The University of Memphis’ Tiger Den now has a vegan food bar. The food bar contained jasmine rice with raisins and almonds, sautéed spinach, plenty of fruits and red cabbage. The Tiger Den also now has a sandwich and salad station with a plethora of vegan options. It has a vast variety of vegetables available to add onto salads and sandwiches.
The Tiger Den will now have multiple vegan options including bean burgers, tofu and a new vegan station, according to an email sent to University of Memphis students and staff from Tiger Dining.
Ryan Williams, co-leader of Vegan Outreach, a vegan club on campus, created a petition on Change.org to see if the U of M was in need of vegan options. It has garnered 392 signatures so far for those demanding more options.
“There was not really enough variety for vegans, but we are getting a solid representation for vegans in the cafeteria now,†Williams said.
Williams met with Aramark, the University of Memphis’ food service provider, to discuss if vegan meal options were in demand. He has been a vegan for two and a half years and said the U of M approached the issue with an open mind to help students like him.
Marc Perrusquia, the other co-leader of Vegan Outreach, has been a vegan for a year and half and praises the U of M for their new options.
“It was a little bit of a struggle being vegan at Memphis,†Perrusquia said. “Now the university is making a valiant effort to reach out to vegans.â€
The new options create an eco-friendly community, Perrusquia said.
“Adding vegan options is very pro-environment,†Perrusquia said. “University of Memphis is reducing their carbon footprint on this world.â€
The new menu options are not just for vegans, but also for students who want to improve their health, Perrusquia said.
Mia Stephens, a sophomore who has been a vegan for three years, found herself struggling to find places to eat last year while she lived on campus.
“Being a vegan at Memphis was not at all easy,†Stephens said. “I could barely find anything to eat and only had about 500 calories a day.â€
Stephens resorted to quick snacks like protein bars and chips at the P.O.D. for her source of daily protein.
“There were so little options for vegans,†Stephens said. “U of M is getting better though.â€
Tyler Earnest, a sophomore who has been a vegetarian for nine months, said the U of M had unhealthy options for vegetarians, and the vegan options were very limited before the new items.
“The vegan and vegetarian options at Memphis are there,†Earnest said. “They only have maybe three options, though.â€
Earnest discovered being a vegetarian at the U of M was harder than he expected because there are few vegetarian options around campus.
“The Tiger Den has a salad bar with a lot of vegetarian protein options,†Earnest said. “Vegans would need more, of course, but the options are growing.â€
The university in past semesters had only a handful of vegan options for students, but they put in an effort to widen the menu, Earnest said.
“I guess they tried to care about vegans and vegetarians, but I still feel like there needs to be more vegan-friendly foods,†Earnest said.
Matthew Perry, marketing manager for Aramark, could not be reached for more information about these new dining options on campus.
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