I remember coming to Colgate University for the first time in August last year and visiting McDonald’s during international student orientation. Excited to see how it differed from the chains back in India, I walked all the way there to order myself a classic vegetarian burger and fries. Much to my dismay, the only type of food I could order was fries and a drink, and I came back home despondent, realizing that the rest of the semester was not going to be easy.
Coming from a conservative family in India, I was raised with strong values that prohibit eating meat for a variety of meaningful reasons. While I could easily choose to go against these traditions, honoring my family’s principles is deeply important to me. That said, maintaining a vegetarian lifestyle at Colgate has come with its challenges — quality, variety and accessibility often fall short, making this commitment a costly one.
This is not to say that the quality of the vegetarian food already here is not adequate; it is more a call to increase the options already present. In a small town like Hamilton where there is an inherent scarcity of food and food delivery options in comparison to an urban setting, a diverse range of options on campus becomes essential. I believe new initiatives like Paper Lantern (an Asian station with a daily rotating menu) and La Mesa (a Mexican food hub featuring quesadillas and burrito bowls) at Frank Dining Hall offer a good start to this process, and in my view, introducing more variety will facilitate a wider circulation of vegetarian options at and around Colgate.
To me, this topic is so essential because of how basic the need for dietary variety is. While it is understandable that meat options outweigh vegetarian options simply because more people eat meat, I believe it is rational to ask for minor changes. For example, sections such as the Grill at Frank should include both vegetarian and meat options (instead of just the latter) as part of the rotating options that they serve every day. Chobani at the Hieber Café could include more vegetarian sandwiches and wraps along with its various meat options, and Donovan’s Pub could introduce more vegetarian options to supplement its standard quesadillas and burgers.
In addition, at Colgate itself, dining halls could rotate international vegetarian cuisines like East Asian and Mediterranean to provide more options. The student dining advisory committee and its efforts to collaborate with cultural student groups represent a step in the right direction. To further improve transparency, I believe the committee should publish dining hall reports to show how the feedback given by these groups and students is being implemented.
Another potential change could be to encourage the local introduction of food chains such as Chipotle, Cava and others. While the logistical costs could be sizable, I believe chain restaurants would add more refreshing options, particularly for vegetarians. In a small town like Hamilton, these would also provide a wider range of cuisines, benefitting the local community along with Colgate students.
Beyond my own personal dietary preferences, the conversation about a greater range of options also reflects a deeper need for cultural sensitivity and inclusion on campus. Having a meal one likes can be the difference between feeling welcomed and isolated. Thus, this conversation is not just about adding more items to menus but also about making students feel like they belong.
For most people, myself included, food is more than just sustenance. It represents memory, heritage and home. What I eat is a small part of my own culture, and in many ways, it influences how I define my cultural experience. Growing up in India, not being able to eat what the people around me do has always been tough, but my resulting singularity is something I have come to be proud of. While I appreciate the effort Colgate already makes to ensure that everyone is given an equitable amount of food options, I believe there is room for improvement. The goal is not to change the system fully, but just to make small modifications for vegetarian students from within the country and across the globe. Through collaboration and creativity, I believe Colgate can take a step towards more inclusive dining, one vegetarian dish at a time.
