2008 Woodie Awards
I'm having a cow that there's too much cow
Eirinn Disbrow
Issue date: 9/20/07 Section: Op/Ed
- Page 1 of 1
During these first few beginning weeks of the new school year, many of us have noticed the small changes in the food here at the College. This is an encouraging observation considering that for many people, myself included, the food at Garden Room, GQ and Sandella's can become a little tiresome. Especially being a vegetarian, I often find that on most nights my diet consists mostly of salad and spaghetti, making me constantly crave new additions to the food selection here at the College. Most vegetarians that I talk to agree that maintaining an exciting and healthy diet here can be a somewhat difficult challenge.
Last year, when I first experienced college dining, I was slightly disappointed in the vegetarian options. I noticed that a good night for me would be walking into Garden Room and having to make the difficult choice of either bean tacos or macaroni and cheese for dinner. On "bad nights" I would find meat in most of the dishes, and would end up eating only salad. Although there is supposed to be at least one vegetarian dish every night, I would often notice that this dish would be curiously absent from the Garden Room. When there was actually a vegetarian option it would be a very unappetizing looking tofu stir-fry. Unfortunately, I think that many people believe that vegetarians only eat tofu and vegetables, which is a very limiting assumption. I once asked a member of the GR staff about the vegetarian option that night and they simply pointed to a dish of carrots. Although I do enjoy my vegetables, it would be nice to add something from another food group to my dinner.
Another thing that has always frustrated me is the confusion from the staff at the GQ grill when I ask for a veggie burger. Technically, GQ serves veggie burgers, however, every time that I have ever asked for one, the staff either has no idea what I am talking about or tells me that they are "all out." This is a shame because even people who are not vegetarians often tell me how much they enjoy veggie burgers. At the grill at the beach where I go over the summer they serve the best veggie burgers I have ever had in my life. If the College was able to make veggie burgers the right way then they could potentially become a very popular dish among the students.
Despite some of these frustrating limitations I have definitely noticed the improvement here in the dining over the past year. The addition of Sandella's has given the student body, vegetarians and meat eaters alike, many more options to chose from. I have also noticed that the Garden Room has been occasionally changing up its tofu stir fry with vegetarian chili or vegetable fried rice. I feel that there is still a lot more room for improvement including the availability of veggie burgers at GQ and an attempt to serve something besides meat at the action station in the Garden Room. By fixing these problems and continuing to add more variety in general to our food selection, we would not only satisfy students' desire for more food choices but also improve the health of the entire Student Body.
Last year, when I first experienced college dining, I was slightly disappointed in the vegetarian options. I noticed that a good night for me would be walking into Garden Room and having to make the difficult choice of either bean tacos or macaroni and cheese for dinner. On "bad nights" I would find meat in most of the dishes, and would end up eating only salad. Although there is supposed to be at least one vegetarian dish every night, I would often notice that this dish would be curiously absent from the Garden Room. When there was actually a vegetarian option it would be a very unappetizing looking tofu stir-fry. Unfortunately, I think that many people believe that vegetarians only eat tofu and vegetables, which is a very limiting assumption. I once asked a member of the GR staff about the vegetarian option that night and they simply pointed to a dish of carrots. Although I do enjoy my vegetables, it would be nice to add something from another food group to my dinner.
Another thing that has always frustrated me is the confusion from the staff at the GQ grill when I ask for a veggie burger. Technically, GQ serves veggie burgers, however, every time that I have ever asked for one, the staff either has no idea what I am talking about or tells me that they are "all out." This is a shame because even people who are not vegetarians often tell me how much they enjoy veggie burgers. At the grill at the beach where I go over the summer they serve the best veggie burgers I have ever had in my life. If the College was able to make veggie burgers the right way then they could potentially become a very popular dish among the students.
Despite some of these frustrating limitations I have definitely noticed the improvement here in the dining over the past year. The addition of Sandella's has given the student body, vegetarians and meat eaters alike, many more options to chose from. I have also noticed that the Garden Room has been occasionally changing up its tofu stir fry with vegetarian chili or vegetable fried rice. I feel that there is still a lot more room for improvement including the availability of veggie burgers at GQ and an attempt to serve something besides meat at the action station in the Garden Room. By fixing these problems and continuing to add more variety in general to our food selection, we would not only satisfy students' desire for more food choices but also improve the health of the entire Student Body.