Walking into the commons every night for dinner is always an experience full of emotion. I don’t mean that I cry as I hand the cashier my swipe card, or I smile greatly as I load the eating utensils onto my tray (that would be a tad bizarre). What I’m talking about is the feeling of disappointment, or relief depending on the circumstances, to what options are available for that night’s meal. Being that I am both a vegetarian AND a health freak, my choices at school are rather limited, which is something I’ve grown used to over the years. Nonetheless, it certainly doesn’t make life easier.
My basic dinner consists of a large plate of salad made by yours truly from the salad bar selections, a dinner roll, and a small bowl of the fruit of the day. The quality of the food has yet to dissatisfy me, though several of my peers would likely disagree with my taste in what I consider good food, and that is perfectly fine by me.
My only real complaint regards one of the few foods I am able to consume – tofu.
Most of the time, Findlay Commons is pretty good at having a container of tofu as part of the salad bar; however, there have been various occasions when I have not been able to toss the soy coagulate onto my salad. It is not that not having tofu in the salad bar is really that big of a deal, but looking at it from my perspective, it just makes things that much more difficult. Try to imagine living a particular way. You don’t eat meat because you’re a vegetarian, you don’t eat pasta and other carby dishes because you care about eating very VERY healthily, and the one thing you can eat and enjoy eating is somewhat soiled for you because it’s not made available to you that evening. Sure, it may sound like a stupid problem, but for me, it’s very real and very disconcerting. As a vegetarian, I have to stay on top of my daily nutritional intake to make sure I am getting the proper nutrients. Tofu happens to be a great source of protein, calcium, and dietary fiber, so when I can’t plop it onto my salad, my entire diet for that day has been thrown off. All in all, I would just appreciate it if the school would provide tofu and other meat substitutes everyday at every meal. So my question to you is what is one food you wish would be a daily option in the commons and why?
Great post...I think Findlay Commons sucks for vegetarians and non-vegetarians alike. I can't stand eating there. But anyway, the only thing I wish was there everyday was Peachy Paterno Ice Cream...as you can tell I care about eating healthy food haha.
ReplyDeleteAllie,
ReplyDeleteI really loved how you directly addressed the audience with a question at the end. My answer would probably have to be those apples they supply with the peanut butter, they don't provide it everyday and it really pisses me off when they don't. I try to eat apples everyday because well- it keeps the doctor away? I guess...haha. Don't feel silly about being upset about this because I know exactly how you feel! I've been dieting for a while so when I can't eat exactly what I want, I feel like my day has been thrown off. You're not alone! It must be hard to be a vegetarian and I admire you for it because I don't think I could ever do that. I always wondered how people were able to do it.
Great post!
Good point! You should come to Simmons Dining Hall in South. I live in Pollock and I go there all the time, its like the "healthy eating" dining hall, and they have a ton of great healthy and vegetarian options. And they always have tofu! I wish they had couscous in the dining halls..Simmons got me hooked on it and I never give up hope it'll appear in another dining hall. I have yet to see it elsewhere though. But I really enjoy reading your writing- your sense of humor really comes through. Can't wait to keep up with this blog.
ReplyDeleteAllie,
ReplyDeleteI totally agree. I'm not a vegetarian but I still enjoy my tofu and would love it if all dining commoms had it as an option everyday. I would love if the dining commons had grapes everyday. They are my favorite fruit and I like to mix them with yogurt and granola but when they don't have them, I rule out my parfait creation all together and it saddens me haha.
Sophia
Allie,
ReplyDeleteI have a friend who just recently became a vegetarian and he always complains when there isn't any tofu. I just never understood why tofu was so important so I liked that you included why it is so important early on in your blog.
To answer your question, I wish there was tomato soup in the commons everyday. I love tomato soup! My dad always used to make it when I would stay with him on weekends when I was little. Now when I eat tomato soup it reminds me of being a kid. I would eat it everyday if I could.
Allie,
ReplyDeleteI agree with everything you have said in this post. I am vegetarian, so it really hits home for me. I have faced the exact same problem many times in the past. It's very difficult sometimes to find tasty vegetarian food. Sometimes I feel like the dining halls forget about the existence of vegetarians and only cater (literally) to those who support the inhumane slaughtering of innocent animals. Tofu is delicious, and I too put it on my salads. At Simmons dining hall I make the best salad with the Caribbean Mango dressing. I love eating anything with tofu. Sometimes at Simmons they do not have tofu, and it bothers me greatly. As for getting the proper nutrients, I tend to worry less about that. I don't know why, but I have always seemed to be properly nourished nutrient-wise. Though I do agree that it's important to monitor nutrient intake. Good luck with finding vegetarian food in the dining halls and I look forward to reading your next posts!
I have seen many of my friends have to deal with this issue also. I have a hard time finding protein because I don't really like meat very much. It would be nice if they always provided fish because I usually enjoy that a lot more.
ReplyDeleteWell, I am an avid omnivore. So I eat any and everything (at least once). But I was just talking to my friends yesterday saying how lucky I was not to have to tip-toe around what I eat. Whether it is because a person keeps kosher, gluten free, vegetarian or vegan, it has to be hard constantly consuming in a place where those practices are not practiced by the majority of the people. I mean, I have a few allergies so I have to accommodate for those but I can deal with some itchy gums every now and then for a strawberry or two. With that said, I wish the dining commons had tofu, and good tofu, every night, for you to enjoy.
ReplyDelete