I am beginning to think that being vegetarian in the dining halls is not as easy as I thought. First of all, Café 1919 doesn’t have very good vegetarian options. The tomato pizza has too many different flavors of tomatoes, I don’t like artichokes, and the panini has SIXTY-SEVEN grams of fat, more than twice as many as a Big Mac. In the dining halls, my options are often limited to salad bar, pasta, pizza and grilled cheese. The food is starting to get quite repetitive. However, I’m not going to give it up. I don’t really have any desire to continue to eat meat. I do miss fish, and sometimes I just want a chicken caesar salad, but I also continually desire chocolate ice cream and doughnuts, and I don’t give in to those cravings.
I do wish the vegetarian options included more variety. I am ready to go home and try out all of the delicious vegetarian recipes I have uncovered this year. Most of all, I want this quarter to be over so I can go back to eating fish. I love seafood, and definitely miss it the most. Tilapia, salmon, sole, halibut, swordfish- it’s all delicious. I know there are environmental problems associated with many fishing practices, but there are also sustainable sources of fish, particularly my favorite, tilapia.
As you can probably tell by this post, I am hungry for non-vegetarian foods. I think I am having trouble getting enough protein and iron in my diet, which is causing me to crave healthy meats like salmon. I have been making a conscious effort to eat more spinach, tofu, and fake meats, and to drink more milk. However, it’s still hard, and it’s hard to tell if I’m getting enough.
My project keeps evolving. I am now attempting to put together a small guide to being vegetarian at UCLA. I have asked some of my friends who are vegetarian/pescatarian/vegan for suggestions and tips, and if you have any I would love to hear them! I am also trying to find good vegetarian restaurants and recipes. I haven’t exactly decided the extent of the guide but it’s coming along. Also, I am no longer making rice but VEGAN COOKIES for my presentation. I was inspired by the delectable vegan cookies at BCaf! I had one today; they are absolutely amazing.
This experience has really changed the way I look at food. I am so grateful for this class and the lessons it has taught me. I used to feel like my personal efforts to be sustainable didn’t really change the way the world worked, but I am started to realize that every effort I make helps some small part of the world and inspires others to do the same. I definitely plan to continue my effort to live more sustainably, both for the health of the planet and my own health.
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