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In fall term of my first year, I took WRIT5: Food For Thought, where we discussed various topics on our food systems including biodiversity, genetically modified organisms (GMOs), and veganism. I was especially interested in the moral, ethical, and environmental discussions behind a plant-based diet, which I wanted to explore for myself.

For context, I come from a family that follows Buddhist traditions, which includes following a vegetarian diet for various observations throughout the year. Though I didn't always choose to eat vegetarian, as it was usually up to my parents to decide our meals. Now that I was at college and had full control of my diet, I was curious about intentionally choosing a plant-based diet. If eating less meat was better for me and the environment, I wanted to see if I could actually commit to a plant-based diet for a term. I centered my exploration around the question: What challenges do students who are interested in plant-based diets face on campus?

After consulting a few friends (see my conversation with Amen '28) for recommendations and tips, I decided to set a few rules for this experiment:

1. I would be vegetarian for a week (starting February 3rd and ending February 10th)

2. Vegetarianism is defined as avoiding meat. Animals products such as eggs, dairy, and honey are allowed

3. Three meals a day

4. I had to try all 6 dining locations across campus (not counting Cafe @ Baker, which only serves drinks)

Jumping straight to strict veganism felt daunting, so I decided to turn down the intensity and follow a vegetarian diet for the challenge instead. Without further ado, here are my notes and thoughts from a week of being vegetarian at Dartmouth!

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