McMaster Students Collaborate to Open a New Vegetarian Cafeteria on Campus

[krsna]

McMaster Students Collaborate to Open a New Vegetarian Cafeteria on

Campus

The Hamilton Spectator

 

HAMILTON, ONTARIO, February 11, 2004: McMaster University campus should

have a cafeteria where vegans and vegetarians will be able to dine by

the fall of 2004. The idea for the cafeteria was first promoted by

Aaron Orkin, a third-year arts and science student, who along with a

friend, wanted to open a kitchen where Jewish, Hindu and Muslim

students could have a place to eat where their dietary needs would be

served. Orkin says, "The cafe is not just another option for lunch but

a welcoming open space where cultural and religious festivities could

be held, where students from different backgrounds could sit and talk,

where the menu is another symbol of tolerance and understanding." The

University's administration has agreed to the idea and has offered the

student's involved a space known as the RAT, a campus bar that was

closed two years ago, but the space has the necessary kitchen, serving

areas and refrigeration facilities. Holding their first public meeting

in February, Orkin and Noah Zion Gano, a second-year commerce student,

want this student-driven project to succeed and have received input

about the menu and redecorating the space to cover up the orange walls.

Gary Warner, arts and science director and chair of a committee called

Strengthening Hamilton's Community Initiative, attended the public

meeting and comments, "It's about food, but it's also about

intercultural understanding. It's about creating a space that allows

people to interact in a way that in itself is a message."