BALDWIN CITY, Kan. — Complaints about Sodexo's food choices at the Long Student Center can be heard across campus, but there are some students who have a particularly hard time finding something they can enjoy. Vegetarians who eat in the cafeteria face the struggle of having limited options for daily nutrition, and students with meal plans are left with limited options.
Now in her seventh year as a vegetarian, junior Isabelle Huyett has had her own personal difficulties with cafeteria food. Huyett decided to become vegetarian when she was 15 because she never was a big fan of meat while growing up, the only exception being chicken nuggets.
According to Huyett, being a vegetarian has worked out well for her, at least until she arrived at Baker, where she learned that eating a vegetarian diet can have its challenges.
Huyett's first few semesters in college were rough. Though campus food, which is offered by the Sodexo company, had better options on the weekdays, Huyett struggled finding meals that worked for her on weekends. The only option available to her would be scrambled eggs, and the lack of options forced her to seek out food elsewhere. Huyett remembers that on one occasion there were no options for her all weekend.
“It just felt like a waste of money,” Huyett said.
On occasion, Huyett would talk to Dean of Students Cassy Bailey about her problems with the food selection. Bailey, a vegetarian herself, communicated with Sodexo several times to make sure Huyett had vegetarian options available. This semester Huyett said the options have been better.