No meat for you
Vegetarians find it difficult to eat lunch in school cafetreria
Freshman Alanna Vaglica is one of a number of BAHS students who eat vegetarian lunches at school.
February 24, 2016
After Alanna Vaglica, a freshman at Bellwood-Antis, has a hard working morning, consisting of six periods, she finally gets to enjoy some time to relax and eat lunch.
Except it doesn’t really go that way.
Lunch time at school is very difficult for her. She has to eat the same old lunch every day because she’s a vegetarian. Her lunch consists of fruit, vegetables, and a plain salad with Caesar dressing.
Being a vegetarian can sometimes be frustrating, especially during school. It all depends on how long you can tolerate eating the same meal almost every day.
Typically, Tierra Mahute, another vegetarian who is a junior, just packs her lunch. If she ends up forgetting to pack, she will just get a bag of chips and a water.
Alanna doesn’t really feel frustrated. She knows her choice of being a vegetarian is worth it.
“Maybe in time people, along with restaurants, will offer more vegetarian-friendly options,” she said.
Both of these students would, of course, love for there to be vegetarian choices during lunch, but they understand it might not be in the school’s budget.
Tierra said, “Others could eat the vegetarian options as well as a healthier choice.”
The Food Services Manager at Bellwood-Antis said vegetarians are considered when designing menus for lunch.
“Vegetarians are kept in mind when we are preparing meals for lunch every day,” said Mrs. Taylor Danko. “We have certain selections like egg salads and garden salads.”
Junior Amanda Wertz, a vegan, said B-A’s food services have tried to make her non-meat lifestyle easier at school.
“It’s not hard. I asked one time if they could make a salad for me with no chicken or cheese, and they told me they would do it for me every day,” Wertz said. “I’ll either do that or get a fruit salad.”
These problems don’t just happen in school, but also in restaurants.
When Tierra goes out and eats, she gets very overwhelmed when she can’t find a meatless option.
“Meat just makes me sick, so if I can’t find a meatless option I just get pasta salad and pick out the meat,” she said.
Wertz said she wouldn’t change her eating choice.
“I don’t miss eating meat because they have meat substitutes and things like almond milk when you go out,” she said. “You can always improvise at restaurants. When the waiter comes I always tell them: ‘This is going to be complicated … ‘
