As someone who was vegetarian for six years and still eats vegetarian meals a majority of the time, my campus dining experience at App State has been less than ideal. Just because there are vegetarian options present does not mean App State has done its job.
Although campus dining consistently promises to make changes and improve the quality of food and service at their dining halls, this has not been my experience in the slightest. While I admit the dining halls on campus offer vegetarian options and options for students with dietary restrictions, this is simply not enough. The issue is the alternatives offered in place of the regular dining options are not of the same standard or quality.
About three weeks ago, I went to get food at the Trivette Hall after not eating there for about a year and a half due to all my negative experiences. I had heard about changes and updates to the menu and the dining hall in general, so I wanted to give it another try.
Upon checking the menu, I saw the vegetarian option was a beyond patty, compared to the general option of prime rib. When entering the dining hall, the prime rib smelled and looked delicious, came with sauce and appeared to be well seasoned.
What did the vegetarian option look like? It was a beyond patty, with no condiments, no seasoning and no bun. The texture appeared to be that of a microwaved hamburger patty. I asked the people working at the counter if there was a possibility of getting a hamburger bun to eat the patty with and I was given a singular slice of bread.
The patty appeared to not be cooked properly and the lack of condiments or even bread with it shows how little effort was put into the food. Both my friend and I thought it tasted horrible and could not finish it.
All this is to say that what campus is offering for people with dietary restrictions is not enough. Just providing the options is the bare minimum the university can do to make it look like they are showing up for their students.
The alternative diet options should have the same amount of effort put into them as the general options. Even a small amount of effort could go a long way. A hamburger bun for a completely plain veggie patty is not too much to ask for.
It is the responsibility of the university to curate food menus that have edible and delicious options for everyone, not just those who fall within the majority. Hiring someone who specializes in cooking vegetarian or alternative diet meals would be a great step in the right direction for App State. Listening to the student population and seeing what we want is also something the university could do.
The bottom line is that campus dining always has room for improvement, and in this case, there is a lot of room to improve. App State needs to keep its promise and commitment to improving campus dining for all its students, even those who don’t follow a typical diet.
