Is anyone at Gonzaga 100 percent satisfied with the food at the COG? Junior Sheila Canavan and sophomore Breanne Flynn certainly are not, which is why they're working to create a new club that would strive to improve the on-campus food.
Ethical Awareness Together is entirely centered on food. Its main goals are to unite people who are passionate about food and to work with Sodexo and partake in the Real Food Challenge. The challenge propositions colleges to invest 20 percent of their budget in "real food" by the year 2020. According to the Real Food Challenge, food is considered "real" if it is grown locally or within the state, Fair Trade Certified, organic and grown using sustainable, humane practices.
Canavan and Flynn, both vegans, became very in tune with how food influenced their bodies when they changed their eating habits.
"Food is so simple and so ubiquitous. It's a big part of our lives and there's so much more to it than meets the eye. I don't think a lot of people realize that," Flynn said.
Canavan and Flynn are still in the process of establishing EAT as a legitimate club. They're currently writing a constitution and drafting a mission statement, which will then have to be ratified by GSBA. In the meantime, Canavan and Flynn are busy raising awareness about their cause.
"I really enjoy my food, and I hope EAT can make other people care about their food, too," Canavan said.
Both girls have noticed slow improvements in the COG's food, but hope their initiatives can bring about more improvements. They noted that Sodexo now identifies where its food comes from, and hope to beget similar changes.
"Last year, Sodexo hired a new chef who specialized in vegetarian cooking. Oftentimes students with specific food needs have difficulty finding food on campus, but he was really passionate and took to heart some of our suggestions," Flynn said.
Canavan recognizes that working with Sodexo in the Real Food Challenge is possible, but will prove difficult.
"We obviously don't want to alienate Sodexo, because they're mainly who we're going to be working with. At the same time, they're a huge corporation, so we know there's only so much our regional manager can do," she said.
Working with Sodexo is only part of EAT's plans. Canavan and Flynn hope to host potlucks, sponsor schoolwide events, show food-related documentaries, serve food to the homeless and even plant community gardens. Once officially established, EAT will ideally be a haven for Gonzaga's food-lovers.
"Having a club centered on food gives us endless possibilities. There are so many hands-on things you can do with food. It'd be so easy to host events. And you know, if there's food at an event, obviously people will come," Flynn said.
Canavan and Flynn hope EAT will inspire change on campus, both in the food provided by Sodexo and the way people view and appreciate their food.
"America's food culture is defined by fast food, which is really unfortunate. There are food revolutions going on all around the world and I think it's time we bring one here. It'd be great to create an entire culture revolving around food here on campus," Flynn said.
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