of the first things one of the "foodies" asked before eating live lobster at 15 East for the sake of Zagat. Immediately the woman in the middle says, "No That will give them personality" and the man on the far right, "then there'll be a whole faction of PETA people that think we're terrible". Eating an animal while it's still squirming requires a serious disconnect, but even more-so, it requires a desire to be seen as controversial, edgy, experimental, brave and cool . The website challenges, "If you’re brave enough to experience it yourself, the special is $120 and feeds two." Listening to the people in the video fumble through rationalizations for doing this is amazing. See for yourself: This reminds me of the recent article, The Moral Crusade Against Foodies, by B. R. Myers, which is a must-read for anyone concerned with food and ethics issues. Image credit: John Cuneo

“A true gastronome,” according to a British dining manual of the time, “is as insensible to suffering as is a conqueror.” But for the past several decades, factory farms have made meat ever cheaper and—as the excellent book The CAFO Reader makes clear—the pain and trauma are thrown in for free. The contemporary gourmet reacts by voicing an ever-stronger preference for free-range meats from small local farms. He even claims to believe that well-treated animals taste better, though his heart isn’t really in it.

• I love the aesthetic of the Animal Rescue Corps. It's very effective, using a military-inspired logo and language like "serving" animals. The real heroism of this organization is showcased in their organized, rescue operations - and President Scotlund Haisley is certainly a Discerning Brute, with impressive and extensive experience in animal rescue, shelters, advocacy, fund-raising and legislation - even rehabilitating 11 of Michael Vick's dogs, and working to rescue of over 1,000 animals in post-Katrina New Orleans. With a focus on Puppy Mills, Companion Animal Abuse, Animals in Agriculture, and Animals in Research, the Animal Rescue Corps is a reserve of true heroes. Why not join them?

CPAS Spring 2011 & China Bans Animal Circuses

joshuakatcher — Fri, 21 Jan 2011 19:37:10 +0000

• CPAS continues to impress with recycled parachute blazers, organic cotton pants and jackets, upcycled tee-shirt liners, cool cuts and innovative accessories. CPAS is fairly-made and never uses leather or fur. Here are some looks you'll see on the racks for Spring 2011: • China has banned animal circuses and warned its zoos that they must stop abusing animals or face closure."Live animal shows and circuses are hugely popular in China, and draw around 150 million visitors a year at 700 zoos", According to The Telegraph. This is one of the first animal welfare laws in China's history. Some highlights of the new law:

• The ban will also force zoos to stop selling animal parts in their shops and zoo restaurants will have to stop serving dishes made out of rare animals, another widespread practice.
• Zoos will no longer be able to pull the teeth of baby tigers so that tourists can hold them
• Zoos will have to stop attractions where live chickens, goats, cows and even horses are sold to visitors who can then watch them be torn apart by big cats.
• Zoos with "entertainment" like live monkey-fighting, tigers jumping through hoops of fire, and bears walking on tight-ropes must immediately discontinue these practices.

The ban came into force on Tuesday January 18th, 2011 across the 300 state-owned zoos ,which are part of the China Zoo Association. This is a huge turning point for China, and hopefully the law will call public attention to the incredible plight that animals who are kept confined or caged, outside of their natural habitat, prevented from doing anything their bodies and minds evolved to do, and forced to perform cruel tricks and beg for food, experience. If China, the country that has bear-bile farms, the largest fur exports in the world (including domesticated dog and cat) and a taste for endangered animal parts, can outlaw animal circuses and other cruel acts -certainly, the United States can too.

De Vegetarische Slager

joshuakatcher — Sat, 08 Jan 2011 17:00:34 +0000

If I were in the Netherlands, I would be a happy man during my lunch hour in The Hague. For it is there, in a charming and handsome storefront, that I would order a half-pound of hand-made, locally-grown lupin-based "meats". Europe's very first artisanal vegetarian butcher, Jaap Korteweg, is trying to bring lupin (once as unfamiliar as quinoa) into the mainstream. Lupin is beautiful, flowing plant that produces a yellow legueme seed. It can be used in the same way a soy bean is used to make tofu, or soy protein - minus the soy. This great news for the soy-intolerant, and for yet another alternative protein source. Has anyone been to this place or made lupin bean dishes? I'd love to hear your opinions!