About 60 men and maybe two women gathered at San Jacinto Plaza today to see two young women in bathing suits snuggle and kiss self-consciously on a blow-up bed to prove that vegetarians make better lovers.
The Downtown event was a traveling publicity stunt put on by the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals to make the point that … well, the point wasn’t exactly clear.
But the crowd of meat-eating males edging ever closer and closer liked the show. No surprise there.
“I came because I want to see what’s going on,” 21-year-old Tony Martinez said without taking his eyes off the girls.
Sitting next to him by the alligator sculpture was Arthur Ibarra, who took a dare to go over and have his picture taken with Fawn Graham and Nadia Elmunaier, committed vegans from Florida.
“I just wanted to see what they meant by vegetarians make better lovers,” Ibarra said. “It’s a good show, but it’s not going to get me to switch.”
Handling press questions was Ashley Byrn, who said she, Fawn, Nadia and the mattress had come across Texas and will head to Albuquerque next.
“They’re doing this because they care very much about animals,” Byrn said. “They were very enthusiastic.”
So why do vegetarians or vegans make better lovers?
"Because they have lower rates of impotence than meat-eaters, but they tend to be slimmer and have more energy," she said. "So, all around, they tend to have more get up and go in the bedroom.”
Don’t ask the question if you don’t want the answer.
But with that, my stomach growled. It was 12:30, and the tough assignment was done. I put my notebook away and headed for the Chase Building where, no offense PETA, there was a beautiful, warm, chile colorado burrito waiting for me at the Los Colorines café.
