Alfonso Ribeiro says he 'could never be vegan': 'You do your thing and I'll have a steak or a burger'
Because food connects us all, Yahoo Life is serving up a heaping plateful of table talk with people who are passionate about what's on their menu in Deglazed, a series about food.
Dancing with the Stars judge Alfonso Ribeiro is passionate about his protein. "I could never be vegan," he admits. "My wife is always saying to me, 'We should try vegan,' and I'm like 'No, no we shouldn't. You do your thing and I'll have a steak or a burger.'"
In fact, burgers are among his ultimate comfort foods. "The two treats for me have always been burgers and pizza," says Ribeiro. "I am a huge New York pizza guy. I don't do pizza everywhere. I'm also all about having a good burger — not your regular fast food burger, I'm talking about a real diner burger."
So what does the former The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air star like on his burgers? He usually keeps it relatively simple. "I'll do a cheeseburger with cheddar cheese," he says. "I typically don't do the buns now — I like them protein-style — but I'll do a little bacon, a little avocado and a little cheese. That's it."
Though he loves pizza and burgers equally, if he could only eat one food for the rest of his life, burgers would win. "I could never get tired of them," he says. "In fact, when I'm at my golf club, I don't even have to order. They know my order. They say, 'Are you eating today?' and I'll say, 'Yes,' and they go, 'OK, we'll have it ready for you.'"
When it comes to his morning cup of joe, the America's Funniest Videos host takes his coffee just as seriously as his protein choices. "When I was younger, living in New York, my dad would take me to auditions and if I had two auditions, in between them we would go get a coffee," he shares. "Now, I don't want to have to go anywhere to get my coffee. I want it to be easy, which is why I make it at home."
Ribeiro spoke with YahooLife on behalf of his work with The Original Donut Shop to promote their new Snickers-flavored blend. "It's hard in our daily lives when we want to treat ourselves, but we have to get in the car, go places, do different things," he says. "It's so much nicer and easier to be able to have a treat at home. I do the Snickers- flavored coffee because it's easy just to make it at home and have a little treat for myself."
Ribeiro doesn't spend a lot of time in the kitchen, but when he does, it's very businesslike. "The way I am in the kitchen is the way I am in life," he says. "When I go to a mall, I don't go to shop. I go to the mall to go to specific stores to get the things that I need and get out. That's the way I live my life. I do it with a plan, I do it as quickly as possible, and I get it done."
Is there anything Ribeiro won't eat? "I'm not big on the sea," he says. "I'll do a little bit of tuna, and maybe lobster every once in a while, but, honestly, if it came out of the ocean, there's a big chance I'm not going to like it, so I don't even try it."
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