Wellesley College alum Nicolle Strand talks to Wellesley Patch about her choice to become a vegetarian and the options Wellesley College, and the town at large, provide people who've decided to just say no to meat.

Wellesley Patch: Are you vegetarian or vegan, and how long have you been a vegetarian?

Nicolle Strand: I am a vegetarian since I was 13 so, nine years.

WP: Why did you make the choice to go vegetarian?

NS: Honestly, I made the switch mostly because I was grossed out by meat. In fact, I had been pondering it for a while because it is so much more sustainable than eating meat, and one day I walked past a serious butcher shop with like dead animal carcasses hanging in the windows and that pushed me over the edge.

WP: What's your favorite food?

NS: My favorite food is probably pasta in various forms. I love to make my own tomato sauce or pesto, or just sauté some spinach in garlic and red pepper and toss that in there. Pasta and spinach are my staples. Although I also love a good burrito. Mexican food always has great vegetarian options.

WP: Do you find you cook your own food more often as a direct result of being vegetarian?

NS: I wouldn't say I cook more often as a direct result. I do cook a lot and its really easy and relatively cheap to cook vegetarian.

WP: Was there anywhere in particular you would go to eat in Wellesley that catered to vegetarians?

NS: Wellesley town was moderately veg friendly I suppose. I didn't eat there much to be honest. But Lemon Thai [Cusine] had great tofu curry options which were delicious. And I always found plenty of vegetarian lunch options at Rosie's [Bakery]. Unfortunately Upper Crust moved in after I graduated; I would have eaten there every day. They have so many vegetarian pizza options that are fantastic.

WP: How about Wellesley college campus?

NS: Wellesley college was very vegetarian friendly. I ate in the vegetarian/kosher dining hall pretty often. But even the regular dining halls always had plenty of salad and usually a vegetarian entree option.