Veganism on a student budget (The Guardian, 2013)

First published on The Guardian’s Blogging Students page: http://www.theguardian.com/education/mortarboard/2013/jun/24/veganism-on-a-student-budget

Students get a lot of stick for our supposed failure to eat well. Many begin university with little to no knowledge of cooking, left to fend for themselves in the big, bad world of ready meals, eventually succumbing to their second Super Noodle sandwich of the day.

Universities such as Loughborough have set up online TV stations to widen people’s culinary skills, with Sam Stern and other celebrity chefs capitalising on this gap in the market. But for me, going to university as a vegetarian – and now vegan – has made my quest to cook and eat well more palatable.

Knowing exactly what I can and cannot eat has forced me to really think about my shopping lists. As a vegan, I do not consume any animal products and try my best not to use any either. I have reacquainted myself with stereotypically boring vegetables (I love you, broccoli), and discovered delicious substitutes like polenta and seitan, a high-protein wheat-based alternative for more meaty meats such as buffalo wings and duck.

Sure, I couldn’t apply for catered halls or enjoy my flatmates’ weekly beef goulash. And it was difficult in freshers’ week having to explain why I didn’t drink Fosters or Guinness (they’re neither vegetarian nor vegan), but my flatmates were generally accepting on the whole. We coexisted for a year with only minor problems. It could have been worse, too: one of my vegetarian friends woke up to find bacon in his shoes.

Studying in Leeds with a year abroad in Berlin has been a vegan jackpot. In Germany, for instance, purity laws prevent beer companies from using animal products in the brewing process. From delicious pizzas and curries, to deals at local markets (who would say no to three avocados for €1?) my meat free diet has been a breeze.

And I’ve saved money too. With just a little bit of effort, my Berlin flatmates and I have worked out a system where we each contribute €15 per week towards food. This is a massive boost for my budget and, according to a National Union of Students study, it would be for other’s as well. Last year in Leeds my omnivorous friends would usually spend around £10 more than me each week when they bought meat.

Nevertheless not everyone is this lucky. Students in less metropolitan areas may struggle to find an organic food store, let alone something like an exclusively vegan pizzeria. But make no mistake: vegans can live healthily shopping only at supermarkets. A number of supermarkets now have vegan product lists and most label their food accordingly. With lactose free and meat free products on the rise, I can make Thai curries, pasta bakes, greasy burgers and nutty risottos. Even cheesecakes are doable.

One thing I really enjoy making is an inexpensive creamy ‘chicken’ korma sauce. I use Alpro soya cream, diced mushrooms and a block of chopped tempeh, which is a fermented soybean product that has a distinctly nutty taste. It sounds quite disgusting but I assure you, it’s good.

For a handful of my friends, though, the pressure of returning home after term ends becomes the real challenge. Many don’t know how to tell their families about their new diet, and that they’d prefer a Linda McCartney pie for their Sunday dinner. Friends who come from other cultural backgrounds also struggle; some feel that they’re letting their families down by turning vegetarian.

It’s a difficult situation to be in, particularly if you have a family of dedicated meat enthusiasts. Being endlessly quizzed about your eating habits is not exactly how you imagine spending your relaxation time at home either. Making sure your friends and family don’t think it’s ‘just a phase’ is perhaps one of the biggest obstacles you can face.

When it comes to justifying my diet, I’ve found that no amount of health statistics (such as this extensive NHS study) or moral reasoning will win people over. My grandparents don’t understand my diet and I’m not sure they ever will. But that’s okay. You can get at their hearts through their stomachs: make your family a meal and show them how good vegan student cooking can be.