Keri Cronin

Category Archives: Campus


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A Busy Spring So Far!

Spring has been a bit of a whirlwind here so far! The last little while has been one of the most hectic times in recent memory.

I took an quick trip out to Edmonton for the Cross-Pollination workshop at the end of March. This was probably the best professional gathering I’ve ever attended – it was a small, invited group of people which allowed for really good discussions. There were no concurrent sessions and we all were asked to workshop our papers, which had been circulated ahead of time. There were so many interesting topics discussed and it was just amazing to have the opportunity to really think deeply about how “environmental thought and activism” (to borrow from the event sub-title) can emerge from the arts and the humanities. So many excellent papers and so many exciting ideas exchanged. I think I thoroughly enjoyed the entire event, but if I had to pick a highlight I think it would be Lyndal Osborne‘s discussion of her work. Absolutely incredible stuff! (and to think I used to be both a student and a sessional instructor in the same department as Lyndal but did not actually meet her until this workshop. How odd!)

While I was in Edmonton I got to have a quick whirlwind visit with my parents, which was lovely! We went for a celebratory dinner at Padmanadi, one of the most delicious vegan restaurants I’ve ever been to! The food is Chinese food-style, but made with analog meats instead of the “real deal.” Loads of yummy fresh veg too! What a treat it is to be able order anything from the menu!


I also got to spend a fabulous evening with Fiona, a good friend who I haven’t seen in ages because she has been living in places like New Zealand, the UK and Alaska. The stars aligned and we were actually in the same city for the first time in about 5 years! We went to the Hotel MacDonald for old time’s sake (we used to go there for drinks and to restore our sanity when we both lived in Edmonton) and had a blast ordering a ridiculous amount of ridiculously expensive appetizers ($10 popcorn anyone? But it was tossed in truffle oil, so…) We were too busy yakking to take any photos, but it was such a great night!

The week after I got back from Edmonton was the “Thinking About Animals” conference at Brock. It was so amazing to see such a great turn-out for this event. I don’t know the exact count, but people came from all over to discuss, debate and think critically about relationships between species. It was fabulous and I was sorry that I had to miss so many sessions due to teaching and other commitments. (the perils of attending a conference at one’s home institution, I guess)

The 2011 Niagara Social Justice Forum came on the heels of the “Thinking About Animals” conference. I was part of the organizing committee for the NSJF this year, so it was an especially intense time. We had a great day for the forum – beautiful sunny skies, perfect for the nature walks along the escarpment that were booked for mid-day. There were 18 workshops on a wide range of topics (everything from youth homelessness to water access and social media to the rates of diabetes in Aboriginal communities), an “art space” (featuring an exhibition of images to raise money and awareness for Toronto Pig Save, a children’s art competition and a craft table where participants could paint messages of social justice on a banner and make their very own compostable plant pot and then plant an heirloom tomato seed donated to the event by Tree & Twig), a performance by WomEnchant, and a screening of NFB’s Reel Injun. A long, wonderful, rich and rewarding day!


I thoroughly enjoyed all of these events, but I’m glad that the pace is going to slow down a bit now. Classes have ended and it is time to turn my mind to summer research/writing + gardening. I’m looking forward to some new adventures on both of these fronts!


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Vegan Brock

A few of us Brock-based vegans (and vegan sympathizers) have banded together to form a group called Vegan Brock. The idea is to use social media to spread the word about vegan options on campus – look for us on Facebook and Twitter!

To that end, I was just over in the Guernsey Market to pick up some lunch. While I didn’t see any baking labelled with the new “vegan” stickers today I was delighted to see soy milk for sale in the drink coolers. You can pick up 1 litre tetra packs or the smaller drink box sized containers. I’ve been asking for non-dairy milk on this campus for ages so this is just a wonderful development! Well done Guernsey Market! (This makes a nice change from the 2 on-campus Starbucks locations who offer me the “lactose free” milk every time I ask for soy milk. I think these are the only two Starbucks locations I’ve ever encountered who are so resistant to bringing in non-dairy options. So weird!)

So to all you Brock folks looking for non-dairy options, be sure to support the Guernsey Market in this initiative.

The vegan soup at the Guernsey Market today was a yummy-looking Pasta e Fagioli, but since it is such a warm, sunny day I wasn’t in the mood for soup. I opted instead for a “shaker salad.” I love this idea — you grab a (100% biodegradable) container and load it up with your choice of veggies and beans. Add your dressing and any toppings (sesame seeds, croutons, etc.), put the lid on and shake it up. This makes a nice, fresh, healthy alternative to the prepared salads one often encounters in cafeteria-style places. Today I loaded mine up with: spinach, broccoli, carrots, beets, peppers, olives, and chickpeas. No dressing necessary. Yum!


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Vegan Baking at Brock

The day has finally arrived! Today was the first time I was able to buy a vegan baked good from the official food service folks on campus. (a shout out to Brock Animal Rights Club — your bake sales are fantastic! I’m not ignoring you, just looking for vegan goodness to be included in places like the Guernsey Market too!)

Baker Brian promised us vegan muffins and he delivered — some fantastically, yummy, mouth-watering raspberry vegan muffins. I was so excited about the fact that there were vegan muffins in the Guernsey Market that I forgot all about taking a picture of them, so I guess this is a picture-free blog post. Pity as they were quite lovely-looking muffins too!

Thanks Brian! Thanks Guernsey Market! The Brock vegan community is smiling today.


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New Stickers + The Promise of Vegan Muffins

More good vegan news coming out of the Guernsey Market at Brock. Today I went over for lunch and was delighted to find new stickers identifying both vegan and vegetarian options.

I had the vegetable orzo soup — delicious! Thanks so much to the good folks over at the Guernsey Market for these new and improved signs!

And on the subject of good vegan news at the Guernsey Market, we talked to Baker Brian today (sorry Brian, didn’t catch your last name!) and were delighted when he told us that there will be vegan muffins tomorrow morning. I’ve got a 9am meeting so am looking forward to grabbing one of these goodies for breakfast before my meeting.


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Smoo at Brock! Yeah!

I have been pestering and pestering the food services folks at Brock to carry non-dairy milk. There were a few weeks back last year when the “C-block” café offered soy milk (a.k.a. smoo*) to go along with the tea and coffee. I made a point of going to that café whenever I could. I’m not sure exactly when the soy milk disappeared from there, but it has been business as usual (read: only cow’s milk) at the food services kiosks I’ve stopped in at this year. Le sigh…

But today was different! Word went out on the Vegan Brock network this morning that the new Guernsey market had a carton of soy milk out with the other coffee and tea fixings! I had to go and see it for myself!

For a campus in the running for most vegan-friendly university, offering non-dairy options is a bare minimum. If anyone from Brock food services is reading this, please, please, please keep this up! Please!! I understand that there is often not a lot of uptake when options like this are rolled out, but it is also important to understand that we vegans and vegetarians have often given up trying to find these options and instead have resorted to things like buying fridges for our offices to keep food we can eat. (guilty!) It is definitely a vicious cycle.

Communication is the key here and, to that end, I’m delighted that a facebook page called “Vegan Brock” has been started. It is a place for Brock folks to post about vegan options they spot on campus, a way to get the word out. It clearly works — as soon as the notice went up on this page about the soy milk, I headed over to the Guernsey market.

*smoo = soy milk. For years and years regular milk was called “moo” in my house. Now that I’m vegan I’ve adapted it.


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Tofu Thursday

My friend and colleague Gregory Betts just stopped by my office to see if I wanted to go across to “Noodles,” the new noodle bar in the International Building. The chef over there is great and promises at least one vegetarian dish each day. Today we got a basic tofu stir-fry on rice, yummy comfort food on a rainy day! I also noticed a few other vegan options like packages of hummus and pita and a plate of veggie sushi.

So this is my second day of Vegan MoFoing on campus and so far I’m 2 for 2 in terms of finding vegan lunch. This is a good thing.


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Vegan Lunch

Today marked day #1 of my Vegan MoFo search for vegan food at Brock. Today was a teaching day so I didn’t get down to the Guernsey Market until after 3. (Thank goodness I had a pumpkin muffin in my bag for a quick pre-class snack! Thanks Laurie!)

I wasn’t sure what I’d find for lunch at 3pm, but I was able to cobble together quite a delicious meal consisting of vegetable soup, fruit, some cherry tomatoes and pita chips.

As an aside, I am delighted to see that the soups at the Guernsey Market are now labelled with big green “V” stickers to indicate the absence of meat and/or beef/chicken stock. A few of us have been asking for this for a while, so this is a wonderful development.


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Vegan MoFo!

How on earth did it get to be November 1st already?! Instead of fretting about how much work I have left to do this term or how I’m dreading the cold weather I will focus on Vegan MoFo. Yeah!!

Vegan MoFo stands for “Vegan Month of Food” — bloggers around the world are taking up the project of writing about veganism (food, recipes, restaurants, ethics, challenges, celebrations) throughout November.

I’ve been writing about some of the recipes I’ve tried out since adopting a vegan lifestyle earlier this year. It is funny though, I didn’t set out to become a “food blogger” but I’m enjoying it all the same. So I will keep blogging about new recipes I’ve tried, etc. I also have 2 distinct topics I’d like to write about during Vegan MoFo:

1) Being a vegan at Brock University. Recently People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) announced that Brock University is in the running for the title of “most vegan friendly campus.” This does not at all match up with my experiences at Brock, so I decided that my Vegan MoFo project #1 will be an extra vigilant effort to try and track down these vegan options on campus. I’m not on campus every single day, but when I’m there I’ll be on the lookout. [note: for you Brock folks out there, feel free to send me submissions or omissions on this front!]

2) Brooklyn’s in Thorold is my new favourite place to eat. It is a pub with a vegan menu and fantastic staff. The problem is that every time I go there I always eat the Smokin’ Soy ‘Chicken’ Sandwich because it is so darn delicious and I just can’t help myself! (we’re talking serious cravings!!) The vegan pub menu at Brooklyn’s has 12 items on it (including my favourite sandwich) and my Vegan MoFo project #2 is to make my way through the menu this month, blogging about each item in delicious and graphic detail!

Happy World Vegan Day!


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End-of-Summer Salad and Back-to-School Sandwiches

I can not believe the fall term is upon us! Wow! Where does the time go?

On the cooking front, a change of season and a change of routine require new recipes!

We attended a potluck-type event this weekend, and one of the dishes we brought was a corn and blueberry salad. (Thanks to Natalie for sending along the recipe!)

We were able to pick up most all of the ingredients at the St. Catharines farmer’s market this weekend — I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of all the delicious fruit and veggies grown right here in Niagara! I feel so lucky to be living in this part of the world. (note: this salad is easily veganized — just use agave in place of the honey in the dressing).

On the back-to-school front, Chickpea Salad sandwiches are rapidly becoming my new favourite stand-by lunch option. So yummy! I’m also excited about the Guernsey Market at Brock, in addition to the focus on fresh, local ingredients we’ve been told that there will be vegetarian and vegan options. At this point I’m cautiously optimistic, and I look forward to checking this out over the coming year.


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We’re Moving Downtown!

This morning the Provincial Government of Ontario announced $26.2 million for Brock University’s Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine & Performing Arts. This money will allow the School to move to the historic Canada Haircloth Building in downtown St. Catharines. This is wonderful news for the university and for the community!

A huge congrats to all who made this possible — especially Marilyn Walker for her most generous donation and Dean Rosemary Hale who has long fought for this to become a reality.

Dean Hale and a number of students from the MIWSFPA celebrate today's announcement.

I can’t wait to see the space transform over the coming months and am looking very forward to being a part of this exciting change for Brock and for Niagara. So excited, in fact, that I’m jumping for joy!

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