D
id you know that the Marketplace has been offering vegetarian and vegan food options for about 10 years?
“We’ve offered vegetarian and vegan meals since the beginning, but now we’re adding more to the menu,” residential dining chef and productions manager Charles Downs said. The goal is to provide for all students and staff including vegetarians, vegans and students with dietary health problems.
The Marketplace staff started to make the push toward more vegetarian and vegan food options in fall 2012 because they wanted to provide those students with more appetizing food choices.
Recently, the Marketplace has introduced new grains and beans to the pasta and salad venues. The most popular whole-wheat grain among students is quinoa, which can be found in the pasta section. They also have introduced new healthy sauces, oils, vinegars and dressings. Along with these new options, the Marketplace continues to offer hummus, grilled vegetables, salads, soups and a variety of fresh fruits. Downs stated that students could make a variety of dishes using these new grains, beans and vegetables. The Marketplace also offers a vegan lunch and dinner entrée every day. All vegetarian and vegan food options are marked with signs labeled “(v)” for vegetarian or “(vegan)” for vegan.
The cooks in the Marketplace also take special precautions when preparing the vegetarian and vegan foods. The food is cooked in ovens and fryers used solely for those products. The employees at the check-in station also have a cookbook filled with the recipes of the food prepared in the Marketplace. If you ever have concerns about the food you are eating, you can check the book for nutritional facts and ingredients.
In the coming weeks, the Marketplace will be bringing in new vegetarian and vegan food from the company Gardein. Information on Gardein [garden + protein] food products is available on their website, www.gardein.com. These foods are a meat substitute and are a good source of protein. Students who would like to eat these foods will have to put in a special request to the chef. The Marketplace staff will soon be putting up signs indicating the new food options and their nutritional facts; they hope to get a positive response from both vegan and non-vegan students.
First-year Jenny Laliberte has been a vegetarian for four years now and eats a vegetarian meal from the Marketplace every day. “I am so excited about the new vegetarian options, as well as many other Etown students who are deciding on healthier choices,” she said. Laliberte also mentioned that many of the hot vegetarian meals in the Marketplace aren’t as healthy, so many students choose to eat a salad instead. “I feel that having more healthy hot options at the Marketplace will make vegetarians feel more comfortable when deciding what to eat, as well as other students being able to enjoy these healthier selections,” Laliberte said.
Downs feels the same way, and is hoping students like the new options. “We need to get people educated and market it better.” The Marketplace is open for suggestions about the food; this helps them understand what the students like and dislike so they can make changes for the next semester.