Subhead: Vegetarians on campus run into obstacles in finding food to eat from Dining Services

Subhead: Dining Services’ vegetarian-friendly options may not be enough

 

For many freshman, dining options are limited to what is provided by the Dining Services on campus. At Central Washington University, freshman elementary education major Saadya Ahmed finds that hers are even more limited. As a pescatarian (vegetarian that eats fish, read more here: http://vegetarian.about.com/od/glossary/g/Pescatarian.htm), Ahmed says that she is limited to the salad bar and pasta options. Although vegetarian options are available, she says that since they are prepared on the same grill as non-vegetarian options, she can’t often even partake in those options.

Ahmed grew up in Seattle with her mother, father and four siblings. Her family only eats food that conforms to “halal” requirements, (read more here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halal) which can be compared to the Jewish kosher tradition. While they ate meat that was halal, it took one trip to Ethiopia for Ahmed to swear off of meat.

In eighth grade, Ahmed and her family took a trip to Ethiopia. Her parents discouraged her from looking into how meat is prepared, but Ahmed was curious. When she saw the process, it was the last straw. She has not eaten red meat in five years. By the time she arrived at Central, she was used to finding other options for food.

“If my mom makes food with meat in it, I have to make my own,” Ahmed said.

However, being a freshman that relies on her food program to eat, Ahmed has run into an obstacle in her options for food on campus. For Ahmed, any food prepared on a grill that is shared with meat becomes inedible. Therefore, her options are limited to the salad and pasta bar for fresh food.

Although her dietary restrictions do limit her, she stays strong in her convictions to her lifestyle. At friends house, she does attempt to adapt. Since coming to Central, she has actually made friends who are more understanding than her friends at home had been. Here, her friends will attempt to ensure her food is prepared separately so as to respect her choice.

“It was really hard back in Seattle. My friends back in Seattle used to tease me that I couldn’t have [meat]. But now we’re in college and people don’t really care,” Ahmed said.

Ahmed believes that Central should invest in improving the preparation of vegetarian options. From offering options prepared on meat-free grills to ensuring that tofu is available at all of the food stations (pizza, pasta, Mexican and sandwich stations), she believes changes could be made.

“[Central should] recognize there may be a minority of people who need vegetarian options. They should invest the time and money. Even for people who aren’t vegetarian but want to eat healthier. They wouldn’t lose anything, they’d gain in helping students’ diets,” Ahmed said.