I’ve been a vegetarian on and off since middle school. Sometime around sixth grade, I thought maybe eating animals was wrong (a wonderful prelude to my future major: philosophy) and promptly announced my newfound vegetarianism to my parents. They didn’t allow it. Questions about my protein intake were brought up, and honestly, I didn’t have a good response. At that point, I hadn’t learned the magic of soy protein, seitan or just adding more beans to my meals. As time went on, I was able to eat a plant-based diet and get protein just fine, but I also lived in New York City. Vegetarian options on menus when I went out were common and tasty, and my mom learned to accommodate my diet when cooking dinners for me. When I came to Colgate, however, things became a bit harder.
At first, I ate a lot of tofu from Frank Dining Hall. In a rush, my go-to meal would be to grab a slice of pizza and make a quick salad with tofu. Though after about a month of that, the meal became just a quick slice of pizza and maybe some fries on the side. About a month after that, I realized I hadn’t had a vegetable or protein in a while. Grabbing a slice of pizza or a plate of pasta for dinner after a long day of classes and extracurriculars was just easier, and it seemed like the only thing I could eat and somewhat enjoy. After constantly feeling groggy after dinner, I embarked on a quest of the vegetarian variety: finding the best vegetarian options on campus. Here were my findings.
The best vegetarian meal I have every week is at “Chili with Lily” on Wednesdays at Chapel House. “Chili with Lily” offers homemade vegan chili that can be customized with toppings like sour cream, rice cheese and tortilla chips. Although this may be out of the way, I promise it is worth it. Some weeks feature regular chili while others offer white bean chili; both are vegan. Along with the chili, there are vegan desserts that you would never guess are vegan. Of course, you can add toppings to make the meal vegetarian instead of vegan, and it is also a great meal for those who aren’t plant-based eaters. Plus, Lily, the Chapel House therapy dog, is always around to say hi.
Of course, Chili with Lily is only once a week, so this means planning for the rest of the week is necessary. My next favorites are the omelet station in Frank, the 13 Street Deli in The Coop and Chobani at the Hieber Café in the library.
In the mornings, the line to the omelet station is definitely worth it to get a breakfast that will sustain you for a while. Even though the line seems intimidatingly long, it goes by quickly — I promise. There, you can have plant-based sausage and even plant-based eggs as the base of your omelet. The same applies to the pasta station, which has plant-based meatballs.
The 13 Street Deli has tofu as a protein option for a sandwich, and instead of being the same cubed tofu pieces that Frank has, it is sliced to mimic deli meat. If you aren’t a big fan of the flavor of tofu, I recommend adding a bunch of veggies and sauces, from chipotle mayo to hummus. This can be preordered on the Boost app to avoid any wait, making it an easy option for lunch.
Chobani is another great option for a vegetarian meal that you can preorder through the Boost app and pick up without having to wait. Along with their creations, which can be made to be either vegan or vegetarian, they have vegetarian breakfast sandwiches, salads and grilled cheeses. I will say, this is a better option if you are a vegetarian rather than a vegan.
Finally, I have to mention Donovan’s Pub. It took until the beginning of my sophomore year to realize that they have vegan chicken tenders that can be substituted in a sandwich. As someone who is very skeptical of meatless meat, this was actually a pretty solid late-night meal and substitute for my dearly missed fried chicken sandwiches.
While you definitely do have to make an effort to eat vegetarian or vegan on campus, it is not impossible to plan meals that aren’t just pizza and French fries for dinner.
