From ham sandwiches and saimin to chicken and salad, the ʻAkahi Cafeteria has always supplied students with an abundance of food for them to choose from. However, choices for vegetarians is a whole other story, and if you’re a vegan… forget about it. Unless you pack your own meals everyday, it is most likely impossible for a vegetarian/vegan to get all the protein and nutrition they need. From a vegetarian point of view, your set cafeteria options include yogurt, fruit, quinoa, salad, and an egg sandwich. If you get lucky in the week, you may also have the slight possibility of being able to choose from soup and the rare main course, such as pasta with meat-less tomato sauce. From a vegan point of view, your options decrease even more, leaving you with a choice of fruit, quinoa, and salad. No matter what your diet is like, vegan or not, I can gaurentee that you will not eat the same three things everyday. On top of that, these set “meals” don’t have enough nutritional value to get a student through the day, and it most certainly will not help those who participate in other extracurricular activities.

According to  ‘Akahi’s mission statement, their philosophy focuses on meals that are “unique, flavorful and designed to satisfy your nutritional needs” and are “grounded in wellness to fuel your day.” So, if Akahi is really in alignment with their mission philosophy, they would consider increasing the number of vegetarian and vegan dishes and make sure that all students are getting the nourishment they need to sustain themselves throughout the day.