I’m sure many of you have been in the position I was in on Sunday, looking for something to eat on campus. If you have been in my position, you know this can be much harder than it seems.
Let’s say that you, like me, were lazy on Sunday morning and slept in. Church was cancelled because of the snow, and when I found this out, I was back to dream world.
I woke up to face the day around noon and went to hang out with my friends for several hours. I had not eaten anything other than a few breakfast bars by this point.
Now it’s 3:15 p.m. and I’m about to eat my own hand. I am a typical broke, lazy college student, and I need something cheap that does not require driving off-campus. The most obvious choice is Perry Cafeteria, where I have a meal plan that has already been paid for and is a short walking distance from my dorm.
However, Perry is only open for two hours at a time sporadically on the weekends, and 3:15 p.m. is not one of those times. So Perry is not an option.
Therefore, I walk to Burger King. Thinking about nothing other than my future chicken sandwich and my hot tasty French fries, I forgot the Burger King has recently become unreasonable about everything possible.
They don’t open on Sunday’s until 4 p.m., which, according to biological engineering freshmen Clark Cutrer, is the equivalent of “opening a Krispy Kreme at 11 a.m.”
The straw that broke the camel’s back for me with Burger King was that it was 4 p.m. In fact, it was 4:04 p.m., but the doors were still locked and no one answered my frantic knocks as I drew closer and closer to going insane from my hunger.
“That’s OK,” I tell myself, “because good ol’ Chick-fil-A will be happy to fulfill my need with a hot batch of chicken nuggets and ice-cold lemonade.”
Or at least they would have been if I had wanted it the day before, because on Sundays, Chick-fil-A is closed nation-wide. They do so, according to their Web site, to give all employees “an opportunity to rest, spend time with their family and friends, and worship if they choose to do so. It’s part of our recipe for success.”
If by success they mean diverting their customers to McDonald’s or Wendy’s, then job well done.
Thoroughly ticked off now, I decide to say “screw it” and go do homework in the library until dinner.
On my way across the Drill Field, a serendipitous thought enters my head, and I remember Einstein Bros. Bagels on the second floor of the library! At least I will be able to hold off starvation for a while with a hot cinnamon sugar bagel covered in cream cheese.
Alas! I am a night owl when it comes to studying and arrived at the library at the late hour of 5 p.m.
They had just closed their doors for the day and were clearly off to bed, for they had to wake early the next morning to tend the farm. The library stays open until 2 a.m. I’m sure Einstein Bros. could make it until 8 p.m.
As college students our schedules from day to day are rarely the same, and for a while last semester, it seemed the food services on campus catered to this.
Now, however, the cafeteria starts putting food away up to 30 minutes before closing every night, and Burger King keeps shortening its hours. How much are they going to be allowed to push it before something is done?
So, if you’re like me and want something cheap and fast to eat on campus at an unconventional time, your best bet is going to be Bagel Bites. Heat on medium power in the microwave for four and a half to five minutes. Let stand and cool for two minutes. Enjoy.
Ben Leiker is a freshman majoring in biological engineering. He can be contacted at [email protected].