Issue date: 8/20/08 Section: Features

Media Credit: Rachel Bujalski / Daily Vidette Senior Staff Sarah Duncan, a senior from Bradley University, eats a vegetarian meal at The Coffeehouse in Uptown Normal Tuesday afternoon.

For a resident of Bloomington-Normal, the dining possibilities are endless.

For a quick sandwich or salad there is Cosi. For pizza, there is Monical's or Prime Time.

Avanti's and Jimmy John's are good for a quick meal and Destihl is the perfect place for a date.

But for those in the community that do not eat meat, choosing a place to dine can be more exhausting than enjoyable.

"There are lots of places that only have meat," Brittney Brice, a vegetarian and environmental health major, said.

Michelle Uhlig, a health information management major who has a severe meat allergy, runs into similar issues when choosing a place to dine.

"Some places make things like cheese quesadillas on the same thing meat is grilled on," Uhlig said. "It gets old."

Both students rely on the vegetarian sections of local grocery stores and prepare most of their meals at home, so as not to run into trouble at restaurants.

"I cook for myself and I always cook fresh," Brice said. "Food is a science. There are so many things you can do with it."

Both Brice and Uhlig share a mutual partiality for Kroger because of the chain's abundant array of fresh greens and frozen vegetarian dinners.

Although Uhlig and Brice are upperclassmen, they both found it difficult to eat in the campus dining centers their first two years. According to Uhlig, unless she felt like eating cheese pizza or a salad every day, her options were less than remarkable.

However, three new menus will be available this year, all emphasizing vegetarian options: "Red Bowl" at South Side, a burrito station at Watterson Towers and a healthy dining option called "Fresh Bites" (also at Watterson Towers). Online menus are available at dining.ilstu.edu.

Unfortunately, dining staff can only do so much.

Dianne Feasley, campus dietician, believes that while catering to everyone is difficult, dining services is trying.

"I think we do offer a variety of selections, and we're always open to suggestions," Feasley said.

Apart from the occasional unaccommodating eatery, Uhlig and Brice agree that it is fairly simple to maintain a meatless diet in Bloomington-Normal.

Continued...

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