There was some important news in Tuesday’s edition of The Reflector, what with the Mississippi House of Representatives’ attempt to bypass Gov. Haley Barbour in order to receive our full share of federal stimulus funds, the Health and Wellness Center’s call for safety during Spring Break, the promotion of a campus Green Day and improvements on tracking hurricane weather in the Gulf of Mexico. By far the most important piece of news, however, was about something very dear to my heart: food.
Dining Services officials are considering making rearrangements to the dining experience of the Union. Now that the Union has undergone its full share of renovations, there is extra space to fill. Not only does this extra space need to be filled, but Dining Services director Jason Nall said some of the already-existing restaurants in the Union may be replaced with other choices.
This is, indeed, a window of opportunity. I think it is common knowledge by now that our on-campus dining choices just aren’t very good, at least not as good as the pre-Aramark era. Last week, Reflector columnist Ben Leiker expressed his frustration with the narrow business hours of so many restaurants on campus. But even when the places to eat on campus are open, students get the bad end of the deal. The food court in the Union, for instance, is lacking in many areas.
First of all, some of the food is not that great. While individual tastes differ, I’m sure we’ve all had more than a few bad meals. And if you like to eat at Zoca, I unabashedly disrespect your taste buds. Zoca constitutes the lowest ring of Tex-Mex hell. Also, every time I see that protein is one of Miso’s menu items, I swallow puke. Don’t get me wrong – I’m sure our chefs are wonderful. But there’s only so much you can do in a bad situation, which brings me to my second point.
Besides the fact that some of the food is bad, our choices aren’t great either.
I eat on campus almost every day for lunch, which was fine back when we had the modest Subway trailer in front of the cafeteria. But now that the Union is here and Subway has been chased off campus, I fear I might suddenly collapse with a stroke or heart attack. If I get so obese I can’t leave my apartment, I’m not above taking legal action.*
In the Union itself, the only healthy place to eat is Bleecker Street, but they’re definitely no Subway. Their best sandwiches are greasy paninis. They’re also very expensive.
Outside of the Union, we have Burger King, the State Fountain Bakery, Einstein Bros. Bagels, the bookstore cafe and the notorious cafeteria. I strictly avoided the cafeteria for more than a year. When I finally decided to close old wounds and return to the newly remodeled cafeteria this semester, the highlight of my visit was the salt and pepper shakers with the fancy, rotating grinding mechanisms. (Those are so cool.) I’m trying not to remember what I ate there. Needless to say, I would be infuriated if I were a freshman and had to buy a meal plan.
Now that I have mentioned these popular complaints, I have a few suggestions for a rearranged Union, none of which I realistically expect to be put into effect. It’s simple. Replace Bleecker Street with a Subway, Miso with a Great Wall and Zoca with a Wendy’s. If only we could have these restaurants back, our Union would hit a golden age.
*sarcasm – 1: a sharp and often satirical or ironic utterance designed to cut or give pain 2a: a mode of satirical wit depending for its effect on bitter, caustic, and often ironic language that is usually directed against an individual b: the use or language of sarcasm (Merriam-Webster)
Matt Watson is the opinion editor of The Reflector. He can be contacted at [email protected].