Guest guest Posted October 5, 2006 Report Share Posted October 5, 2006 From the University of Maryland....... If you don't eat meat, fish, poultry, dairy, eggs or any other animal products, what do you eat? That question is currently being asked by Dining Services Director Pat Higgins, who has been working with the Residence Halls Association to provide a cheap outlet for vegan foods in South Campus Dining Hall. And although plans have not been finalized, one option is a Mongolian-style grill that would "offer a better focus for vegans," Higgins said. The grill, which would be stationed near South Campus Dining Hall's Jalaperill, would offer a plethora of options for vegan students. It would include two separated areas - one for meat dishes and one for vegan dishes - Higgins said, since many Mongolian dishes include meat or poultry. Because the grill is still in the "talk stage," discussions about financing the project have not been very extensive, Higgins said. Dining Services works closely with the RHA and the groups must discuss the project together before making any decisions that would impact students, she said. RHA president Michael LaBattaglia said offering more vegan options is "an issue we'd like to tackle early on this year," especially because "offering more vegan options is something that we've been talking about for years." The RHA's first senate meeting is tomorrow, and their first committee meetings won't take place until next week. The senate's Dining Services committee, which meets directly with Higgins, would be in charge of handling the project if it came to fruition, LaBattaglia said. "If this Mongolian grill idea works for more vegan options, once it's discussed in the committee, most likely it will come to the senate as a bill," he said. At that point, thorough evaluations of the financial aspects of such a project would begin. LaBattaglia said since the issue of a new outlet for vegan food has been raised, it would be "one of the first things that will be discussed." Often confused with vegetarians, vegans abstain from all animal products. Because of their dietary limits, which are much stricter than standard vegetarians', finding foods that are both acceptable and tasty can be a difficult task. In the past, Dining Services has been aware of the problems its limited options create for vegan and vegetarian students and have been trying to expand their vegetable-focused fare. Both North Campus Diner and South Campus Dining Hall provide vegetarian selections during breakfast, lunch and dinner, and the Diner has a cooking station called Sprouts that is entirely vegan. Still, vegetarian and vegan options are limited compared to meat-friendly meals. Dining Services' newest plan for more animal-friendly entrees is a push to provide "something different in South Campus, but most importantly to bring a more visible vegan selection," Higgins said. Although the RHA has yet to meet this year, RHA Vice President Sumner Handy said that students raised concerns last semester about the lack of a Sprouts-like food station on South Campus. That concern was somewhat addressed with the addition of vegan foods in the newly expanded Commons Shop, but students can only use Terp Bucks - not their dining points - for those purchases. The new outlet on South Campus would be similar to Sprouts and would allow more students to enjoy a vegan variety, Higgins said. Contact reporter Kevin Rector at rectordbk.Peter H Copy addresses and emails from any email account to Mail - quick, easy and free. Do it now... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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