Vegan tigers vouch for diet

When Will Fisher '10 has a cookie, he skips the milk.

Fisher, like a few other students on campus, is a vegan. Vegans make up a mere 3 percent of the undergraduate population, Director of Dining Services Stu Orefice said in an e-mail. Though they do not consume meat, fish, poultry or animal products and by-products like eggs and dairy, students said that campus dining options — though limited — are still conducive to a vegan lifestyle.

Fisher said that his dietary habits have not been problematic.

"It's extremely easy to be vegan at Princeton, especially if you eat in the dining halls," Fisher, who is the president of the Princeton Animal Welfare Society (PAWS), said in an e-mail. "I wish people would just try it for a couple weeks ... They'd see that they really don't miss what they used to eat."

Dana Schmitt '12 lamented the lack of variety in dining-hall options.

"[It's] the same food everyday," she said. For environmental and health reasons, Schmitt has been vegetarian since she was 12 and vegan since last April.

"It is hard to be vegan at Princeton," she added. "It's significantly harder to be vegan than vegetarian."

Aside from everyday eating options, several students noted that the misconceptions about veganism are another challenge.

"I definitely feel judged sometimes," Schmitt said. "It bothers me when people say, ‘Oh, you're vegan; you're not healthy.' "

Fox Krauss expressed a similar sentiment.

"The implication that vegans need nutritional advice is completely misguided," he said.

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While Fox Krauss said he supports vegan activism, Schmitt said she simply wants others to accept her choice, though she noted she thinks misconceptions arise from the fact that vegans are a "small minority."

Orefice said that Dining Services has made efforts to accommodate vegan lifestyles, noting that it has been serving vegan foods since the 1980s and that the number of menu options has increased over the past two decades. More than 30 percent of dining-hall menu options are vegan, and 990 of its 1,700 vegetarian recipes are vegan, he said.

"Our award-winning program has been regarded as an industry leader with respect to vegan offerings," Orefice noted. "We continue to accept and welcome feedback from students about food preferences and dining options."

A popular dining option for vegans is vegetarian nights in the Forbes College dining hall.

"I go to Forbes vegetarian nights almost always, and I think the food is really great," Fisher said. "Despite being more ‘gourmet,' they spend less money on vegetarian night than on a normal night."

Amelia Thomson DeVeaux '11, however, noted that the distance to Forbes was a factor.

"I did used to go to Forbes vegetarian nights, but now I don't really have time," DeVeaux said. "I wish it were at a dining hall closer to campus."

But Fox Krauss echoed Orefice's claim and said that Dining Services is "very responsive" to student suggestions, noting that he has seen marked improvements in vegan offerings during his three-and-a-half years at the University.

"Of course, more options would be better," Fox Krauss said, adding that students have submitted specific vegan recipes for the dining halls to incorporate into their menus.

DeVeaux also cited the lack of variety at the Frist gallery, noting, "I ate a lot of apples and soy milk at late meal." She added that Cafe Vivian, which re-opened this September and specializes in vegetarian and vegan foods, is "too expensive."

Students said that off-campus eateries also have their pros and cons.

Fisher said the options in town are diverse.

"Nassau Street restaurants are quite vegan-friendly," he said. "You just have to ask some questions." Fisher cited some of his favorites as Mehek, Masala Grill, Kaliente, Olives, Da's, Tiger Noodles and The Bent Spoon.

Schmitt said she goes to New York for exclusively vegan restaurants, but she also cited Olives and The Bent Spoon, noting in particular the latter's soy shakes and sorbet as good vegan options.

But, Fisher said, "I wish many of the eating clubs were more vegan-friendly. I think many of them are probably very vegetarian-friendly, but few cater to vegans."

Though some students maintain that veganism is a viable option, DeVeaux said she ultimately opted for a vegetarian lifestyle. "I think [being vegan] would be easier now that I'm in Terrace [Club]," she said, though she added that she found the vegan lifestyle "challenging enough that I don't think I'm going back."