Brown's vegetarian and vegan menus allow for "fine dining," according to peta2, the college branch of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. The University is one of 30 contestants in the organization's "Most Veg-Friendly Colleges" competition alongside Georgetown University, New York University and last year's winning contestant, Indiana University-Bloomington.
In particular, Brown has been nominated for its vegetarian chili and nachos, spicy dal and vegan hot dogs. Other dishes in the competition include vegan chili cheese fries at the University of California, Los Angeles, sauteed portobello mushrooms over polenta at Humbolt State University and Moroccan vegetable tagine with couscous at Bowdoin College.
The winning school will receive a peta2 party on its campus, featuring a vegan and vegetarian food giveaway.
The "Most Veg-Friendly Colleges" contest, now in its second year, is an effort to highlight schools committed to vegetarians and vegetarian food options, according to Ryan Huling, PETA's college campaign coordinator.
Though the 40 contestant schools were nominated by students, PETA ensured that selected colleges were receptive to students' requests for vegetarian options and have shown commitment to vegetarian food in dining halls and on campus in general.
"The competition was much greater this year, because (colleges have) all started adding vegetarian options in the last year or two," Huling said, citing publicity and student activism as reasons for the increased attention to vegetarian menus.
In particular, Huling said, students have been organizing against the presence of more industrial companies like Kentucky Fried Chicken on college campuses, putting pressure on colleges to incorporate local food initiatives in their dining halls.
Brown students gave the University's vegetarian offerings positive reviews, and many cited the vegetarian sandwich bar as a perennial favorite. Lifelong vegetarian Amos Lichtman '10 said he has no trouble finding food to eat at the Sharpe Refectory, mentioning the couscous croquettes as a particular favorite of his.
A visiting vegetarian from Columbia University, junior Priya Murthy, raved about Brown's vegetarian spread. "It's much better than Columbia - you don't even understand. I'm thrilled about the Ratty selection," Murthy said.
Murthy called Columbia "unaccommodating," adding that "often the only thing to eat is wilted salad." Columbia does not label its vegetarian dishes and has no vegetarian section, according to Murthy. The school does not participate in peta2's competition.
Some students take advantage of Brown's vegetarian options simply as respite from dining halls' meat offerings. Students such as Madeleine Filloux '11, Anna Reisetter '10 and Geolani Dy '08 said they eat mostly vegetarian food in the dining halls due to the state of the University's meat selection. "The Ratty doesn't make you want to eat meat," Dy said.
"I usually only eat the vegetarian food" in the dining halls on campus, said Reisetter, who is not a vegetarian. "The meat frightens me."
"Brown is a vegan valedictorian," Huling said, adding that he noticed a connection between top schools with motivated students and good vegetarian cuisine. "It's a very logical extension of social justice activism to have compassion for animals. Smart people like good food," Huling said.
Dining Services officials declined to comment for this article.
