When I first came to Colorado Mesa University (CMU) in Fall 2021, I was completely vegan and had been for two full years.
Sodexo does not provide good vegan options for people like me so, unfortunately, I had to become vegetarian. This way, I wasn’t living off of salads. I can see that Sodexo is trying to make good vegan foods; they just don’t turn out as well as one would hope.
Every once in a while, the vegan meal presented is good, but the cafeteria (Caf) is the only place where vegan students can dine.
Flat Top Grill in the University Center has a veggie burger, but the bun still contains milk and eggs. Their french fries are also being fried in the same oil as chicken nuggets, causing issues with cross contamination.
It is possible to dine at Picante’s dairy and meat free, but What the Mav changes weekly, leaving vegans with few options. There used to be a salad bar located in the library as well, but that has been replaced with a yogurt and Jell-O bar.
Fortunately, Rowdy’s, the convenience store located in the University Center, provides vegan sushi. I spend most of my MavMoney on sushi from here.
One convenient restaurant off-campus is Jimmy John’s. It is close to campus and takes MavMoney, which is helpful in providing students with variety.
Jimmy John’s provides a good vegetarian sandwich. By request, this can be a vegan sandwich by removing the cheese and the mayonnaise.
I call my mom upset at the Caf a lot because there’s nothing to eat. She always asks me to FaceTime her, and she helps me build meals.
One of my favorite meals she has helped me build is a pasta salad with pasta, veggies and Italian dressing. It‘s delicious. My mom helps me get creative at the Caf so I can find a meal I can enjoy.
The Caf also does not provide a variety of vegan breakfast options. They have vegan and gluten free muffins, but no one can eat that for breakfast every single day.
Something the cafeteria could do to add variety is offer vegan eggs or scrambled tofu in the omelet bar, so we can have a healthy and balanced breakfast.
Sodexo could also create an online forum for students with food restrictions that allows students to send Sodexo some of their favorite recipes from home and the Caf could work on making some of them.
Overall, being vegan at CMU is hard, so being creative is crucial. Hopefully, Sodexo can start providing more vegan breakfasts and making meals recommended by students to make sure everyone’s needs are met and are fed and healthy.
