Matt Munn is an unassuming renaissance man. He’s a wildly talented artist, kills it on a skateboard, plays in surfy-fuzz-garage-rock bands and runs a donair review blog called Donair or Die. He might also make tables or something. Donair or Die is the lighthouse Vancouverites didn’t know they needed to help traverse the dark, stormy waters that are Vancouver’s expansive donair scene. We sat down and had one-too-many beers and talked about the origins of the blog, pita pride, naked mountain climbing, why the oilfield inspires the best donair and where the “Gang Related” rating system came from. 

Sad Mag: Who are you and who’s Matt Munnch?

Matt Munnch: My name is Matt Munn and Matt Munch is my Donair connoisseur persona. Donairs: they’re not just a food, it’s a lifestyle.

SM: I feel like you are doing Vancouverites a great service but why did you feel the need to start a donair review blog?

MM: Ah. I guess I’ll tell you. Fuck it. It was actually an idea of mine for a while, like just smoking weed, joking around and eating donairs “Man I should review donairs, hahaha”. Then I did acid with my friend and my girlfriend and we got naked and wore Burger King crowns and climbed to the top of this mountain at Cat Lake. On this journey to find the Burger King we were talking about donair blogs and my friend wanted to start one that’s now the Hotdoglogblog and I was talking about my donair one and we told each other that if we get back to Vancouver we’re doing it. Then I started up [Donair or Die] and helped her start the Hotdoglogblog where she literally scans hot dogs in a scanner.

SM: What makes a donair fully Gang Related?

MM: A gang related donair is a classic, you know what I mean? I don’t want to get into it that much but the Canadian donairs came from Halifax. There’s this place called Canadian Donair, I don’t know if you researched it, they created sweet-sauce which pretty much makes the Canadian donair. This is on the east coast, and you know how Fort McMurray is the capitol of Newfoundland [due to the influx of Newfoundlanders working in the oil patch], so from the east coast–Newfoundland, they moved to Fort McMurray and I think with them came the Lebanese who made all the donairs. I feel like that started the trickle down [of donairs] throughout Canada. They make the classic donair, which is the most gang related donair. Classic flatbread with lamb, lettuce, diced tomatoes, onions and a bunch of fucking sweet sauce. They wrap it up in paper and foil so it catches all the pure donair extract. And yeah, that’s what that is. That’s a gang related donair. 

SM: Do you care to make the distinction between donairs, shawarma and gyros or are they all in the same family?

MM: They’re all in the same family. When I started I thought that they were all different but they’re all the same shit man. It’s just what different countries call them. I called out this one place called “Pizza + Donner” and I was like “what the fuck’s a donner?” and then some one schooled me on it [dons a scholarly accent] actually the Turkish call them “donners”, it’s just Canadians that call them donairs. Shawarma, gyro, it’s whatever the fuck you want to call it. 

SM: There’s a wealth of donair/shawarma/gyro joints in Vancouver. How important do you think they are to the local munch scene?

MM: For the wasted homies on the streets late at night it’s exactly what they need. And I wish there was more to be honest.

SM: If you’re hanging out having a few adult pops, a hunger pang strikes and the pizza place is a few blocks closer than the donair, which do you choose?

MM: Depends what I’m feeling that night, man. For the most part my appetite is pizza, burger donair, donair, burger, pizza. So if I just had pizza for lunch I’ll probably take that few extra steps and make it to that donair joint.

SM: You always give whoever’s behind the counter a solid, not handshake, but handclasp for each review. What does it signify and has anyone ever denied you on it?

MM: No one has ever denied me on it. I can’t wait ‘till someone does so I can flip them the bird behind their back. It’s more of a respect thing. What I don’t like about food blogs I’ve found is that there are no pictures. If they do it’s just of the food. I want it to be more of an experience, what it was like there. “And this is the dude who makes your donair,” and slap him a gang-related five. I can tell you the story of where that handshake originated another time. It has to due with a white Rick James on Bowen Island.

SM: In one of your recent posts you went to Edmonton for the holidays and reviewed a local donair spot. You made a claim that Alberta, overall has a better donair than we have in BC, or Vancouver at least. I have to agree with you; I’m Albertan myself (Lac La Biche represent) and the donairs on the prairies are always top-notch, surpassing anything I’ve had in Vancouver so far. Why do you think that is?

MM: It’s two things, and I cannot stress this enough: the sweet sauce. In Vancouver they do not have the sweet sauce correct and it breaks my heart. I was about to get an extract of the sweet sauce from Edmonton and bring it back to Vancouver tell ‘em to figure out what’s in here because this is fucking sweet sauce. The second reason why Albertan donairs are better than Vancouver or BC’s is because of the mentality: It’s the rig pigs, the big trucks, the bros. They just want a big ass, meaty, goddamn, greasy-ass munch and that’s what sells. In Vancouver it seems like they’re battling to see who can put the most vegetables on it. In Alberta it’s a contest to see how fat and juicy you can get your donair.

SM: Most every donair joint in Vancouver claims to have the best donair in the city, it’s usually emblazoned on their storefront in large letters and varying fonts. Is your endgame to find out which one is telling the truth?

MM: In a way yeah, I’m seeing who’s talking smack and who’s talking some gang related shit. I never really liked Donair. Dude to be honest, I remember going there once wasted and not liking it but then people kept getting at me telling me to review it. Then I eventually went [to Donair Dude] and they were claiming “best donair in BC” blah blah blah. Turns out it was the best. It was so fucking good. It was awesome. Some places claim to have the best donair in the world and you get there and it’s cat shit. What the blog is about is to look out for the homies. I trial and error at these places so you won’t have to waste your time at them.

Check of Matt Muunch’s reviews on his blog and get your donair on ASAP.