From strawberries to baguettes: sharing a plate with the VSA

Don’t expect student-like traditions or beer relays from this student club. The Vegan Student Association (VSA) focuses on community, sustainability, and lots of vegan food. However, your diet doesn’t have to be 100% plant-based to join. ‘I’ll go fully vegan once there’s good vegan pizza.’

It’s a rainy Thursday evening on campus. In the Tuinkamer next to the cafeteria, treasurer Eve (25) is busy setting up her dishes for the potluck – a communal meal where everyone brings one dish. Every last Thursday of the month, the Vegan Student Association (VSA) organizes such an event, each time with a different theme. Tonight’s theme: orange, in honor of King’s Day, which is being celebrated in a few days.

VSA was founded five years ago out of a lack of a vegan community in Tilburg. The association is built on three pillars: creating an open community, increasing the visibility of veganism among students, and making this lifestyle more accessible and affordable. Members, for instance, get discounts at several restaurants in Tilburg.

In addition to the monthly potlucks, VSA also organizes sustainability-themed activities, such as clothing upcycling workshops and outings to animal shelters. That focus on sustainability also applies to VSA’s signature tradition: the annual Green City Tour, a walking tour of sustainable shops and eateries in downtown Tilburg.

Red fruit

Still, the potluck remains the beating heart of the association. And despite the drizzly weather, members are trickling in again tonight. Six in total, each with a homemade vegan dish or drink. Spread across the table are cartons of orange juice, Tupperware containers filled with carrot and sweet potato soup, Turkish çiğköfte, and a no-bake orange cheesecake.

Among the orange-themed table, the strawberries, raspberries, and watermelon immediately stand out. This red fruit was brought by member David Weijzen (26). ‘In protest against the monarchy,’ he jokes. He happily joins in on eating all the orange-colored food. The table is also decorated with a red-and-white checkered tablecloth, plastic ivy, and anime-style avocado plushies on either side.

Psychology students

Of the six people present tonight, only one is Dutch. But according to vice-chair Ben Csáki (24), that’s not representative of the entire association. ‘The ratio between international and Dutch students is quite balanced,’ he says. Still, Eve sees a challenge ahead: ‘If the English-taught Psychology bachelor gets discontinued, we’re in trouble, because that’s where most of us come from.’

Meanwhile, people at the table are snacking on all the different vegan dishes. Chips, cheesecake, baguette, soup, and chocolate: everything gets mixed together. The conversation turns to what motivated them to go vegan. Most members started out as vegetarians. Vice-chair Csáki made the switch partly for practical reasons: ‘Even as a kid, I didn’t like eating meat – it was too much chewing for me. But as I learned more about animal welfare and the sustainability benefits of veganism, I went fully vegan.’

Vegan pizza

Not everyone at the table is vegan, though. Portuguese student Diogo Lopes (25) and Weijzen are still vegetarians. So why are they members? ‘For the fun and the community,’ they say in unison. Going fully vegan is on the table for the future, though Weijzen has one condition: ‘Only once there’s truly a good vegan pizza.’ Eve immediately pulls out a photo: ‘This one from Albert Heijn is really worth trying.’

At the end of the evening, Turkish-German student Can Dillioğlu (24) pulls a blender out of his bag. Right there at the table, he makes a smoothie with strawberry, banana, spirulina powder, vegan protein, and plant-based milk. It’s an experiment: ‘There’s still no good vegan protein drink on the market, so some friends and I are working on developing one.’

The green-blue drink is passed around to everyone. Some hesitate to try it at first, but the skepticism turns out to be unnecessary: the vegan protein smoothie is surprisingly tasty.

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