2008 Woodie Awards
On-campus eating hard for vegetarians
Tyler Waldman
Eats | 4/7/08
When I first came to campus several semesters ago, one thing that I thought would be better on campus than at home was the food. Now don't get me wrong, I love my mom's cooking. But the thing is I'm a vegetarian, the only one in my house. I figured, since TU is a college campus, I should be able to wrangle up a Boca Burger with few issues and little ridicule.
Not entirely so, I discovered back in 2006. Being a vegetarian on campus and making healthier choices in general takes skill, good timing, and a willingness to take a hike for the good stuff.
The dining halls are always a safe bet. When I lived on campus, the vegan fridge tucked away in the corner of the Glen Dining Hall was my best friend.
Tofurky, soy cheese, and some canola oil mayonnaise made a pretty decent sandwich, with a little bit of legwork.
Newell Dining Hall's mostly-vegetarian-anyway choices also made life a little easier. The pasta, stir-fry, and sandwich bars make meat entirely optional, which is nice.
Elsewhere, things are a little rough. Paws is out of veggie burgers about a third of the time when I drop by. In the Susquehanna, I can only really count a handful of vegetarian entrees in the whole place.
The Den cooks their veggie burgers on the same grill as some meats, making them technically vegan-unfriendly from what I hear.
In situations where everything but Paws and the Den is closed late on a weeknight, I often end up planning ahead, stuffing a snack bar in my backpack or bringing change for the vending machine to avoid having to go pay almost $7 for a burger combo that might end up not actually being there.
Patuxent's grill is a nice exception, when it's open. Tasty salads, pastas, and two vegetarian paninis are how it should be done. Of course, the Patuxent is only open a few hours a week, which everybody laments.
Furthermore, establishing menu items for vegetarians is more than just slapping Boca Burgers in a microwave. Other alternative foods, like faux chicken tenders and tofu hot dogs, are options I wish dining services would consider. Beyond that, maybe some thinking outside the box might be in order, like cooking up some tofu or a grilled vegetable sandwich. It doesn't have to look like meat to taste good.
Don't get me wrong. Chartwells does an OK job. They label things, they have separate entrees; all sorts of things are taken into consideration.
I don't expect huge menus of stuff to pick from. I didn't cut meat out of my diet to get more choices. That would be pretty crazy. But choices are nice, and it would be good to be able to pick from more than one thing on the menu that I can eat.
The convenience stores on campus and the University Store could also stock different items, like those tasty Amy's Kitchen frozen dinners, or even-for a different take on a collegiate classic-vegetable ramen.
Until those changes happen, most vegetarians on campus looking for dorm room delights would be better served dropping by the supermarket, where, as it stands right now, the good stuff is better and cheaper.
Not entirely so, I discovered back in 2006. Being a vegetarian on campus and making healthier choices in general takes skill, good timing, and a willingness to take a hike for the good stuff.
The dining halls are always a safe bet. When I lived on campus, the vegan fridge tucked away in the corner of the Glen Dining Hall was my best friend.
Tofurky, soy cheese, and some canola oil mayonnaise made a pretty decent sandwich, with a little bit of legwork.
Newell Dining Hall's mostly-vegetarian-anyway choices also made life a little easier. The pasta, stir-fry, and sandwich bars make meat entirely optional, which is nice.
Elsewhere, things are a little rough. Paws is out of veggie burgers about a third of the time when I drop by. In the Susquehanna, I can only really count a handful of vegetarian entrees in the whole place.
The Den cooks their veggie burgers on the same grill as some meats, making them technically vegan-unfriendly from what I hear.
In situations where everything but Paws and the Den is closed late on a weeknight, I often end up planning ahead, stuffing a snack bar in my backpack or bringing change for the vending machine to avoid having to go pay almost $7 for a burger combo that might end up not actually being there.
Patuxent's grill is a nice exception, when it's open. Tasty salads, pastas, and two vegetarian paninis are how it should be done. Of course, the Patuxent is only open a few hours a week, which everybody laments.
Furthermore, establishing menu items for vegetarians is more than just slapping Boca Burgers in a microwave. Other alternative foods, like faux chicken tenders and tofu hot dogs, are options I wish dining services would consider. Beyond that, maybe some thinking outside the box might be in order, like cooking up some tofu or a grilled vegetable sandwich. It doesn't have to look like meat to taste good.
Don't get me wrong. Chartwells does an OK job. They label things, they have separate entrees; all sorts of things are taken into consideration.
I don't expect huge menus of stuff to pick from. I didn't cut meat out of my diet to get more choices. That would be pretty crazy. But choices are nice, and it would be good to be able to pick from more than one thing on the menu that I can eat.
The convenience stores on campus and the University Store could also stock different items, like those tasty Amy's Kitchen frozen dinners, or even-for a different take on a collegiate classic-vegetable ramen.
Until those changes happen, most vegetarians on campus looking for dorm room delights would be better served dropping by the supermarket, where, as it stands right now, the good stuff is better and cheaper.
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