The challenges of eating vegan on campus

By Anastasia Zhelezova | Published by May 15, 2019

Picture yourself in the shoes of someone who made the choice to give up all animal products, meaning no meat, no dairy, and no eggs. What would you eat?  

The answer contains many options, however, those options are oftentimes limited due to the world that we currently live in. Unless you’re standing specifically in a cafe or restaurant that is designed for vegans and/or vegetarians, then the choice of what food or even drink you can get is limited.  

Whether you’re doing this because of your health, the planet, or as a protest against the suffering of animals, the truth of the matter is that the world couldn’t care less.  

“I chose to become a vegetarian for ethical reasons. And once I did more research [and] I realized it could help the environment, I felt more reason to do it,” said Ashley Aucapina, junior, graphic design major. “Once I found out that the meat and dairy industry was inhumane and horrible for the environment, I was able to maintain that lifestyle for four years.”  

However, this was until Aucapina discovered how difficult life on campus was as a vegetarian and therefore she couldn’t do it anymore. 

“It was hard to try to cook on campus and it was also expensive to buy what I needed every week,” said Aucapina. 

Although there are over hundreds of meat and dairy alternatives, people still find the act of shopping for and preparing plant-based meals burdensome. Entering a supermarket like Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods, or even Shoprite, is easy when trying to find both the meat and dairy alternatives and then making a home cooked meal, but try going to a restaurant, or even your local Starbucks and it can be rather shocking to realize that there are very few or even in some cases, no plant-based options. 

 Most never think about this because why would you have to if wherever you go, there is always an option available to you, yet for some, there isn’t and vegans are fed up. (not literally)   

However, with all of the new research, many have switched to a vegan or vegetarian diet for their health, the environment and some for ethical reasons, like Aucapina for example, yet quit because of how much of a reach it was and is in general. 

“Being on campus you just snack on whatever you can or eat something fast. There aren’t a lot of options for those who are vegan or vegetarian,” said Melissa Gomez, junior majoring in public relations. 

Although Gomez stated she is not a vegan nor a vegetarian, she couldn’t help but notice the lack of options there is for those who are. That being said, most people are familiar with the term vegetarian, but just to clarify, it means no chicken, fish, pork, etc. but eggs and dairy are fine.  

With its growing popularity, more people are becoming aware of what it means to be vegan, yet there are some who are not, so if you are wondering what it means to be vegan, now you know the options for eating out are usually little to none.  

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