While most students at elite academic institutions institution are likely intelligent enough to make their own dietary choices, students at one Ivy League university in New York can no longer even trust the on-campus eateries to provide them with normal cuisine, such as an all-beef hamburger.
According to a report from the Cornell Sun, students at Cornell University have gradually been exposed to an increasing array of plant-based menu choices that have even gone as far as to corrupt the classic American hamburger. What many students consider to be the classic all-meat version of a beef hamburger has sneakily been turned into a 30 percent vegetable-based version using ground-up mushrooms as a base.
“Instead of just being completely plant-based, we just up the veggies. We’re increasing the amount of plant and decreasing the amount of [meat],” said Michele Lefebvre, Cornell Dining’s director of nutrition management. “That’s kind of been our stealth way of approaching it.”
In the article, Lefebvre also emphasized that she is currently overseeing a variety of campus menu initiatives that are designed to reduce the emphasis on utilizing meat in student dining options, choosing instead to focus on various ways that the school can sneakily force students to consume more veggies.
“We’re always striving to make something plant-based,” Lefebvre said. “So, for example, if we can make a soup kind of base using pureed cauliflower, we definitely aim to try and do that.”
The 30 percent veggie burger project is an offshoot of an initiative known as the Blended Burger Project, created by the liberal James Beard Foundation, which seeks to give chefs and culinary colleagues “a voice and the tools they need to make the world more sustainable, equitable, and delicious for everyone.” Unsurprisingly, much of the emphasis from the James Beard Foundation appears to center around limiting tasty food options that health professional may perceive as unhealthy, and tackling climate change.
Despite the fact that healthy alternatives to regular classic American meals like a burger and fries already exist, students at Ivy League institutions are smart enough to make their own dietary decisions, and don’t need liberal administrators to influence their diets in a stealthy manner.
John Patrick (@john_pat_rick) is a graduate of Canisius College and Georgia Southern University. He interned for Red Alert Politics during the summer of 2012 and has continued to contribute regularly.
