Isabel Abbott, Special to The Denisonian–
In front of me sat a bowl filled with tofu, cold vegetables from the salad bar, and a simple vinaigrette. At home, I was used to making my own meals, such as vegan chicken masala, Mediterranean cauliflower steaks, and vegan pad thai. I wasn’t at home, though. I was sitting in Curtis Dining Hall, eating more of a salad than an actual meal.
As a vegan with allergies, Harvest Table has been one of the most restrictive dining experiences I’ve encountered. Beyond that, I believe it implements ideas of diet culture and fails to respect dietary restrictions and allergies of students at Denison.
Harvest Table’s dietary goals are to feed students with healthy, whole food options that are “nutritional” and “balanced.” In my experience, I have felt everything but healthy and balanced. Many weeks I am left with six to eight meal swipes left, because at least three times a week Harvest Table is serving foods I cannot eat. The only options for me are rice and vegetables, without any source of protein. If there are no options for me, I get a Beyond Burger, but sometimes they do not serve those.
In addition, the constant use of over-acidic foods is dangerous for someone like me who has esophageal damage and occasional heart arrhythmias. These things are triggered differently by people who experience similar health problems, but for me, I have extreme pain and arrhythmias when I have acidic foods too often. For lunch and dinner, there is an abnormal amount of acidic foods that we don’t recognize to even be acidic. Pasta, baked beans, pizza, and anything with tomatoes, jalapeños, meat, oranges, and sugar are all foods which might have more acid than you expect.
For several days, I have been in pain because one of the only things I can eat at Curtis or Huffman are pasta or tacos with salsa, having no options for guacamole. Many people do not recognize these are genuine health concerns, but Harvest Table, an organization with goals of nutrition and balance should recognize this.
Another thing I believe Harvest Table should recognize is its disorganization when it comes to allergies. The sections of the dining hall with non-dairy milk include soy milk next to the oat milk and chocolate pea milk. Soy is an allergy at least one student at Denison has, and just because not everyone has that allergy does not mean it isn’t important. Having soy milk next to other milks makes it hard for people with soy allergies to enjoy other non-dairy milks.
In addition, there are some people who have airborne allergies to peanuts, but there is peanut butter in the dining halls. Another point is the lack of labels in the salad bar. I have a friend who is allergic to strawberries, and she never knows if the yogurt is blueberry or strawberry flavored.
As someone who is allergic to dairy, the cross contamination in the ice cream Harvest Table provides a clear neglect of care for those with allergies. For example, the water bowl for ice cream scoopers is filled with lactose. There is also cross contamination of dairy ice cream in the italian ice and sorbet, which makes it hard for those who have dairy allergies to enjoy desserts.
The cleanliness of the drinks is also a huge problem. In the past, my roommate has discovered weird things in her drinks, such as white, bug-like objects. These objects in her drinks fell in from uncleansed orange juice dispensers. The uncooked food is also a safety hazard, such as uncooked pho noodles and uncooked rice.
The sanitary problems of the dining halls is not a coincidence, however, since Harvest Table is directly connected to Aramark. Aramark is known for forcing labor of incarcerated people for revenue, mostly working in prison kitchens. According to PBS news, in 2009, a Kentucky prison faced a riot over the low quality food Aramark provided to its inmates. Throughout history, the food served under Aramark has been literal prison food and currently has a penalty payment of $379,352 for workspace safety and health violations, according to Good Jobs First, providing its violation tracker. It is, for these reasons in particular, interesting to me how Denison changed its dining provider to Aramark.
Overall, I think the food has large room for growth, especially for the vegetarian and allergen community. I enjoy the vegan chicken nuggets and the creativity of Huffman, but oftentimes, I am still left sitting with a bowl of vegetables and no real protein. The obsessive use of tofu, in my opinion, exercises the idea that a “whole food” diet is healthy for everyone. It also almost forces vegetarian students to adapt to this “diet culture” because it is all they can eat.
For people who eat meat, I’ve understood that the main meals provided include some form of meat and rice with vegetables. These meals are similar to chicken and rice, which is widely known as one of the most popular meals for diets. I think some of the meals Harvest Table provides pushes students to adopt these diets without even realizing it or choosing to.
With all this to say, I want to add that I like the staff working at Curtis and Huffman. They are active in answering questions and try their best with what they are given. It is, in no way, their fault that Harvest Table, under Aramark, is not providing foods fit for dietary restrictions and allergies. Each worker comes to Denison with a smile on their faces and does what they can with what they know and have.
I am hoping that in future meals, Harvest Table will begin to fulfill its goals of serving “nutritional” and “balanced” meals. In taking student’s feedback and communicating with Denison’s dining committee, I believe there could be a vast amount of progress made. For now, however, I will still be stuck eating tofu and a salad most days of the week.