After a particularly torturous uphill battle with my health, which includes but is not limited to: a) excess belly fat, b) lack of motivation to “move my derriere” and go to the gym, and c) no actual time to do the exercising, I decided to at least eat a healthier diet that was mostly (if not entirely) vegetarian.

So, in an attempt to kick off my newfound diet, I called up my friend Wes to go with me to eat at a vegetarian diner. As fate would have it, Spiral Diner (the proposed restaurant I had in mind) is his favorite place to eat and hang out. Voila! The fates have decided it so! The planets aligned in my favor! So off we went to the land of meatless hamburgers and non-dairy queso dip (however that works).

My best friend and roommate, Brooks, came with us to experience this out-of-the-ordinary rendezvous. We arrived at the small vegan eatery that is in the city but off the beaten path. It looked as though it used to be a gas station.  Anyhow, we started off the meal with corn chips and cheez (“z” indicating non-dairy) dip.

We then proceeded to order our main entrees. I got the “Philly Cheez Steak,” which unfortunately turned out to be a mis-stake. It was obviously faux-meat that was actually called “seitan” (seriously pronounced “Satan,” as in the prince of darkness). I ate it despite its odd flavor. Well, most of it. This main dish was, to say the least, disappointing.

The dessert, on the other hand, was beyond good. It was strawberry cake that seemed to be oozing with flavor, and probably sugar, too. The justification for eating it being, “At least it’s organic.” Probably due to the intense amount of sugar packed into the icing, blood rushed to my head and I felt like it was going to roll off my shoulders.

We ended the outing and both agreed that it was a fun place. I hear that other dishes are much more appetizing, so I haven’t written the place off for good. All in all, the quaint environment and alternative-looking waiters provided for a good night of entertainment. I’ll be back to attempt another entrée at the Spiral Diner. It’s part of my new journey to having a healthy diet and overall lifestyle.

Many people slash veganism off their list of eating alternatives because they had one bad meal. Try again. I recommend the Spiral Diner. Whatever you eat, I bet the strawberry cake will leave you satisfied. You don’t have to like it all. I’ll put it this way: just because I didn’t like “seitan,” it doesn’t mean I’m going to hell.

Brent Paxton is a junior international relations and political science double major. He can be reached for comment at [email protected].