Food issues continue to frustrate students
Coming to the university this year, I knew there were going to be changes to the Streets Grill, with the addition of Chopsticks, as well as slight changes to cafeteria food.
But in my personal opinion, it has created more letdowns in the changes of the food and drink provided to the students than it has benefits.
When we switched to Pepsi products this year, I was more than excited. That meant we picked up drinks like Dr. Pepper, Sierra Mist, Mountain Dew and Gatorade.
Who wouldn’t like a lineup of beverages like that? What gets me is when I go to Streets or the cafeteria and want to get a thirst-quenching beverage such as Gatorade for lunch, it comes out as a clear substance that looks nothing like the orange, green lemon-lime, or red fruit punch promised to us. It’s either that, or there is color, but too much flavor, making you feel sick. It’s not as if this has happened once and I’m upset about it; it happens a lot. There are athletes at this university who would love to have some electrolytes, as well as a thirst-quenching beverage after practice, but they only get that on very rare occasions.
Another instance is when I try to get ice. On numerous occasions, nothing comes out. Sometimes, if you push it a certain way, you can get the frozen surprise out of the machine (the push in and up method works). If still no ice comes out, I have to deal with a warm beverage with my warm meal and hope for the best the next time I use my meal swipes. All of us students wish we could just walk into the cafeteria or Streets and have everything work for once, because I haven’t seen that happen.
Another problem is the variety of foods, or lack thereof. Since my freshman year on this campus, I have been a frequent visitor to the cafeteria, but I have not yet witnessed any change in variety. There is a wide variety in the food itself.
However, the same foods are available on a too-regular basis. I, as well as some of my fellow students, can almost predict what is going to be in the cafeteria every day.
Obesity, as many of us know, is an ongoing problem, and there are many programs that provide healthy living that people are trying to push on us. School cafeterias, ours included, are the main problem, because they do not provide healthier, less fattening foods to our students. If we could change certain foods to provide a healthier variety instead of the same food every day, I’m sure a lot of people would be very happy.
The foods and beverages the school provides are often delicious, but we have numerous athletes and students who need healthier choices, or something that won’t affect their performance on the field, on the mat, on the court or even in the classroom.
This school is doing all right, but there are still items that could be fixed to make the school’s food and beverage variety better.
