Kyra Finner
Staff Writer
Eating on campus can be a quick and easy way for students to get lunch between classes, grab a cup of coffee in the morning or find a snack at the end of a long day. For me, eating on campus can be a constant battle between my debit card, my food allergies and my sweet tooth.
Although there are some options for those of us who can barely afford a bag of chips from the vending machine, the on-campus food options aren’t as bountiful as one would wish.
On one hand, there’s the Pond Student Union Building (PSUB), which not only has multiple food places, but lots of coffee options thanks to the new donut shop, Amazing Glaze. I spend most of my lunches here, depending on my schedule, and I think there are plenty of choices for lunch if you don’t have dietary or monetary restrictions.
For one, there’s Einstein Bros. Bagels, which I’ve heard is great. I constantly see students eating bagels with cream cheese or as a breakfast sandwich.
Although this sounds delightful, I’m gluten intolerant and I can’t eat a single thing they sell (besides the rice crispy treats, which are quite good).
I can, however, attest to the delightfulness of the coffee. It’s not as cheap as grabbing a quick cup at the gas station, but the quality makes it worth it. When I have the extra cash on hand, which is rare, I’ll usually spend it on that.
Amazing Glaze has proved to be a decent price, and students have said that the coffee is really good, so I might find myself trying out their new options this week.
Besides Einstein’s, the PSUB has Asian fusion cuisine, Mandalay Express, and Burger 208, which serves up classic American burgers and milkshakes.
My go-to for lunch this semester has been to go to Mandalay Express and ask for just a serving of rice. It’s only $1.75 and it fills me up, which is more than enough to satisfy a busy college student like me. I can’t afford the seven or so dollars that it costs to get an entree item there or anything at Burger 208 for that matter.
I’m sorry, but $7 for lunch at a college campus seems like a bit much and that’s before I even mention the ridiculousness of the food court in Rendezvous.
There is a variety of selections to choose from in the Rendezvous building. This includes Build, which has pizza and pasta, Mondo Subs, which does sandwiches and wraps, Revolution Noodle, that serves ramen and stir fry, Sono, which has burritos, tacos and rice bowls, Smoked, that serves mesquite-smoked meats with sides like mac and cheese and baked potatoes and Outtakes which is like Starbucks with extra snacks.
As you could probably guess, there aren’t a lot of options for me at any of these places. A burrito at Sono is $5.79 but I can’t eat the tortilla, which makes my choice either a $6 rice bowl or nachos.
As this pattern of unattainable food goes on throughout the food court, my choices are limited to fruits and vegetables which I would appreciate if they weren’t also over my daily budget.
To go to the Salad Bar is $6.99, which encourages me to run towards the vending machines. This is the main reason why I can’t bother with getting lunch in Rendezvous, even though the $1.59 fountain drinks are a steal.
All in all, choosing what to eat on campus can be a complicated process. Every day you have to choose whether to battle with the food court, fight with your debit card or bring lunch from home. Being a college student is hard, especially when the classics like a sandwich, ramen noodles and donuts are constantly trying to kill you. I can only hope that one day I will be able to find my one true on-campus meal.
