Pushing Campus Dining Plans-Vegetarian Friendly

Good food is the right of every life on earth. This is what we vegetarians miss at Texas Tech University Campus (TTU). TTU is highly diverse but the food served by the Hospitality Services does not cater to the diverse community dining requirements. I felt the need to bring it to the notice of Texas Tech Hospitality Services (TTHS) to cater to the necessity of vegetarians who study and work at Tech.

TTHS must improve at least in two ways suggested as below. First it should provide more food options to vegetarians, it should shed the careless attitude to the concerns of vegetarians. Many of us are from a culture where anything other than vegetarian is no option. It may be due to religion or family preferences. This is not best understood by many catering facilities available on campus as this may not be a part of their culture or routine.  First of all, TTHS should understand the specifications of a vegetarian diet. As vegetarians we do not eat meat, poultry, fish, or other sea animals. Generally, vegetarians, avoid any form of hidden animal products. The salad options have meat added to those too. When a vegetarians happen to eat meat unknowingly it affects their sentiments.

I wish to state strongly that the TTHS has no concern towards ‘vegetarians’ on campus.  The "Healthy Eating" web page on our TTU website, which claims that they have a 'smart choice brochure' for vegetarians, takes us to broken page and shows error. They have not fixed this broken link only because they have no choice for vegetarians. The link alone is not crushed, but are the eating options to vegetarians. They claim that they are concerned on the web page, when actually they are not. The efforts of some of the vegetarians on campus to bring this to the notice of person in charge were in vain. He did not care to listen, probably because he was not a vegetarian who did not eat meat, fish or poultry.

According to me the TTHS are doing this only with a business motive. TTUHS must work on serving vegetarian friendly foods on campus. My father and grandfather were running a Hotel Business, and always used to tell us that they were more concerned and responsible to serve good, fresh, healthy and tasty food to others, if they took money or do it as a service or donation. This quality which is instilled in me created an impression that TTHS is not doing a great job. One of the basic necessities for humans is good and preferred food. If TTUHS cannot provide it to the necessity of people from diverse backgrounds, how well will the education TTU provides serve their purpose? I would like to remind that better facilities are offered by other universities in Dallas, Austin and Arlington areas.

I try to prepare my own food, but when the course and work demands more time, or during exams, we feel if there is a place to get some food, that would be helpful.  It is not preparing the food alone, going to grocery stores, cleaning, and cooking are very time consuming and not affordable when quality work is demanded by school or work.  If we are unwell, sometimes we have to starve on campus without even a hot vegetarian soup. I have no questions about how much TTHS charges or why, but I want them to include vegetarian hot meal options, that are healthy, prepared by people who are trained a bit. I do not expect a dramatic change immediately, but a slow start with minimal staff, minimum equipment and a reasonable training with a little consideration towards vegetarians on campus.