By Erika Zell

New owners bring a wider variety of lunch options to the table

Veggie Lunch, an SFU lunchtime institution, changed hands last semester, but the new owners have high hopes for the humble meal.

Formerly cooked, delivered, and served by Jocelyn Fournier, a practicing Hare Krishna, Veggie Lunch has been passed on to the Vancouver chapter of the international charity Hare Krishna Food for Life.  Kalarupini, the new coordinator, walked The Peak through the new menu options and explained the philosophy behind the food.

“We’re working with a four-week rotating menu,” said Kalarupini, or Kala, “So even if you came every day for a month you wouldn’t get the same meal.” While the options still take their cues from Fournier’s set lunch, Kala explained that the group was trying to integrate a wider variety of vegetarian dishes into the rotation. “We have basmati rice everyday, one curry or vegetable dish, and two different kinds of sweets, as well as a Persian dessert.”

One of the biggest differences regular patrons will notice is the different types of green salad as a break from the usual carb-heavy fare. “We’re trying to do a salad option once a week, on a different day every week so hopefully everyone can catch it at least once,” said Kala.

Like Founier’s menu, everything is freshly prepared the day it’s served, and is completely meat-free and “karma-free”. Karma-free, Kala explains, means that it has been prayed over and blessed for consumption. As well, organizers hope that at $5 per plate the meal will be an economic and healthy option for students.

“Hare Krishna Food for Life operates out of several Downtown Eastside charities,” said Kala, “as well as supporting a school in India. For $5 you get a really big meal, but it is also a donation, which makes it more meaningful. I think it’s a good combination of charity and enjoyment, because you get something back too.”

Hare Krishna Food for Life is an international vegan and vegetarian food relief organization. The Vancouver branch works with several local shelters, as well as coordinating relief efforts in many Indian cities. All meals are vegetarian friendly (SFU diners should ask the day-of about vegan options) and are sanctified, or sacrificed and offered to god, before serving. Meat, fish, and eggs are not eaten as a part of the Hare Krishna faith, and so cannot be sanctified or served through Veggie Lunch. Hare Krishna Food for Life is a registered charity, and the Vancouver branch has been in operation since 1980.

Veggie Lunch is served weekly Tuesday through Thursday in Forum Chambers. The suggested donation per meal is $5.