Vegetarian Island

3

Ramkumar

Shreya Ramkumar

Professor Wells

Hon English 102

24 September 2014

Vegetarian Island

It was my first day of school in the United States. As a second grader, I walked into the crowded lunchroom without any friends. I peered into the vast lines of hungry children waiting to be served. It was like nothing I had ever seen. The ocean of people rushed past me as I stood there without a clue--as though I was presumed to understand how school in the United States worked. I was suddenly rushed into a river like line with my teacher persuading me to get some food and eat before the bell rang. I stood there, not sure why I was in line or what I was going to do once I got to the front, where I would face the hardest decision of my life. The river continuously flowed until I was finally in the ongoing delta that led to the sea of lunch options.

The lunch lady said something. Two options. I faintly heard chicken in the second item...whatever that was. And so I chose the first option: 'nuggets'. I was a vegetarian, but I ate chicken that day, for the first time. I did not even realize it until years had passed and I reflected on my experience. But ever since that day, I brought lunch from home.

From second grade through my senior year of high school, I avoided the journey into the sea of orders. Then I started college. Joining into a new river of lines, I was deposited on an island rather than a delta. Living on campus, I am unable to ship my food out with me from home and send it down the river as a parcel. I am stranded. I am isolated with an unlimited quantity of unhealthy food, for which it takes all my effort to survive these harsh conditions.

As a lifelong vegetarian, I have become accustomed to the minimal food options surrounding me in a country where meat is the central seller of the food industry. Although with time and experience, I have found my way through the treacherous waters of the cafeteria, the whirlwind of life left me stranded on a new beach--college-- where I have to find new ways of foraging for food. Being a vegetarian as a college freshman is like being stranded on an island with unlimited supplies of inedible plants and animals.

Although there are many options such as fruits and vegetables in the dining halls, there is never as much variety as those options reserved for meat lovers. Some days I feel as if I'm climbing the local trees to pick leftover fruits and vegetables. Other days, I gather these vegetables and find a tortilla and eat it like a burrito. On lucky days, I find a vegetarian burger or a special pizza hidden among the rocks.

One of the defining moments as a vegetarian in the dining hall occurred when I asked the chef to prepare a vegetarian burger for me. He checked the stockpile. The patties were gone. Accepting my fate, I went to have pizza with curly fries. I tried again the next day. "Can you make me a vegetarian burger?" He checked the stockpile inside the freezer and replied, "Sorry, we ran out of patties. Actually, I think we ran out 2 days ago." Devastated, I ate more junk food. Even though Barrett advertises its vast vegetarian options, I still have trouble finding healthy and diverse meals. It feels as though I am stuck on an island with the same resources of fish, goats, and lizards every week until a crate of fruits and vegetables from a sunken ship floats ashore and can be pillaged.

As a Barrett resident, I find it hard to get the required nutrients to stay healthy since most protein is located in meat. Even though the dining options include small quantities of tofu or chick peas, there need to be more options such as peanut butter, hummus, or rice without bacon bits. Just a couple days ago, I asked for rice. After taking a few bites, I looked down to notice bits of bacon interspersed throughout the rice. I ate meat for the first time in ten years.

Although many advise me to opt out of the meal plan, it is not very practical. As a freshman navigating the ocean of college it is hard to cook and provide for oneself when studying is supposed to be the priority. Not only do many freshmen have 7:30 am classes, but they also have hours of homework to complete. This is much like trying to survive on an unknown island. During both the day and night, there are various activities that one must perform to survive. Whether this is to seek the latest food option, or set up the day's warning flares to advertise one's location, or even defend one's territory from the predators on the island, there is always work to do. Because of this, there is rarely enough time to prepare the ingredients for tasty and nutritious food. The best option is ordering a meal plan and paying the designated prices.

One of the many misconceptions about vegetarianism is that it is healthier than eating meat. It is only healthier when done right. My college experience is one of the many examples to this hypothesis of vegetarianism gone wrong as seen through my adventures riding the tsunami of residential life and getting stranded on the isolated island of Barrett scrambling to find and eat nutritious food.