This past August, I made the life choice to become a vegetarian. I had thought about making the shift for years, but could never commit. Even now I slip up, but overall I’m usually pretty happy without meat…except for when I’m not.
Now I know what everyone is thinking, “You can’t complain. You made this lifestyle choice yourself.” Yes, true. But I still am going to complain regardless. Sometimes, it is really difficult to be a vegetarian in college. With a busy schedule, limited food options, and a strict budget, finding foods that satisfy my veg-head lifestyle and are relatively healthy is difficult. Therefore, I am here to share with you, the woes of a college vegetarian.
When you’re know you should get a salad in the dining hall, but you go for the carbs anyways…
When faced with the choice of lettuce or french fries, I find myself making a bigger choice between doing the right thing or being happy. I personally choose to be happy more often. Will my waistline thank me for the extra inches? Probably not. But considering I no longer get to eat In-N-Out burgers, I deserve to eat all the pasta I want.
But speaking of dining halls…every college vegetarian knows that feeling when you’re in EVK and both soup options have meat in them…
I came out to have a good time and eat some soup and I’m honestly feeling so attacked right now. EVK already has very few healthy options and soup is one of the sad ways that I attempt to spice up my life. But actually, it sucks when I am trying to have a healthy option other than salad and the hope for liquid goodness gets torn away from me.
When you’re at Ralph’s and see that ramen is a dollar each…
YES, I do know how much sodium is in each serving, but thank you for reminding me. Now I can eat my ramen with a side of shame. I’m a college student; I’m always on a budget. And I know that there are healthier options that are just as cheap, but the ramen is chicken flavored and I’m missing meat today.
That moment when you drunkenly eat meat…
It happens to the best of us. It’s been a long night and all you want is asada nacho fries to end it right. Or orange chicken from Panda Express. Or really any drunchie food on Figueroa. Honestly, meat just tastes extra good after partying. So, do not give me a hard time for being a fake vegetarian.
At the end of the day, I am happy with my decision to become a vegetarian. It may be difficult at times, but the payoff is worth it. One thing I have learned from this experience is that if I am able to be a vegetarian during college, I will definitely be able to handle that lifestyle post grad. I just will keep on eating my chicken flavored ramen when the craving hits and continue to use my vegetarianism as an excuse to eat carbs for every meal.