The sporadic outbreaks of mad cow disease have caused debate around the world on whether people should strike meat from their diets. For many GW students this concern is not a recent phenomenon because they decided years ago to go vegetarian.
Some students said they stopped eating meat and formed healthier eating habits.
“I gave up meat primarily for health reasons,” sophomore Bridget Belknap said. “Meat just has so many preservatives. I think eating it is just really kind of gross.”
Sophomore Geoff Berger said that he also took meat off his diet because of health concerns.
“The main reason was health, but there was also an element of challenge, too,” Berger said. “My father is a vegetarian and has been for a long time now and I actually just wanted to see if I could do it.”
Berger, who stopped eating meat five years ago, said he realized quickly that he could make the change as long as he reminded himself to keep to just vegetables.
“The hardest thing at first was remembering that I wasn’t supposed to eat meat anymore,” Berger said. “There are a lot of times when you’re eating meat and not even realizing. I’d pick up a piece of pizza with pepperoni on it and completely forget that I wasn’t supposed to be eating pepperoni. But, it’s become a lot better now. I’m very used to not eating meat now, so it’s not really a problem.”
Belknap, who has been a vegetarian for the past six years, said she finds her food options somewhat limited.
“The fact that I have my own kitchen here has definitely helped me to be able to eat strictly vegetarian,” Belknap said. “I really don’t like the food at the vegetarian station in J Street, so I prefer making my own food at home.”
Belknap said Provisions Market has stocked more foods this year for vegetarians such as tofu and veggie burgers than last year.
Senior Jeff Cassin said he finds restaurants in D.C. are usually accommodating to vegetarians.
“Finding food I can eat here usually isn’t that much of a problem,” Cassin said. “The only thing is that the food is usually more expensive than it should be. Vegetables are dirt cheap and meat is really expensive, so if you order a vegetable dish in a restaurant, it should not cost as much as a meat dish and it usually does.”
Belknap said restaurants in D.C. offer a good selection of food for vegetarians. She said D.C.’s selection is much better than her hometown of Detroit.
Berger and Cassin said vegetarian options are limited when students travel abroad.
“I studied abroad in China and it was rather hard for me to find things to eat,” Cassin said. “I’m a picky eater to begin with, and being selective about not eating meat just made me seem more picky than I actually am.”
Some students who have never eaten meat said they have no desire to try it.
“The curiosity about wanting to see what meat tastes like just doesn’t exist since I’ve been not eating meat my whole life,” said sophomore Amit Patel, who does not eat meat for religious reasons. “It’s just very natural for me to not eat meat. I really haven’t found it to be that much of a problem finding other things I can eat.”
Although animal cruelty is not the top reason many students give for cutting meat from their diets, they said the issue does factor it into their decision.
“I think it’s really important for people to be aware of the process in which their food is made,” Berger said. “I really don’t have a problem with people eating meat, but I think they should know what goes into making it.”
Cassin said he does not boycott meat for any selfless reasons.
“There are definite moral, altruistic reasons behind being a vegetarian,” Cassin said. “But I believe killing anything is wrong, and when you’re eating vegetables, you’re still essentially killing something. I do still eat turkey, which would be somewhat contradictory, but you can’t give that up on Thanksgiving – that’s just wrong.”
