Group 2
Marium Nasir 2016280092
Liu Yinglun 2016213044
Xu Jia 2016213050
The vegetarian club has always been on the frontline of the campaign to introduce an all-vegan station to Tsinghua.
“I submitted a proposal to the Catering Center in early November,” Ouyang said, “this has been the fourth time that we write to school’s dining hall supervisor.” However, previous campaigns sank without much response from officials.
#AllVeganStation
“This year’s proposal is the best, compared with previous ones. We keep improving it every year. ” The colorful and well-presented proposal includes eight sections, from basic concepts such as the definition of a vegetarian/vegan to vegetarians’ experiences, such as difficulties vegetarians might encounter on campus. According to the survey done by the association, of all the 1,060 respondents, 24.37 percent of Chinese students and 14.98 percent of foreign students have at least one vegetarian meal per day. Attached with a solid survey and a bunch of signatures gathered in a petition, the proposal seeks to demonstrate the demand for the options.
4
Currently, there is no vegan canteen on campus, and only a few vegan windows are provided in certain canteens. For vegetarian association members, the food variety and quality there are far from appealing.
“So few options do vegetarians have at school canteens and the offer remains the same almost every day,” complained Hannah.
For Ouyang, another disturbing fact was that the food is not prepared with special utensils. “At least, the tools used should be separate from other windows,” he said.
It is inevitable to offer more vegan options to accommodate students’ increasing demands for a healthy eating habit if Tsinghua wants to be more globalized, added Ouyang.
However, there is no sign that a vegan canteen is going to be built. “The biggest barrier is the mindset,” said Ouyang. Meals containing meat is still considered superior, or more balanced, than a pure vegetarian meal, he added.
Lack of resources is another factor. In a reply letter from food center, the authority acknowledges their responsibility to offer all the essential nutrients, vitamins, and minerals through meals. However, to cater for such a large number of students on campus is a daunting task. For Zijing Canteen, more than 20,000 students eat there every day. “We simply lack resources to open windows specifically designed for vegetarians/vegans, but we are making efforts to offer multiple and balanced foo choices for students,” the administrator explained.
Not satisfied with the reply, Ouyang and his friends are still looking for ways to promote their agenda. Recently, a “vegan-friendly canteen” petition was started, aiming to gather as many signatures and student numbers as they can.
“What we used to do is more like a bottom-up movement; now we are taking a top-down approach by seeking help from high-level officials and professors,” said Ouyang.
When asked about the possible reply for their fourth proposal, Ouyang was half optimistic half pessimistic. “We are still waiting for their reply,” she said. “Every time we hand in a proposal, we are at least making an impact.”