Whether you’re vegetarian or a proud meat eater I think everyone can get behind free food. That’s why I was curious about attending a Krishna Bhakti Club meeting, the new vegetarian cooking club, after seeing them at Clubfest.
They promised “food you’ll love” but I am admittedly a little bit of a picky eater but the temptation of free food was overwhelming.
I came in a little late to a group huddled around a portable cooker. I could already smell the coconut oil bubbling in the tiny pot. The student-instructor explained that you have to start with a paste: 1 tablespoon of tumeric, chili pepper flakes, salt and olive oil. Then he evenly sauteed the ‘meat’ of the meal which was the high-protein soy product, tempeh.
Throughout the demonstration, club members chimed in the health benefits of each ingredient. Apparently, a home remedy is that tumeric can be used to heal small cuts.
The serving was for 4-6 people, so luckily the group planned a homemade Indian buffet for us hungry students. My meal consisted of Khichadi, a vegetarian rice and lentil dish, and sweet Indian halva. One of the club leaders told me that she actually wanted people to bring containers for leftovers.
I love a club with a good appreciation for take-home food, and the Gallatin series, Pickling with Professors is such a organization but with a worthy goal. They have a professor come in to talk about an issue like food waste and ways to combat it, then students get to make their very own pickles. One jar you make will go home with you and other one will go to a food pantry available to all NYU students but especially geared towards food-insecure students.
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