I became a vegetarian about a year ago.

It was a pretty easy transition at first, but eventually the lack of variety began to make it significantly harder. I got really sick of eating the same things, all the time: cheese pizzas, mozzarella sticks, salads and boca burgers. Of course there are more options than that: for breakfast, lunch and dinner there are some vegetarian and vegan options, and Hinman Dining Hall’s “Gifts from the Garden” section specializes in vegan dishes, but it’s still hard to find many filling options.

Vegetarians, like everyone else, have individual tastes, and if those tastes don’t happen to fit the vegetarian option of the day then they’re shit out of luck. I’m consistently disappointed to find that the main vegetarian dinner is some sort of insubstantial slop. Occasionally there are actually a few good options all at once, and then a week of absolutely nothing. Vegetarians shouldn’t have to wait for their lucky day just to eat well.

This is not just a problem in that it inconveniences vegetarians. The lack of variety discourages vegetarianism itself. For a school that prides itself on being “green,” you would think it would do all it could to encourage this environmentally sound practice.

For a long time I have considered vegetarianism to be the environmentally conscious and moral choice, but I never thought I’d do it. I love the taste of meat and saw vegetarianism as totally devoid of deliciousness. You can’t tell from looking at this campus’ options, but I soon learned that vegetarian food actually has a lot to offer taste-wise. While not under Sodexo’s thumb, my options are incredibly diverse and delicious.

There are cookbooks full of vegetarian meals that aren’t bland and barely distinguishable from each other, but are rather substantial food. Fake meat is a personal preference of mine and while it exists and can be pretty damn good, it is a rarity at Binghamton University. And regardless of what the University may have you believe, there are more than two ways to prepare mushrooms and eggplant.

You would also think that a school would do all that it could to promote the health of its students.

Trying to be a vegetarian and to eat healthy food, all while having the majority of your meals come from Sodexo, is frustrating. And it’s not just vegetarians who can’t eat as well as they should; I see people at this campus eating dinners that consist of chicken fingers, mozzarella sticks and french fries, because these are the options readily available at the grill. People get meat dishes and no vegetables! Regardless of whether or not you’re a vegetarian, these are not wise eating choices.

Increasing the variety of vegetarian food on campus does not provide a benefit for just the vegetarians. A lot of meatless dishes can be tasty, substantial and nutritious. They depend on combinations of numerous ingredients, rather than just simply the skeletal muscle of an animal, so it’s easier to achieve a well balanced diet with only one dish.

It seems unfair to me that I pay the same amount of money for such a small amount of options, solely because of a totally defendable, moral decision I’ve made. I’m a growing boy and I both like to and need to eat. Help me out, BU.