Tofu? Yes, please.

Vegans, vegetarians and interested students are invited to join the Vegetarian Club every other Thursday to learn more about cooking vegetarian friendly, discovering new recipes and exploring environmental and animal rights.

The Vegetarian Club meets twice a month to enjoy vegetarian potlucks, devise new vegetarian recipes and discuss current issues. The club will meet next on Thursday, Feb. 23 at 7:30 p.m., and more details about club activities can be found on their Facebook page under the BYU Vegetarian Club. All students are invited to attend their activities and learn more about life as vegetarians.

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Kaela Cayama, a sophomore majoring in art history, is the president of the club and was raised a vegan for five years but has been a vegetarian for the last six years. Cayama said she had difficulties her freshman year finding foods she could eat and friends with the same ideals as her at BYU. Because of this need for a stronger community of vegetarians and vegans on campus, Cayama decided to take the reins and steer the club in the right direction.

“We hope to make our members feel comfortable in a community setting where they can talk about issues, learn new recipes, receive support from the group and educate the greater student body about our choices,” Cayama said.

Professor Natalie Blades, an adviser for the Vegetarian Club, said she has noticed many people simply do not understand vegetarians. As a result, the goals of the club include dispelling misconceptions and revealing their way of life that veers from the common American culture.

“I think the Vegetarian Club is important because students in college are learning to make decisions about the kind of life they want to have,” Blades said. “They are making choices about what they want to eat and about what kind of consumers they want to be.”

Maddie Hunsaker, a European studies major and sophmore from Idaho Falls, Idaho, is an officer for the club and said she became a vegetarian because of environmental and animal rights. She gradually stopped eating meat, but like most vegetarians, still consumes animal by-products like cheese. Hunsaker said she is part of the Vegetarian Club because it provides an avenue for people like herself to meet and discuss important issues.

“The purpose of our club is to give support to the vegetarians on campus because it’s hard to find places to eat and socialize,” Hunsaker said. “It’s a way to meet other vegetarians and raise awareness of the causes relevant to the student body.”

Blades has been the club adviser for two years and often sees non-vegetarian students attend meetings. She said they encourage all students to come and learn more about being a vegetarian.

“Even if you are just interested in eating vegetarian once a week, you are absolutely welcome to come to the potlucks and other activities to learn to navigate choices you might want to make in your life,” Blades said.