Joshua Katcher, whose internet mag 'The Discerning Brute – fashion food & etiquette for the ethically handsome man' after only a year is snowballing across the web, most recently graced the pages twice as the centerfold of Time Out New York's Horny Issue, and was featured in Veg News magazines' "What's In Your Fridge?" From publicist to activist, his mouthwatering earth-lite recipes have entered many a star-studded mouth, and his trend-setting fashion and lifestyle advice geared toward men is breaking down the walls of a largely female-oriented movement. If he's not busy veganizing his bubbie's rugelach recipe, being gossiped about on New York Magazine's Grub Street or voted on as "stripster dude you'd most like to hit it with" on Gawker, he's probably at the farmers market scoping the best organic ingredients, helping Olsen Haus to design a line of men's vegan classic boots & shoes, interviewing the fashion industry's eco visionaries, attending a black-tie benefit gala, or hanging out with some rescued farm animals in upstate New York.

]]> http://www.thediscerningbrute.com/2008/10/23/db-named-ethical-fashion-icon-2008/feed/ 2 http://www.thediscerningbrute.com/2008/10/21/woodstock-ny/ http://www.thediscerningbrute.com/2008/10/21/woodstock-ny/#comments Tue, 21 Oct 2008 05:22:19 +0000 TheDiscerningBrute http://thediscerningbrute.wordpress.com/?p=572
On Saturday I went up to Woodstock for my birthday! I hung out at the Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary, named non-profit of the year by Veg News Magazine. Melissa and Alyssa came with me and we met up with Jenny Brown, one of the founders, who showed us around this little utopia. If you are [...]]]>
On Saturday I went up to Woodstock for my birthday! I hung out at the Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary, named non-profit of the year by Veg News Magazine. Melissa and Alyssa came with me and we met up with Jenny Brown, one of the founders, who showed us around this little utopia. If you are reading this, wondering 'what's the need for a farm animal sanctuary', please click HERE. The animals were so forgiving and friendly to us - which is amazing considering that they were all treated horribly by humans before they were rescued. If you live in the New York area, you must go up and visit the farm! Later that evening, we had dinner at Woodstock's Garden Cafe on the Green, and I must say that it is an incredible restaurant. It could rival the best of New York City, easily. The setting is quaint and unpretentious. It is small, warmly-lit, with a french country inspired interior. The presentation of the food was above-par, and the food itself was consistently flavorful, prepared thoughtfully, and simply delicious. In itself, this place is reason enough to go up to Woodstock for the day, but be warned! Reservations are a must. More people than I can count were turned away at the door for not having any. And stick with the specials, they are always exciting and innovative. Vegan food has come so far! It's really great that Woodstock has a place like this.

DB's Etiquette Reccomendation: When visiting a non-profit, it is customary to leave a donation! If you want to do even more, you can volunteer, or ask what other options there are to help, such as sponsoring a pig, like Melissa did! Places like this depend on our money to function, so it's ok that they're not shy about asking.

1. BIRD IN THE MIRROR: One of the major arguments made to rationalize cruelty toward non-human animals is that they have no sense of self. However, there is a test that researches have used to see if an animal can recognize that a mirror image belongs to its own body. Among those that have passed this test are apes, bottlenose dolphins and elephants. A new study suggests that a magpie (as well as crows and ravens) recognizes itself in the mirror, too. Signs of self-recognition are illustrated above: a bird looking in the mirror attempts to remove a paint spot, using its beak and then its foot. Full story.

2. THE NEW YORK TIMES reported yesterday on a group of tattooed bikers that rescue animals and are vegetarians.

“I’m a vegetarian,” said Mike Tattoo (real name Mike Ostrosky), a former bodybuilding champion with a shaved head, great arms covered in art and a probing clarity in his blue eyes...

Having run in crowds where animal abuse was rampant, often involving pit bull fights, the men volunteered at shelters and the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty Toward Animals, and they tried to solve cases of missing or abused animals that other organizations had neither the time nor the resources to address...Next month, the bikers will begin a program in the city’s public schools to educate children about being kind to all animals...