College food; you question its edibility at least once, but eat it anyways because it's the only food that's "Free".
When you get to college, people say you'll probably gain the freshman 15. Mostly because food is always available to you, stress eating is a thing, but also because food is preserved in ways that don't make it the healthiest to eat. When meat is cooked, it is probably slathered in grease to cook it quicker, keep it from sticking to the pan, and to make it taste better. Not everyone complains about this because, like I said, it does taste good, but it's long term effects aren't the most beneficial. I find this to be the case for the cafeterias on campus. I am not vegan or vegetarian, but I don't trust the meat at school, let alone seafood. That's my own stand point, but I have found it difficult to find food that doesn't make me feel like crap, isn't deep fried, or that is already questionable looking. I have a bone to pick with some if these instances, and this may be just my ranting, but I would like to also make it more known that there should be some improvements made particularly for people that don't thrive on fast food and appreciate good fruit.
My first point to make is the time cafeterias open and close at Bridgewater State. Most cafeterias close around seven or eight, but the one cafeteria that stays open until 11 p.m. or 12 p.m. is Crimson which serves restaurant style fast food. They have a smoothie and ice cream station, a pizzeria, an oriental station that serves stir-fry and food similar, and lastly a grill that serves burgers and other fried food that I never thought could be fried, such as fried broccoli and fried raviolis. (See full menu here) And throughout all of their meals, they only have one salad option. This frustrates me because if I want to get food after 8, it's fried fast food.
Another scenario that I believe should be improved is vegetarian burgers. Bears Den and Crimson, both serve vegetarian burgers. I have ordered it at both cafeterias and it has taken an average of about twenty to thirty minutes for the burger to cook. To thaw it out completely, it takes longer. And because it is not as greased as average burgers, it doesn't cook as quickly. It keeps me from ordering any veggie burgers because I feel like a burden on friends who wait for my food to be ready, but it ensures freshness for it to be cooked that much.
I am usually on the search for good fruit, but I find that to be another difficulty. Especially at ECC (East Campus Commons) they usually have a bin of bananas and oranges. I trust the oranges, which have been faithful every time I have gotten one, but the banana bin right above it discerns me from going near them because the banana bin would be filled with fruit flies and brown bananas. So then I go to the refrigerator to observe the apples, but quite a few of them I can see have mold!
Don't get me wrong, every school has cafeterias that have food to avoid and food people look forward to. There's a number of things that I haven't mentioned that the cafeterias do right. Like the fact that they even offer veggie burgers, most have salad bars, and are generally accommodating. But I believe they can go one step further if their meal options.
I may be the odd one out who finds these to be difficulties, because people who I have talked to who are vegans and vegetarians on campus do not have a meal plan, or have the most minimal meal plan because it is very difficult for their needs to be accommodated. Let alone people who generally want to eat healthier have shared the same concerns as myself. If you could relate to this article then you understand that sometimes the healthiest thing to eat is pizza, which doesn't sound like that should be right. If this information seems new to you, don't just look at the calories next to the food menus, instead really think about what goes into the food you're eating next time you go into the cafateria.
