In April of 2016 I became a vegetarian. One year after that I found out that I am lactose intolerant. At the time it felt like the world was ending. Why me?! Why dairy?! I love dairy! I became a chronic user of Lactaid pills that allowed me to eat dairy without having any of the less-than-desirable consequences. I continued like this for awhile, but last Spring I decided to try out not eating dairy. I had decided that I no longer wanted to rely on lactaid pills. I felt like my body was trying to tell me something and I should listen. I also wanted to stop creating so much waste because each lactaid pill comes in its own individual wrapper. From that point on I became an ovo-vegetarian meaning I eat eggs but I do not eat meat or dairy products. Being meant and dairy-free means that most of the things I eat are vegan, and it’s actually a lot easier than it might seem. Being a sophomore, I’ve had some time to figure out vegan food options right down in Granville, so here are some of the ones I know and like.
Dragon Village
The Dragon Village Restaurant in Granville, OH offers a long list of vegetarian/vegan chinese food options. This is literally the best chinese food I have ever had and I love chinese food. I love that Dragon Village has multiple different veg options so you can go there multiple times and won’t have to eat the same meal every time. This is a great option if you want to eat out with friends who eat meat because they also have a lot of meal options with meat. This is a great option if you are eating out with your meat-eating friends because everyone can eat a full meal. It’s close proximity to campus also means that no cars are necessary and it’s an easy walk down the hill.
Mai Chau
All of the meal options at Mai Chau are customizable meaning you can choose the toppings. They offer a Banh Mi Sandwich, Rice or Noodle Bowl, and a Salad Bowl. The base for each meal is vegan and you can either add meat, cauliflower, or tofu on top. They offer other dishes as well but these are the only veg options I know of and have tried and loved.
Day Y Noche
This restaurant serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I have never eaten breakfast here but by looking at the menu I can see plenty of vegetarian options, however no vegan options. The lunch/dinner restaurant offers two great specially made vegetarian options. The Black Bean Cake is really good and is also vegan. The other vegetarian option is the Potato Tacos. When I get them I ask for the queso fresco to be left off and that makes the dish completely vegan!
Steamroller Bagels
Steamroller Bagels menu makes it easy to identify which options are vegetarian and vegan. Vegetarian options are labeled with a “V” and vegan options are labeled with a “VG”. Vegetarian options include Herbivore, C-Monster, Lia’s Least Favorite, Spanish Inquisition. The vegan options are the Herbivore is ordered without cheese and any of the Simple Minds bagels with hummus or guacamole instead of cream cheese.