Sodexo: The Transit of the Vegetarian Universe.

This post is dedicated to the Deacon Jones Dining Hall or, as some students would say, Sodexo.  There are some people who love the dining hall, but I would argue that the majority of the students on campus despise the dining hall.  Freshmen college students, including me, usually eat most of their meals in the dining hall because a meal plan is required for them.  This causes students to eat similar meals everyday; this repetition results in a dietary burnout that usually disperses college students to cheap, unhealthy, and "fast-food" venues.  However, from a vegetarian perspective, I see things differently.  Although the pizza segment, the hamburger section, and the salad bar offer the same items, the vegetarian section of the cafeteria offers a different item every day.  The selections below are the plethora of options that I had over the past couple of visits to destination Sodexo.

Selection 1) This dish consisted of sticky rice, mushrooms, tofu, and a biscuit. The biscuit was cold and stale. However, the rest of the food, especially the tofu, was delicious. Tofu is defined, according to www.Dictionary.com, as a soft, bland, white cheese like food, high in protein content, made from curdled soybean milk: used originally in Oriental cookery but now in a wide variety of soups and other dishes.  However, I believe that it is not bland at all!  Tofu is rich and delicious, and yes, it does taste like chicken.

Selection 2) This plate was packed with macaroni and cheese, baked beans, cheese pizza, and a potato cake.  This meal was filled with comfort foods.  Everyone has at least one grandparent who can cook soul food, food cooked with love.  This dish reminded me of how my grandmother would cook beans for everyone except for me because I did not like beans at the time, so she would cook me divine macaroni and cheese.  Although Sodexo will never be able to cook like my grandmother, I am thankful that they provided me with a delicious, comforting vegetarian experience.  

Selection 3) This dish was a pasta dish.  The noodles were penne noodles covered in a tomato sauce that was also mixed with cheese and red peppers.  This was my favorite dish at the dining hall.  It was just one of those plates that must be experienced. 

Selection 4)  This dish was similar to the first one except for the sauce and the type of cheese.  This dish had Alfredo sauce and was covered in a single piece of cheddar cheese.  It was, once again, a successful dish.  

Overall, the Deacon Jones Dining Hall taught me a valuable lesson.  Not only is their diversity among dietary types such as vegan, vegetarian, or omnivore, but there are a plethora of diverse dishes within vegetarianism as well.  Vegetarianism is more than just a salad.  It is a myriad of interesting choices that can span across cultures, countries, and civilizations.