Interview by Jason Schreurs
Derek Archambault, singer/songwriter of hardcore band Defeater and solo project Alcoa, lives in a small seaside town in New Hampshire called Portsmouth, said to be one of the oldest cities in America. He’s also a longtime vegan, and although his food options can be limited there, he’s always found a way to make dining out and work. Archambault’s hometown food scene may not be the most comprehensive for a vegan, but he enjoys it nonetheless, and there’s always cooking at home.
Are there many places you can go and eat at in Portsmouth?
Yes and no. There are spots that I’ve loved for years. And there are restaurants that try new things and try to be different, and it succeeds for a little while and then people get tired of it and want something new. I’m on the seacoast, so it’s more artsy and liberal than the rest of the state.
So are there vegan spots? Or just places that have vegan options?
It’s just vegan options. There aren’t any strictly vegetarian restaurants in the area. There’s an Asian place an hour or so away that has a vegan menu. Up in Portland, Maine there’s a couple of vegan places that my wife and I will go to, but here it’s mostly just vegan options. Or stuff that’s accidentally vegan, because it’s just simple.
So what are a couple of places in town you like to go to?
There’s this place called Radici and it’s just an Italian restaurant, but everything is made from scratch and their homemade pastas that aren’t egg noodles are fantastic. They have a great homemade tomato sauce and they do olive oil and garlic like nobody else. And there’s this place called The Friendly Toast and I used to work there right out of high school. They’ve had vegan and vegetarian options on their menu for years and years, and I’ve been going there since they’ve been open. There’s also a brewery in Portsmouth called Portsmouth Brewery and they have some vegan options. They have a tempeh Reuben sandwich that’s pretty fucking good.
Is it hard to be around seafood so much being a vegan? I imagine seafood is a pretty big deal in Portsmouth?
Oh yeah, seafood is everything, and everywhere and everyone loves it. Portsmouth is a huge fishing town and every third person is a fisherman, or works on a boat, or has worked on a boat on some point in their life. But I could give a shit about seafood. I’ve been a vegan for 15 years, so I just don’t care anymore. I was never big into seafood and it just doesn’t appeal to me, but even the things I loved growing up, I’ve just lost those memories and the taste for it, so finding the vegan alternative is way more appealing to me. It’s not even second nature anymore. It’s just the way I am, and the way I’m wired.
What’s your favourite meal to make at home with your wife?
We make a pretty good vegan fried chicken, which is half her recipe and stuff we’ve evolved over the years. It’s seitan, but we have a batter mixture with seasoned bread crumbs and we skillet fry it, make some garlic mashed potatoes and homemade gravy, and we’ll do a Sunday dinner every once in awhile with that. We also do a seitan steak and cheese or brisket alternative; we thinly slice it and fry it up with peppers and onions on a skillet. We make everything ourselves and we eat as homemade as possible. We make our own gnocchi as well.
Heck, maybe you guys should open up your own vegan restaurant in town?
Yeah, I don’t think we have the patience [laughs]. As much as I love cooking, doing it for other people in a restaurant environment, and I’ve worked in restaurants, it’s just not my favourite thing in the world.
Alcoa‘s Thank You EP is out December 2 on Bridge Nine Records.
Defeater‘s Letters Home is also available on Bridge Nine Records.
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