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The Vegetarian Club has no official officers, just people who agree to take care of advertising and food preparation. There are representatives in every college who put up posters advertising the club's dinners. The club's fliers are one of its most recognizable features because of their distinctive orange color and off-beat humor.

Hanszen College junior Neeraj Shah, a former officer of the club, said, "Being an officer was a really good experience, because we were one of the most successful organizations on campus."

Several students meet each week at the Hare Krishna temple on 34th Street near Ella Boulevard to prepare the food for cooking. The job is rotated among different college members. In the early years of the club, the Hare Krishna temple not only donated its cooking facilities, but it also donated the grains and beans used in cooking. Now, donations from those who attend the meals pay for the food. The temple also provides vegetarian food for a local food shelter, allowing the charity kitchen to stay open seven days a week.

One person does all the cooking -- Krishna Kripa das, a Hare Krishna. The Veggie Club has no direct affiliation with the Hare Krishna faith, which does not believe in eating meat. Krishna Kripa not only cooks the main meal but also gives a small demonstration showing how the food is prepared each week during the club's dinner. He chooses simple, easy-to-cook vegetarian meals.

Krishna Kripa said, "If I can do it in 20 minutes ... a college student ... can do it in 40." Past dishes served have included traditional ratatouille, tofu rancheros and even treats like peanut butter fudge.

Krishna Kripa estimates that half of the 60 diners each week are vegetarians and that another 20 percent would like to be. Only two or three percent are vegans -- vegetarians who eat no animal products.

Many people come to the Vegetarian Club dinners for more than food. They have "friendly atmosphere, cheap food [and] easy access," Sid Richardson College freshman Dan Santavicca said. Some come to learn more about vegetarianism, and others come to hang out with their vegetarian friends, but everyone unanimously enjoys the food. In fact, Central Kitchen has borrowed some ideas from Krishna Kripa's recipes in vegetarian entrees such as the potato, tomato and eggplant subji.

"If you're a vegetarian on campus, [Central Kitchen] doesn't offer much choice. And if you've got no wheels on a Saturday night, Veggie Club is a good place to get food," Shah said.

The club welcomes non-vegetarians as well, such as club officer and SRC freshman Amanda Goad, as well as strict vegetarians. "The club regulars all hang out together every Saturday night," Goad said. "Attendance has been higher recently than in the past, and we hope to see it grow."

The Vegetarian Club has a Web page with recipes. Over 400 people subscribe to the vegetarian listserv, the largest on campus, which mails out recipes and meeting information. You can visit the club's Web page at http://www-ece.rice.edu/~vijaypai/rvc/ , which provides information about recipes, vegetarian-friendly restaurants and health issues for vegetarians. To join the listserv, send e-mail to veggie@ruf.rice.edu .

The Vegetarian Club began in 1985 but was discontinued in 1989 when its founders graduated. Electrical and Computer Engineering graduate student Vijay Pai, Jeff Allen (Wiess '95) and Sandeep Gupta (Wiess '94) revived the club in 1992 with Krishna Kripa's help. Vivek Pai, also a Electrical and Computer Engineering graduate student, joined his brother in organizing the club and instituted the system of college representatives about three years ago.

According to Wiess College junior Tilly Hatcher, a club officer, the club has briefly discussed doing something about the lack of garden burgers in fast food chains but decided not to assume such an activist role. The club prefers to stick to its traditional role of providing food and camaraderie to the many students who come every Saturday for a delicious, cheap, meatless dinner.

This item appeared in the Features section of the April 25, 1997 issue.