Being a vegetarian at university requires tremendous will power and self-discipline. The lures and temptations are all heightened in one of life’s greatest experiences and for these meat-abstainers, a very challenging one as well. From avoiding the enticement of a horrible pizza laden with the some of the foulest forms of meat known to man and to pass up all the various types of confectionary containing seductive gelatine, there is almost no end to the pitfalls for the vegetarian. With all of this in mind, how difficult is it to stay on the straight and narrow for a student in York?Naturally, there are many different forms of vegetarians, but the most share very similar common ground such as the obvious avoidance of red meat with others after that varying, eating fish or even poultry. However these colloquial variations have to lead to such groups like the Vegetarian Society to clarify such diets that contain poultry and fish are not vegetarian diets since of course they are animals.
The other main issue that faces vegetarians at university is the use of cooking utensils. This is a terrifying prospect for those who do not want their catering apparatus to be used for the preparation of meat dishes. For students living in student accommodation this challenge is made all the greater. Drunken housemates who have stumbled their way home fancying an early morning fry up with a bacon sandwich or an utterly unkempt individual finding their pans are still miraculously filthy – both decide to use the unsuspecting veggies’ to cook their meat in and will always be an ever present threat.
With all these mounting problems in retaining their vegetarianism, these vehement veggies often have to watch what they eat even on campus. With the recent revelations at The Courtyard, any restaurant with a small kitchen should be considered by veggies as potentially dangerous. Furthermore, many restaurants would only consider this to be an minor offense and it would be rare for any major action to be taken. From this the most sensible and logical course is unfortunately to ask, even if there is a vegetarian sign next to the dish, as your opinion on what vegetarian means may well vary from the establishments.
Additionally, as per usual, with a more limited diet comes a more limited choice of food to buy. This lack of selection is compounded by the low quality of vegetarian food on campus with the range of salads and green vegetables at Costcutters bemoaned by a Goodricke second year who said “As a veggie it can sometimes be hard getting the things I need at Costcutter, often there’s not a very wide selection of vegetables, and they often run out quickly of the things they do have. It would be great if there was a few more provisions for vegetarians and vegans”. This view is shared by many students.
This undoubtedly increases and intensifies the pressure of those veggies living on campus. Yet, in spite of all these difficulties and demanding predicaments there are many on campus that persevere through it all and come out the other side with no blood on their hands or teeth.
They achieve this feat by either accepting the low quality goods that are on offer at Costcutters or they buy elsewhere. This may be more expensive and more taxing but for the dedicated veggie, it would be worth it to save another creatures life. Furthermore, an experienced veggie should always ask how certain foods, especially fried foods, are cooked as many restaurants as well as The Courtyard will take the easier view as they have no real legal obligation to do otherwise. So beware York University vegetarians as you have to remember you are what you eat!
By Derek Williams
This article massively simplifies the issues surrounding vegetarianism; most vegetarians that I know would not be at all tempted by ‘the enticement of a horrible pizza laden with the some of the foulest forms of meat known to man’, and are veggie for reasons more complex than just saving ‘another creature’s life.’ There are various stores in York where people can purchase good quality, ethical vegetarian food, for a similar price to the inferior produce sold in Costcutter. Alligator, on Fishergate, is about 15 minutes from campus walking and 5 minutes cycling. It sells a good range of fresh, local and organic produce and is one of the oldest organic/wholefoods shops in the country (www.alligatorwholefoods.com). In my view, it shouldn’t be a massive ordeal to pop down there once a week in order to eat well and uphold your ideals.