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Stories and Events in the WPSU Community

The opinions expressed in these blogs are solely those of the people who wrote them, and do not represent the views of WPSU or Penn State University.

Local Food Journey

Penn State club offers support for those leading the vegetarian/vegan lifestyle

Posted by Local Food Journey on 02/25 at 07:59 AM

By Emily Edling
WPSU Local Food Journey Intern

The Penn State Vegetarian Club is just one of the 900-plus student organizations on campus, but they are doing some interesting things both on campus and throughout the State College community. They offer social support for those leading a vegetarian or vegan lifestyle, sponsor food giveaways, host speakers from groups such as PETA, The Humane League and Vegan Outreach, and are currently working with the dining commons to get more vegan options on campus.

I spoke with President Keegan O’Donnell to get the inside scoop on where the best vegetarian options are both on campus and around State College. For on campus dining, he recommends West Commons, which features an entire vegetarian section, Veg Works, and Redifer in South Dining Commons, which offers a good selection of á la carte options. The HUB also offers some impressive vegetarian cuisine with the tofu bowls at Sushi by Panda Express and of course there is always Mixed Greens for a good salad (although they don’t label vegan salad dressings so vegans be wary).

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Local Food Journey

Local Food Notes for February 20

Posted by Jamie Oberdick on 02/20 at 09:23 AM

Even with some of the coldest weather ever recorded in Centre County, there are still things happening in the local food world in central PA. While temperatures are subzero, there are some items below that might warm you with spring thoughts, so keep reading…

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Local Food Journey

Happy Fastnacht Day! Hey, wait…what’s a fastnacht?

Posted by Jamie Oberdick on 02/17 at 10:03 AM

Today is Fat Tuesday, aka Mardi Gras. For many people who have grown up in a Pennsylvania Dutch area like myself (York), today is also known as Fastnacht Day.

Why Fastnacht Day? A fastnacht is a type of donut, made with potatoes, flour, sugar, yeast, and eggs. They are fried like a donut and while many are made today with a hole like a regular donut, a “traditional” fastnacht is hole-less and square.

The word fastnacht is German for “fast night” and the tradition of making them began as a way to get rid of lard, sugar, fat, and other stuff that are forbidden during lent. That way there were less temptations left in the pantry to lead hungry stomachs astray.

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Local Food Journey

Last-minute local food Valentine’s Day dinner options

Posted by Jamie Oberdick on 02/13 at 09:56 AM

Uh-oh. Now you did it. You forgot to make dinner reservations for Valentine’s Day, didn’t you?

No worries…there are a lot of good options in the Central Pennsylvania area for Valentine’s dinner and other food activities, and that includes those which offer up local food and drink. Here’s several options for you, but keep in mind, there’s no guarantee they have open reservation times…good luck!:

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Events Our Town

WPSU’s “Our Town” series is set to visit Everett, PA!

Posted by Carley on 02/09 at 10:50 AM

WPSU and the “Our Town” television series is joining the Everett community this spring to kickoff “Our Town: Everett.” We are seeking stories from friends and neighbors within the Everett community. Our team is letting you decide what stories should be told about the people, places and happenings in your area! What makes Everett special to you? Whether you’re a longtime resident or recently joined the community there is a story waiting to be told.

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Local Food Journey

Webster’s Bookstore and Cafe offers up local food options for the literary inclined

Posted by Local Food Journey on 02/06 at 08:59 AM

By Emily Edling, Local Food Journey Intern

Webster’s Bookstore Café is known for its cozy atmosphere of used book and a broad selection of café drinks. But what sets them apart from the other coffee shops of downtown State College is their wide range of food, especially their vegetarian and vegan options, utilizing local sources to make these tasty meals.

Aside from specialty coffee and tea drinks, Webster’s does a lot of things with vegetarian ingredients such as hummus, paté, and portabella mushrooms all of which can be made in the form of sandwiches, salads, paninis, or wraps and that are all vegan unless you choose to add cheese. They also offer a soup of the day and other daily specials, which offer even more vegetarian options.

For non-vegan’s there are also many egg sandwiches and burritos available, each with a literature-themed name. In fact, with the exception of about two or three items, the entire menu at Webster’s is vegetarian friendly—it’s a dream come true! My personal favorite is the Spicy Bean Chili, which is a vegan dish that has the perfect amount of spice to warm up on these cold winter days.

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Local Food Journey

Warming greek-style pasta bake uses Boalsburg Farmers Market ingredients

Posted by Jamie Oberdick on 02/03 at 08:35 AM

Farmers market season never really ends in Central Pennsylvania, it just shifts to a different season. The Millheim Farmers Market, Boalsburg Farmers Market, and the State College Farmers Market are all open until the opening of the “regular” summer farmers market hours.

They are, of course, all indoor, so you won’t have to worry about braving snow and bitter winds. Like in the spring and summer, I find it definitely a good idea to plan out your trip and perhaps look for ingredients for a specific recipe.

This particular recipe is for a tasty Greek-style pasta bake that is quite good with some Gemelli Bakers bread on a cold night. This recipe includes ingredients from Boalsburg Farmers Market vendors.

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