No matter how carefully vegan and vegetarian students navigate their food options, there is always a chance that a stray shred of chicken infiltrates a plate of tofu stir-fry from Collis Cafe, according to Amanda Sheehan, Collis Late Night supervisor. Although Dartmouth Dining Services tries to be transparent with the process of cooking and labelling food, Sheehan said mistakes happen in the rush of preparation.
"It gets so busy up there sometimes that when they pull out the meat, it tips over into the vegetables," she said.
Carefully labelling all ingredients, meeting with student groups and obtaining advice from their staff are some of the measures DDS is taking to provide more options to vegan and vegetarian students. However, many of these students feel their dietary preferences are not being met adequately.
DDS has aimed to regularly offer students a variety of vegan and vegetarian food options for at least five years, according to Carmen Allen, executive chef of Dartmouth Dining Services.
"It's a way of life for us," Allen said about DDS's dedication to the diverse diets of Dartmouth's students . "It's the curriculum that we go by."
To ensure student satisfaction, DDS has communicated with student organizations such as the Dartmouth Vegan Society, Don Reed, manager of Lone Pine Cafe and Collis Cafe, said. The staff is open to student suggestions, according to Allen.
"The students really tell us what they want," she said.
Collis Cafe cook Rebecca Webb noticed a large increase in student appetite for certain vegan items.
"People are eating more, I know that much," she said. "They've never eaten 11 gallons of soup, my gosh."
Still, some students are discontented with perceived limited options for vegan and vegetarian students. Insufficient vegan options in the dining halls forced Marjorie Chelius '11 to abandon her former dietary preferences.
"I'm actually not vegan anymore," she said. "It wasn't the entrees that were difficult -- it was the little things."
For example, Chelius was unable to find plain soy milk in the cafeterias, she said, and would like to see DDS offer "hearty vegan food."
"Stuff that actually fills you up would be nice," she said. Her concerns reflect the fact that vegans, unlike vegetarians, avoid eating all animal products, including eggs and other dairy items.
On the other hand, vegetarian student Diana Wendt '11 said she is satisfied with the dishes DDS offers.
"I feel like there are a pretty good variety of options," she said. "When I go to get sandwiches, it's pretty easy to create your own. I don't really feel like they're lacking in vegetarian options."
Aurora Wells '10 tends to side with Chelius, arguing for a major overhaul of DDS's approach to vegetarianism.
"I think the whole system needs to be revamped," she said. "There are options, but you can get tired of them. I think there's a general frustration with DDS."
The major obstacle in following vegan and vegetarian diets on campus is combatting mundanity in their daily meals, according to students interviewed by The Dartmouth.
"They get kind of boring," Dylan Herr '11 said. "I'd like more vegetarian meals, I guess, instead of just salads."
Despite her poor opinion of food options, Chelius said she is pleased with DDS's proper labeling of its dishes.
"Reading ingredients is really important to me," she said. "I think DDS does an excellent job of putting the ingredients on everything."
