A letter to the refectory
So you may have gathered that I'm a little... miffed at my school. I've decided to take some of that out on the refectory. Tell me what you think?
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Dear Refectory Staff,
I have noticed lately a general decline in the nutritional value of the vegan meals served in the refectory. I appreciate that you are all very busy, and I appreciate your efforts to accommodate for special diets. However, I do not feel that my nutritional needs are being met by what is provided by the school.
A healthy vegan diet is based mainly on fresh fruit and vegetables, whole grains, and a variety of vegetable protein sources, i.e. nuts, beans, seeds, legumes, etc. Unfortunately, this diet is more labour intensive and expensive than the standard diet of oily potatoes and baked courgette on which I am currently subsisting.
I’m not the sort of person who likes to impose – perhaps why I can only really say this in writing, where I don’t have to actually look anyone in the eyes. But really, if not for the salad bar, I might simultaneously gain three stone and starve to death. The only high-protein food I’m eating is the soya milk in my tea each morning.
I am perfectly happy to work with you on this – but the blank, vaguely horrified look I received upon mentioning the word ‘tofu’ was not particularly encouraging.
Another matter I would like to make known is this: I have a history of anorexia nervosa. I consider myself as having recovered, but it is said, and rightly so, that an eating disorder never fully goes away. The psychological scars from that time in my life are still there, and when under stress, I am prone to food-related triggers. The ones that affect me the most are white rice, vegan cheeses, and white potatoes. I know it’s a lot to ask, on a diet that seems so restrictive, to eliminate anything further, but I really don’t have the time and emotional energy to spare on panic attacks over risotto or depressive spells of guilt about the potato ‘sausages.’
I hope you can understand that this is a very personal issue, and a sensitive one for me.
-<my real name>
Overall good letter. I recommend you send this to the dean of students and head of student services(ie counseling) as well as the Person In Charge/Manager for the refectory. GOOD LUCK!
It sounds very good, but I'm just worried that some might have a negative reaction b/c the words are emotionally charged. I mean, duh..we're humans..but I know how people can act sometimes. I don't know how to change it though...I like how it sounds. I just hope they can understand, take it to heart/mind, and do something about it.
Also..they have vegan cheese?!
i like the letter. it doesnt sound really angry where the people would be like "ok she's one of THOSE, let's ignore her." i'd maybe add in some solutions so that it's not just pointing out problems. youre in the uk ( i think..) so i'm not sure if these work, but
http://www.eco-cuisine.com/index.html
has tons of fake meats and dry mixes for breads, muffins, etc (not sure if thats what you want though)
and then this
http://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2006issue3/vj2006issue3college.htm
which i like. the vegetarian resource group is awesome.
also, i liked that you said you were willing to work with them. perhaps go into detail? or give an example of how easy it is to make things vegan (tofu scrambles are easily done, chili with tons of beans, etc..).
good luck with everything!! i've been thinking of making an appointment with someone in food services, but i havent gotten the guts to do it yet..
I kind of don't get it. They don't have a responsibility to remove your personal trigger foods. I don't see why they should remove those foods just for you, and I don't think they will either.
That being said, I think a better approach would be to make it entirely impersonal. Describe a healthy vegan diet, describe what they serve, point out the deficits, and suggest some easy-to-implement solutions.
Making it about you and your emotions/issues isn't the right way to do it. I'm not sure that approach will work best for you.
(Also, why call a vegan diet labor intensive? Not only do I disagree with this, but you are telling them that the changes you want are difficult. You need to convince them that it will be EASY to be persuasive.)
I think that it’s great that you’re writing a letter and taking action. This might be the first time the people who read the letter think about the issue, so I think more background could help.
I would start the letter with the first paragraph thanking them for the vegan food they do provide (being specific). In the second paragraph I would describe the food a vegan person eats. In the third paragraph I would contrast the food being served to a well-rounded vegan diet and that you feel your nutritional needs are not being met, in particular with protein. In the final paragraph directly ask them to modify the menu and offer to work with them.
I’d leave out the part about how it’s more time consuming (it’s their job to provide meals) and about the part about anorexia, because they’re food service and may not know what to do with that information.
I forgot to hit post, so it looks like I'm copying kmk, but we really did have independent matching comments.
I agree with a lot of what's been said. My first instinct was that it's a good letter, but upon reading it again, I think there are bits that are too emotional. I'm going through line by line because I'm a nit-picky editor.
I have noticed lately a general decline in the nutritional value of the vegan meals served in the refectory. I appreciate that you are all very busy, and I appreciate your efforts to accommodate for special diets. However, I do not feel that my nutritional needs are being met by what is provided by the school.
This whole paragraph is great!
A healthy vegan diet is based mainly on fresh fruit and vegetables, whole grains, and a variety of vegetable protein sources, i.e. nuts, beans, seeds, legumes, etc. Unfortunately, this diet is more labour intensive and expensive than the standard diet of oily potatoes and baked courgette on which I am currently subsisting.
I agree with KMK. It's not more expensive! And it needn't be more labor-intensive, really. I love the first sentence.
I’m not the sort of person who likes to impose – perhaps why I can only really say this in writing, where I don’t have to actually look anyone in the eyes. But really, if not for the salad bar, I might simultaneously gain three stone and starve to death. The only high-protein food I’m eating is the soya milk in my tea each morning.
This paragraph is not effective-- you haven't really done anything except insult them, sort of, and even put yourself down a bit.
I am perfectly happy to work with you on this – but the blank, vaguely horrified look I received upon mentioning the word ‘tofu’ was not particularly encouraging.
This is too emotionally-charged. If you are truly willing, this is the place to be helpful-- start off with some resources some people have recommended, or include some easy recipes.
I think the paragraph about anorexia is important TO YOU and can basically be left as-is. KMK, I don't think Narcissus is asking them to REMOVE her trigger-foods, but rather just stating that she can't subsist on only those foods. Nor should she.
I would start the letter with the first paragraph thanking them for the vegan food they do provide (being specific). In the second paragraph I would describe the food a vegan person eats. In the third paragraph I would contrast the food being served to a well-rounded vegan diet and that you feel your nutritional needs are not being met, in particular with protein. In the final paragraph directly ask them to modify the menu and offer to work with them.
Agreed. Then it's totally objective.
hh, we wrote like the exact same thing! Awesome! :-* :-*
I think the paragraph about anorexia is important TO YOU and can basically be left as-is. KMK, I don't think Narcissus is asking them to REMOVE her trigger-foods, but rather just stating that she can't subsist on only those foods. Nor should she.
I can see that. If that's the case, then maybe edit that paragraph a bit, because I read it differently.
I still tend to think the last paragraph should be left out, because like hh said, what are they supposed to do with it? They might just shut down and say that they can't accommodate you. If by accomplishing the healthy vegan part, they also help you with the ED part, then you don't even need to bring it up. I think it just complicates things. Be straight and to the point. This is what's wrong, this is how we fix it, bam, done.
I think Your letter is incredibly eloquent and well-put.
although, for the sake of maximum impact on the readers, I agree with some of the advice here:
1) don't emphasize the labor or cost involved, but rather, accentuate the positive! Remind them that dry beans, lentils, and grains such as brown rice and quinoa are often VERY cheap, and fairly simple to prepare. The fresh produce will be a more difficult suggestion, as that stuff IS usually more expensive. If their salad bar is truly inadequate, suggest some resources/info about local and in-season produce, which should add to the selection at minimal cost.
I worked at a campus dining center, and while Yours might run a bit differently than mine, large-scale food prep methods are often nearly universal...so I know that it shouldn't be any trouble for them to soak, boil, and serve a few extra items for mealtimes.
2) The emotional charge with the last paragraph is perfectly justified. However, You may want to re-word it just slightly so that You (as others have said) get to the point more directly. Emphasize that You CAN NOT subsist on only what they're currently offering.
Add a link/resource to info about a well-balanced Vegan diet, and show them that their menu is not quite adequate....but reminding them of Your ED, I think, adds that extra touch of..urgency? or importance? to Your dietary NEEDS (as opposed to simple preferences)
definitely send this to as many people You think might be in charge of making these changes.
good job so far, and good luck!
Are you at school or uni? If the latter you might be at the same one as me! :)
Thanks for your input, guys. ;)b
But... uh... the part I kind of forgot to mention was that I kind of already sent it... Um... Oops?
Yeah, I know the world isn't my safe space, and they don't get paid to make sure nothing triggers me. I understand that I'm the one with the issues, and I'm the one who needs to sort them out. I guess I was/am just frustrated at the headache of having to deal with them the hard way, all the time. Do you think that a compromise would be the better suggestion? I don't want to come across as being a snippy, demanding prick, naturally.
what sort of compromise did You have in mind?
like I said, THEY should be able to add some decent staples to the everyday menu quite easily and with little extra cost. THEY need to accommodate the students' dietary needs, and that includes YOURS. I don't know how much YOU should have to compromise to get what You need.....unless You have a fridge and adequate dry storage in Your dorm/residence, and You can afford to stock some supplementary meal items and snacks that would make up the nutrients that You're not getting from the school's food services.
but I still think THEY should have to help you more than they are.
again, I think that if You suggest specific foods, especially cheap and easy-to-prepare foods, they should have no trouble accepting and adapting.
In the few years at was at UNI, I saw the dining center improve by quite a lot by the time I left...they offered lard-free refried beans at the taco bar, at least one variety (sometimes two) of cooked, cold beans at the salad bar (black beans = YUM on a salad), Silk soymilk, first offered in individual bottles, then finally in one of the dispensers!! as well as a decent variety of veg*n options constantly added to their hot bar menu.
Probably the cheapest and easiest of those was some kind of Ethiopian ful, which consisted of sautee'd and spiced peppers and onions with fava beans served over whole wheat pita bread.
I don't think You should give up. Just be persistent, polite, and offer very specific suggestions and recipes if possible. they can multiply ingredient amounts to make large-yield batches, or they can have small amounts ready to prepare for You when You come in. hopefully. ::)
(Also, why call a vegan diet labor intensive? Not only do I disagree with this, but you are telling them that the changes you want are difficult. You need to convince them that it will be EASY to be persuasive.)
This is what I get for writing too quickly and not proofreading adequately.
There are exactly two vegans in the school. It's more labour intensive for them to cook two people a special meal than it is for them to just mass-produce one meal.
Anybody can eat vegan food, though. I threw together a fantastic Indian curry with a few frozen veggies, potatoes, cabbage, and some tomato paste & spices (don't let me fool you- it wasn't my recipe, it was MDVegan's... simplified). Put it over some rice or flat bread and there you go!
I don't think many folks would turn up their nose at things like that. It's not like vegans have to have their own lunch bar that is ONLY for card-carrying veg*ns. Everyone can eat and enjoy food without animal products. Not everyone can eat and enjoy a hamburger.
Anybody can eat vegan food, though. ...
I don't think many folks would turn up their nose at things like that. It's not like vegans have to have their own lunch bar that is ONLY for card-carrying veg*ns. Everyone can eat and enjoy food without animal products. Not everyone can eat and enjoy a hamburger.
EXACTLY.
It wouldn't kill them to add some vegan options to the regular menu rotation, and even make them in large-yield batches, because there are plenty of omni-friendly vegan dishes to make. Heck, maybe if they make the "vegan" label in tiny print, the omnis won't even notice! ;D
Keep us updated when/if you get a response.
A response was obtained!
You guys are right - I was a bit of a prick. But thankfully the head honchos (who received this by the grapevine) said she thought that if I was feeling emotional, she wasn't going to blame me for taking it out in a way that at the very least was legal and didn't set off the smoke alarms. The refectory, as I found out, took it a little harder - my timing was excellent in ways I can't describe, as I gave them this note pretty much five minutes after they sent a convoy off to the next town over in search of a HFS. (We're kind of in the middle of nowhere.)
I suggested they make the regular vegetarian options vegan more often, but I didn't really get a definite response on that - I sort of get the impression they're happier with the current system. Makes no sense to me, but hey... whatever floats your goat.
I've been given a copy of their menu for the next couple of days - I think I'll ask if they can keep sending me the month's menus in advance so I have some idea what's going on, what days they "need" to cook a separate meal... I'm not sure whether I think it's a little control-freak of me, but I just keep telling myself that it's what universities (at least SFU and UCSC) do for special diets, so it's not too bad, right?
And the one other vegan is not as much of a controlling, manipulative freak, so she's down with whatever.
Oh, and Catski - I'm at Hogwarts, basically. Teensy boarding school in the north of Scotland. Not uni. :P
Oh, and Catski - I'm at Hogwarts, basically. Teensy boarding school in the north of Scotland. Not uni. :P
My friend went to a boarding school somewhere in England. They went on hikes on rolling green hills. I was uber envious when I found out. Now I'm envious of you, too, minus the food situation.
Oh, and Catski - I'm at Hogwarts, basically. Teensy boarding school in the north of Scotland. Not uni. :P
My friend went to a boarding school somewhere in England. They went on hikes on rolling green hills. I was uber envious when I found out. Now I'm envious of you, too, minus the food situation.
It has its ups and downs, like any school. :P
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