A trip back in time to find a lost connection at the fair

Red beans and rice…have you made any macrobiotic friends lately?

One of the truly endearing things about Austin, Texas, (for those who like that kind of thing) is its eclectic nature. The coffee mugs and T-shirts reading, “Keep Austin Weird,” are well placed here. There are some odd and interesting things to be found.

Given that it is in beef country, one has no problem chowing down on plenty of meat in and around town. Some argue, with a good deal of evidence to prove it, that this city is near the very heart of America’s Barbecue Nation as defined by Southwest-style barbecue, at least. (Lockhart just to the south of Austin, and a city of pilgrimage for some diners, is actually barbecue central with more noted BBQ eateries in a small town than in some entire states elsewhere.)

On the polar opposite of this meat culture is a very well developed bent toward vegetarian, vegan, raw and what one might generally term alternative dining. The University of Texas, with more than 50,000 students from around the world, tends to bring lots of ideas to Austin. Some of them stay. At the drop of a hat it’s pretty easy to decide to have breakfast, brunch, lunch, dinner or a late-night snack featuring virtually any kind of cuisine. That’s kind of fun for those who like to play with their food, in a culinary sense.

On Sunday in Austin I had occasion to have a macrobiotic brunch at a place called Casa De Luz. No, this was not painful. On the contrary, it was quite good—hot, tasty, filling with lots of options. We sampled squash soup, red beans and rice, various salads, pancakes, sweet potatoes … it was good, really good. In fact the only mildly unpleasant moment came when I realized that I was most likely the only person in the place wearing a leather jacket. Oh well.

If you don’t know, here’s how at least one source defines someone who is macrobiotic.

“A follower of the macrobiotic diet is mainly vegetarian, but this diet sometimes includes seafood. All other meat products are excluded, as well as eggs and dairy products. Basically, this diet focuses on eating local and seasonal foods that balance each other in harmonic ways. Some people follow this diet as a philosophy of life and others follow it for health reasons.”

Restaurants like Casa De Luz reinforce for me that America’s food culture is continuing to evolve. Some of it may be a fad. Some of it certainly is a response to health problems plaguing the nation. Some of it is probably due to our living in a prosperous country (despite the recent recession) that allows us to experiment with what we eat.

I eat meat and will continue to do so. I know people who don’t, though. It turns out brunch at a macrobiotic eatery is a pretty good way to learn just a little bit more about what they might be thinking.