To the Editor,
Thank you so much for your columns last week on food issues. I have been a vegetarian for five years (I’m 25 now), and I’ve been gluten-free for five months. It has been next to impossible to stay adequately nourished while on campus. To their credit, the cafeteria staff will prepare gluten-free meals on request, but I’m not one to know in advance exactly when and what I want to eat. Lindsay’s Garden is nothing but a variation on the same boring brown rice and vegetables, with rotating sauces and meat substitutes which are never GF-friendly.
I could be wrong, but I haven’t found any GF snacks in Larry’s Market or Ram’s Head other than potato chips. Starbucks has these delicious raw granola bars, but they’re $3.95 each. I’ve blown all of my flex dollars already.
Sorry to go on and on, but it’s so frustrating and I’m glad to know someone else feels the same. I’ve considered going back to a “regular” diet many times. I may have no choice but to, given the financial strain.
-Tracy, West Chester student
To the Editor,
As someone who has been living with celiac disease for a few years now, I was pleased to see your article this week about being gluten-free on campus. I, too, have decided to live in an apartment as there are no real safe options for students on my own campus. Slipping up even a little with food hurts so much, and I don’t trust the university to be as careful as I need.
This isn’t something I do because of religion or ethics. Eating gluten destroys my intestines. This is a matter of life or very near death, and there are not enough options to match the serious nature of my situation. This is not as obvious to others as a peanut allergy or some sort of issue that gives someone a visually measurable sickness; my sickness is inside, and this shouldn’t make it any less important to the educational institution I pay countless thousands of dollars to every year. Even in public, it’s hard to trust supermarkets or restaurants.
-Amy Chen, Syracuse University student
To the Editor,
I am concerned over the number of references to and articles on “The Human Centipede” that were in this issue of your paper. This is a godless movie that should never have been made. Publishing this does not make good journalism. It cheapens your product.
-Reggie Drummond