Statistically speaking, 3.2 percent of the U.S. population adheres to some sort of vegetarian or vegan diet. About 8,000 people (including Longwood students) live in Farmville, so that means about 256 people are vegetarian or vegan here. We're in the rural south, but we still need to eat.

I'm a vegetarian writing this (if you're vegan you might still be out of luck), so hopefully, my experiences eating out in Farmville can help guide your meal choices. I haven't been to every restaurant in town, but I do have experience dining at most of them. I'm not going to include fast food because everybody already knows what they can find at McDonald's or Taco Bell. The order is alphabetical, not in order of vegetarian-friendliness.

Charley's Waterfront Cafe: There are several pasta options for dinner and the breakfast buffet has options for vegetarians as well.

Fishin' Pig: This is a bit more challenging, but they do have an array of side dishes. The Macaroni is pretty good.

Macado's: Despite most of the menu being meat, this is actually a pretty good place for vegetarians because of the build your own (veggie) burger option. There are a couple of vegetarian options, but the build your own is the way to go.

Main Street Bagels and Bistro: There's a variety of shmears available to go with your bagel.

Pino's Italian Restaurant: They have options for vegetarians in pasta, pizza, and calzone form.

Uptown Coffee and Cafe: They have several menu options for vegetarians, mostly salads as well as a couple of sandwiches. The tomato mozzarella panini is vegetarian and particularly good.

Walker's Diner: They only do breakfast and lunch, but they have options for omelets, biscuits, and plenty of other vegetarian foods. In my humble opinion, the omelets are the way to go.