UC offers healthy food choices

As someone who quit eating meat more than half my life ago, and who quit eating eggs, dairy and other animal-derived products last year, I agree with Andrew Warner that the world - including the University of Cincinnati's MainStreet - is unfriendly to vegetarians and vegans. I'll admit I haven't even tried to eat in Tangeman University Center because I doubt there are any decent options.

I have, however, found one campus eatery that I hope Warner and other vegetarians/vegans will try. The best part - and the biggest surprise - it's on MainStreet!

CenterCourt Dining Hall offers a lot of meat dishes, but it also offers a surprising variety of food for vegetarians and a decent variety for vegans.

I've heard vegans and meat-eaters alike praise the salad bar for its diverse options. There are almost always several vegetable dishes and usually a vegetarian soup. There's pizza, sandwiches and veggie burgers made to order and racks of fresh fruit. The fries are made with a meat-free vegetable oil and soy milk is available.

The staff of CenterCourt manages to take care of us vegans and vegetarians well. Not only do they ensure that there are veg-friendly options at each meal, they've taken care to make sure that I and other vegans/vegetarians are satisfied with our dining experience.

Several of the chefs seem well aware of the needs of vegans and take time to point out dishes I can eat. The wonderful chefs at Stir Crazy take the time to cook all vegetarians' stir-fries in separate frying pans so that our food isn't tainted with leftover meat from the griddle.

Several times at the deli station, the chef has made special versions (without cheese or other animal products) of the featured sandwich of the day for me.

All of the chefs I've asked have brought out labels of food I'd like to try but am not sure if I can eat. Occasionally, special dishes are labeled for whether they're vegetarian or vegan.

When I think of special dishes that I like but haven't seen in a while, I'm always surprised at how quickly it reappears after filling out a comment card.

In Warner's opinion piece, he also questioned how nutritious the food offered in TUC is. People can go to CenterCourt and pig out on pizza, burgers, fries, ice cream and other junk food, people can also easily load their tray with delicious, healthy fare.

If you want to make sure you're eating healthy, check out the computer by the registers. Using touch-screen menus, you can look up the serving size and nutritional information for most of the dishes offered that day.

While I can't claim that every day in CenterCourt I have something new and exciting to try, it is a good source of both healthy and junk food that's compatible with my diet. I hope that other vegans/vegetarians try it out and have the same positive experience.