Herbivore Heaven

For a sleepy Midwestern town nestled deep in Indiana quarry country, Bloomington certainly stands out in more than just a few respects. It is politically liberal-minded, to be sure, drawing on a rich repository of University-educated intellectuals, corporate types and activists. It's tolerant: take a stroll through the Sample Gates and onto Kirkwood Ave. at any given hour and you're sure to see North Face-clad frat boys, Prada-carrying fashionistas, Little 500 cyclists swathed in spandex and dreadlocked skateboarders perfecting their skills at People's Park. \nSimilarly, the Bloomington vegan scene, notably more expansive than most any other Indiana town, proves a local interest in supplying grub to people of diverse taste -- rather than just the 'meat 'n potatoes' crowd. The vegan lifestyle specifically shuns dairy products such as milk and cheese in addition to all meat and fish. And to serve these tastes, Bloomington provides a handful of eateries specializing in vegan and vegetarian cuisine for the student population and community at large, including the Runcible Spoon, Cafe Django, Laughing Planet and Little Tibet, to name a few. \nA short trek down Kirkwood leads the conscientious diner to a few particular vegan and vegetarian options. Soma Coffee House and Laughing Planet, located at the corner of Kirkwood and Grant, offer everything from vegan maple syrup chocolate chip cookies (baked with whole wheat flour, egg replacer and grain sweetened vegan chocolate chips) to organic steamed vegetables and, of course, the Planet's famous burritos. \nBrad Hawley has worked at Laughing Planet for close to three years and thinks it's one of the healthiest options downtown.\n"We basically cater to all kinds of tastes," Hawley says. "Bodybuilders can come in here and add a lot of chicken to a burrito. Vegans can come in and ask for things without cheese."\nMost Planet grub can be made vegan by removing dairy products and chicken or meat and using such substitutes as soy and tofu, and a short trip down the brightly painted "Hall of Digestion" stairs to Soma allows vegan diners to cap off a hearty Planet meal with a shot of organic espresso or vegan bakery items. \nAnother recent addition to the cornucopia of vegan-friendly eateries is the Jungle Room. \nWhen co-owner Keenan Gill began conceptualizing the Jungle Room, the upstairs addition to Uncle Fester's, he included vegetarian and vegan-friendly options on the menu, since finding places where he (a self-proclaimed omnivore) and his wife Valerie (a vegetarian) could both enjoy several menu options. \n"We couldn't eat out and find foods we both enjoyed," Gill says. "We always felt as if the other person was sacrificing or compromising too much." \nSimilar to Laughing Planet, most vegetarian options on the Jungle Room menu can be made vegan by removing whatever dairy product the item contains and adding soy-based substitutes. \nDespite eateries' best efforts, however, monotony is likely to set in for strict vegans and vegetarians wanting to shake things up a bit. Finding diverse dining options catering to specific dietary needs is a problem for many off-campus vegans, but on-campus residents can retreat to the Collins Living and Learning Center, which has served vegan food since the 1970s under the direction of foods manager Jim Beeson. Last year, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) ranked IU one of the 10 most vegetarian-friendly colleges in the U.S. It was based strictly on on-campus offerings, however. \nFor those vegans set adrift, Bloomingfoods offers options for vegan shoppers. Justin Lloyd works in the bakery at the E. Third Street location and says the demand is "very high" for vegan bakery options. \n"People tend to come in because there aren't very many other options in town," he says. \nThe Bloomingfoods deli offers more than a dozen vegetarian sandwiches, as well as vegan bread, tofu, assorted meat substitutes and tempeh. O'Malia's Fine Foods also maintains a stock of vegan-friendly options. \nBloomingfoods kitchen worker Chris Lombardi has been a vegan for more than eight years and made the switch to the strict lifestyle while in college. \n"Originally it was kind of a lifestyle thing," he says. "I thought I wasn't eating very well and was eating this normal diet of cheeseburgers and fries."\nHe started out as a vegetarian, but moved to strict veganism a mere month later. It was a radical change, but he says he's never looked back.\n"I started reading about factory farming and the industrialization of food and what we're doing to ourselves and our bodies, and I just decided to go vegan," he says. \nLombardi says the industrialization and subsequent pollution associated with typical omnivorous and even vegetarian diets were a major factor prompting him to consider veganism.\n"So many people can equate an animal dying with meat on their plate, but a lot don't seem to think there's anything wrong with milk," he says. "They think, 'Okay, by-products aren't direct,' so they don't care as much about that as what happened to said cow or said chicken. It's just something that worked for me -- I don't mind being a vegan." \nGill says his wife tried the vegan lifestyle for awhile but found it too demanding, especially when she was a college student. \n"There simply aren't enough hours in the day when you're a student to research and take the time to ensure you have the time to truly follow the vegan way," Gill says. "She just couldn't do it while she was a student."\nLombardi says he doesn't take supplements or amino acids like many vegans do to ensure they're getting the proper nutrients to stay healthy, but he'll pop the occasional vitamin C pill when he's feeling under the weather.\n"There are a lot of arguments you can make about supplements," he says. "One is that a lot of what we eat, whether omnivore or vegetarian, is processed. Milk has a lot of calcium not absorbable by the human body, for example. As long as you eat a variety of foods, and not peanut butter and jelly every single day, you'll be okay. Our bodies have the tendency to take care of themselves as long as you're aware of what you're eating."\nHe admits it's difficult when he returns to his hometown to maintain the vegan lifestyle. He simply plans ahead, stocking up on staples he'll need to eat well at home without disrupting his parents' diet. \n"I've gotta just take care of myself," he says. "My mom's not opposed to cooking anything vegan, but if she goes shopping, I have to go with her. She won't label-read like I do."\nLomardi frequents Fourth Street restaurants like Red Sea and Little Tibet, and claims the combination plate of greens, potatoes and cabbage is "amazing" at the former. \n"Any of the ethnic restaurants are fine for most part, but I'm definitely not hitting up Opie Taylor's or anything like that," he said. "Sure, their burgers are good and that's what they're known for, but that's just not where I am"