When I left home for RPI, I was told that the food wouldn’t be as good as home. I came to expect that. But I didn’t expect to be forced to eat the same thing every day. As a vegetarian, I realize that I have consciously limited my options, but I hoped that the dining halls wouldn’t limit them further.
I know that I’m part of a small group of vegetarians on campus. The Commons tries to meet the needs of all students, but they fall short of meeting the need of the non-meat eaters. Not just vegetarians avoid meat. It can be a healthy, and often a tasty al-ternative to the usual dining options. It wouldn’t be con-stricting for the diners as a whole; I know that when tofu is served, it’s almost always a popular option. Perhaps the chef would be willing to serve tofu and soy substitutes more often.
There aren’t enough options in there. I’ve been made aware that they will fire up a veggie burger if I request one, but I often can’t wait the twenty minutes for the food to cook. There has to be a better option than the daily slice of cheese pizza, cup of soup, salad, pasta, and grilled cheese sandwich. And often, a soup that they have labeled vegetarian tastes like it was made with beef or chicken broth. In addition to this, there have been times when (especially in the theme cuisine) a vegetarian meal is tainted with meat by careless preparation.
I’ve written almost 20 comment cards to the Commons, petitioning for more vegetarian options and specials. At the end of last semester I got a response to one which promised that “next semester, there will be a revamped menu that’s more vegetarian friendly.” It’s been almost a month, and I’ve yet to see any changes in the food.
It looked promising the other day when we were served burritos with a “Vegan Filling.” When I got to the front of a long line, I suspiciously eyed the filling; it looked like seafood. Knowing that the Commons has had issues with vegetarianism (they told me, through a comment card that vegetarians are “allowed” to eat seafood), I asked the women be-hind the counter and she told me that the filling was made with white clams. When I asked after the fact, it turned out that the women was just misinformed, and it was a soy based meat substitute. However it is incidents like this one, and another day of the same food, that make me wonder if I’ll buy a dining plan next year.
