A color-coded card with an ingredient description accompanies each dish in the Ohio University dining halls. But they’re also marked with symbols to inform diners of any special dietary regulations.
Though most give the cards a cursory glance, some students scrutinize them daily, searching for the “kosher” or “halal” symbol.
To plan dishes for students trying to follow religious dietary laws, Matt Rapposelli, executive chef for Culinary Services, sat down with leaders in several religious communities four years ago.
“We’re fairly flexible, which is one of the best parts of being a self-operated facility,” Rapposelli said. “We have the ability to change dishes on the fly and accommodate different groups.”
Culinary Services tries to offer kosher- and halal-friendly dishes to Jewish and Muslim students, respectively, throughout the school year, he said.
Two of the leaders he sat down with four years ago were Rabbi Danielle Leshaw, executive director of Hillel, and Shani Salifu, acting vice president of the Muslim Students Association and a graduate student studying instructional technology.
“Adding new foods to the dining hall has been a big move forward for minority students with dietary restrictions,” Leshaw said. “Matt (Rapposelli) offers many opportunities for us to give new ideas, and this is a great reminder that we should reconvene and see what else we can do.”
The dining halls are offering more fish on Fridays for students who choose to avoid eating meat during Lent, Rapposelli said.
Morgan Morgan, a sophomore studying communications, has chosen to avoid eating meat for the full 40 days of Lent as a challenge for herself. She said she has been fairly pleased with her options at the dining hall thus far.
“It hasn’t been too bad so far, even though some of the food isn’t always what I want or prefer,” she said. “But because I have to look harder for options, I do notice when there is a variety of choices available.”
Culinary Services also accommodates for the Islamic holiday Ramadan — a 29-day period where people fast from sunrise to sunset — by serving packaged meals for those who cannot eat until later in the evening, Rapposelli said.
Supradeep Vijaya Kumar, a Hindu graduate student studying mechanical engineering who used to work in Nelson Dining Hall, said the dining halls could offer more options than they do now.
Even though Hindus do not eat beef, Kumar belongs to a stricter sect that encourages vegetarianism.
“It’s hard to find actual vegetarian dishes,” Kumar said. “Those options take a back seat to meat.”
But Omar Kurdi, a freshman studying political science, said the dining halls do a good job of accommodating students’ different dietary needs given their resources.
“It wouldn’t be economically sound to listen to all that the students want,” Kurdi said. “But for what it’s worth, the dining hall does its best.”
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