"You Don't Make Friends with Salad!" September 23, 1998
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Vol. XX No. 2 "You Don't Make Friends With Salad!" September 23, 1998 ---------------------ISSUES--------------------C ILP~s~l~r- 1~1- - ·- U - _~sC~_ ~C TI11--P·lll~~t-O ~CI·P··e~-p )L - ---~PC~-·BL-___··- · · -------------------- -- IC1-~'-~~~--~4 --~Lg~-------------------- _ - ~_I L ~L~C--L~ -.1fn-o ..a hu. n m-ýtI--- a htn ..................... L By Cat Hui options are denoted with a little vegetable symbol. hours. Past nine p.m. on any given evening, vege- This lets the consumer realize quite quickly the tarian residents are faced with an even more limit- Being a vegetarian isn't easy, and it doesn't rather limited selection he or she has to choose ed selection of food for dinner. Veggie Whoppers seem like it will be getting any easier on the Stony from. On most days, the consumer has several (a.k.a. a bun, lettuce, tomatoes, onions and Brook campus. With the end of the Aramark era, it meal options: Pasta with sauce, pizza, stir fry, sand- ketchup), Taco Bell, Pizza Hut and a few other ill- seemed hopeful that the new campus food wiches, veggie burgers, and a rice and bean dish. suited fast foods are offered. Many vegetarians provider, Chartwells, might actually offer credible Pasta and pizza are both high in carbohydrates find themselves consuming the same foods for din- vegetarian options for the stu- hich when ner that they had eaten at lunch due to the sheer dents. At least on paper it )t utilized will lack of options. seemed so. be converted Some students have found the only satis- The Chartwell's cam- by the body factory way to eat on campus is to supplement their pus dining service proposal into fat. diet with their own cooking. This is an action that appeared to be a vast Sandwiches should not be necessary for residents who have improvement to the previous are limited to already spent $1200 a semester on the meal plan. conditions. In particular, the either egg Kosher meals have also been suggested as a viable plan for Humanities seemed salad or option. But at almost $9.00 for the dinner and $6.00 especially promising. cheese. Both for the lunch, going Kosher seems a bit pricey. Humanities Cafe was slated to the stir fry For vegans, the situation seems even more t, rt , -.... £ ......L:~ " • 'I- ,A -i.- ,th~,- iDe te o ur a vegetlarianil ui- daiL Il.te Ve6-g hopeless. In the Chartwell's proposal, the H Cycle ner' with a weekly rotating menu. This menu gie burgers are prepared on surfaces that are also Menu (presumably the menu for the H-Quad din- would consist of a different soup, bean casserole used to cook hunks of lovely meat, and they absorb ing area) incorporates one and only one vegan and two entrees every weekday. Steamed rice and the juices and drippings of beef and chicken. The option per day. That in itself limits those who opt vegetables would also be offered daily. Vegetarian stereotypical vegetarian salads are nice but over- to cut all animal and animal derived products from alternatives and even vegan selections were priced, not filling, non-nutritious and tend to be on their diet. However for vegans, even this one lim- planned as meals in other dining facilities. But the the verge of spoilage. For most people, lettuce is a ited option is not available. Veggie burgers, even if proposal and what is really available are two major component in a salad. Although popular they were cooked without the contamination of extremely different things. and generally favored by the salad-eating contin- meat, would still be off limits to vegans. The ones There is a serious lack of vegetarian gent of students, iceberg lettuce has no nutritional sold on campus contain traces of egg whites and options on campus for both residents and com- value since it is comprised mainly of water. cheese. muters. The so-called Humanities Vegetarian Romaine lettuce is a healthier and more nutritious On any given day, one can find food items Corner is non-existent. In fact, Humanities is one of alternative. Unfortunately, along with the addition- that do not contain meat. Of course these foods the places that offers the least number of vegetarian al vitamins and nutrients comes a heftier price tag include chips, cereals, sweets, and salads. A great alternatives. There appear neither to be plans to and therefore a no-show at the salad bar. Bean deal of food can be considered vegetarian in a gen- modify the existing cafe, nor to change the menu to sprouts and tofu, when actually offered at the eral sense; that is, it does not contain any meat or correlate to the proposal. The standard daily fare at Garden Emporium, the fancy name for the salad meat by-products. But for the campus bound resi- this eatery is essentially the same as it was under bar, lean toward the rancid side, which can consti- dent as well as the daily visiting commuter, these the rule of Aramark: Greasy pizzas, do-it-yourself tute an unnecessary venture into the world of food foods do not constitute a healthy diet. For all the deli sandwiches, potato bar and so on. poisoning. promises made by Chartwells, this is just another Campus dining areas attempt to be helpful For vegetarians residing on campus, addi- complaint to add to a growing list. and vegetarian friendly on their menus. Vegetarian tional hassles come forth in the evening and night [_oTaa &8 (/3actexi>: glow Set caitat jCw eat By Michael Yeh and after handling raw foods. In addition, soning, which is caused by marine plankton cooked food should not be kept at room temper- known as dinoflagellates. Dinoflagellates of Food poisoning is just like the common ature for more than one hour. the genus Gonyaulax produce substances that cold: it's usually a minor annoyance, and almost Bacteria that cause food poisoning are interfere with transmission of impulses along everyone has experienced it in the past. often associated with certain foods that may nerves and muscles. Ciguatera fish poisoning, But despite its ubiquity, identifying the provide clues to the cause of an outbreak. caused by eating tropical marine fish from cause of food poisoning is a hairy problem. More Bacillus cereus outbreaks, for example, are most areas with certain types of plankton blooms, is than twenty different microorganisms can cause often associated with rice that has been cooked characterized by general malaise and nervous the familiar diarrhea, cramps, vomiting, and and kept warm for long periods. Salmonella is system disturbances. These toxins remain headaches. The worst part is, it's impossible to notorious for contaminating poultry and egg active even after cooking, and are almost tell if your food is tainted until the first disap- products. Staphylococcus and Shigella are often impossible to detect without chemical tests. pointing trip to the potty, linked to moist, high-protein foods such as egg Much media attention has recently been Fortunately, bacterial food poisoning and potato salads, cold cuts, and cream-filled focused on a phenomenon known as "Chinese can be easily prevented with the proper han- pastries. restaurant syndrome," which is characterized by dling and cooking of foods. All foods, particu- Although most cases of food poisoning burning sensations, cramps, nausea, and weak- larly those of animal origin, contain bacteria and are not particularly serious, some virulent ness. These symptoms appear to be caused by other microbes. Bacteria can be killed if the food organisms can cause life-threatening illness in large amounts of monosodium L-glutamate, a is cooked quickly and thoroughly, to over 60 people. Escherichia coli are normally harmless commonly used flavor enhancer. degrees Celsius. bacteria that live in the intestines of humans Many food poisoning cases can be pre- Even if food is properly prepared, cont- and other mammals. But one particular strain, vented with proper food handling and kitchen amination may still occur if it comes in contact 0157:H7, can cause permanent damage to the hygiene. But it is usually impossible for con- with raw food. Under ideal conditions, usually kidneys and blood vessels and lead to death. E. sumers to tell what happens behind closed doors between 5 and 60 degrees Celsius, a single bac- coli are often found in poorly cooked red meat, in restaurants. If you suspect food poisoning due terium can give rise to more than two million especially hamburgers. to improper preparation, do not hesitate to noti- offspring within seven hours. Knives, cutting Not all types of food poisoning are fy the Suffolk County Health Services boards, and other utensils can easily transfer caused by microbial toxins. Tingling sensations Department's Food Complaint Hotline at germs throughout the kitchen. Therefore, it is and weakness of the face and extremities may (516)854-0410 or (516)852-2067. important to wash hands and equipment before suggest paralytic or neurotoxic shellfish poi- PAGE 2 THE STONY BROOK PRESS --~-~----- Ya- ---~--- -~- ----e I ---·--.- as~-~--Faa~asrs~P~L ~s~B~~-~_e~--~I ~L ,·-- --~-~·-~sb-~·~-·L_~·_ -- · L- ·--~ s--~8 ISSUES Deng Lee's Food Prompts Questions and, Say Students, "Explosive Vomiting" By Joanna Wegielnik Bruce Williamson of the Suffolk County The students who ate Deng Lee's on Health Department, said that the results from the September 11 and became ill the same night, did so Several Stony Brook students who have first investigation on September 3 indicate that after The Press was assured by Ginger Ferraro, the recently become ill after eating Deng Lee's take out Deng Lee's was operating according to Board of Roth cafeteria manager on duty on September 8, food are blaming the campus Chinese food eatery Health standards.