Oh hey there! Welcome to Seans rant time. This is the part of Facebook that pertains to Sean and expresses his personal opinion on a variety of subjects. Todays topic in question: Carson Newmans cafeteria. [BEWARE: Mountain of Text Ahead!] Alright, just to beat the dead horse here, we know Carson Newmans cafeteria isnt what we would call great. I mean, for the low price of $1,690 (for a 12 meal plan, which comes out to a little over $8 per meal) that were forced to pay for Aramark to give us GREAT food each semester, what can you expect? But when Aramark sends out a poll through the Carson Newman email that everyone who owns a cn.edu address has the opportunity to take, and it just so happens that most of the feedback is negative, doesnt that seem to speak for itself? According to Aramark, it does not, as purportedly, the only people that take the poll are the ones that want to complain about the food. Well then, Aramark, maybe you should encourage people to improve your polls by either making good food (you know, the kind that you make for your catering service that I have literally heard myths about, like honey and milk spewing forth, flavor sensations only a man as high as a kite could have imagined, so on and so forth) and improving the results dramatically from these rabblerousers, OR by encouraging these so-called masses of people that are just dying to get into the cafeteria because of the great food you offer to get excited about actually taking the poll in the first place and boosting your ratings because they WANT to tell you how great the food is. I WANT to like the food. I really do. Im paying for it, so it would be in my best interest to like it (and theirs, coincidentally). It would also help supplement the times that I feel the need to be anti-social and cook my own food rather than eat at the caf because microwaved Ramen Noodles seems like a more tasty option or because I can spend $25 of my extra hard-earned cash that didnt happen to go to my tuition, at Walmart (not the discount, wholesale companies like the ones Aramark is able to buy from) and get at least 5 meals worth of food that taste a whole lot better and are better prepared (with some practice, of course). I didnt know Id have to say this, but Ill coin it anyway: Spice is the spice of life. If you dont use it, then I will and I will enjoy it. Hey now, lets give them some kudos, too, since thats what they asked for at one of the meetings I attended to discuss these very issues (they had just gotten the polls back and needed some cheering up). Theyve added extra hours to the caf so that it starts at 7am and goes until 7:30pm. Last year, we had to be out of the cafeteria after every meal time, but now, it doesnt matter... except for the fact that fresh food is still only available at the same times as last year making it sort of lame for the people who still cant make it to meals on time because of their schedules, or commuters. Im really glad we were able to take out most of the meat options on the salad bar as well, because, as we know, people who eat salads are vegetarians. It makes sense. Now, before my wonderful Carson-Newmanites jump in to defend by saying there is meat on the salad bar, I didnt say there wasnt. The options have decreased from even last year that made the salad bar more bearable/appetizing to us non-vegetarian eaters when the food wasnt up to par or I wanted to be more healthy than usual. One thing that I will give them sincere kudos for, though, is for watching how they handle food allergies and given out several options for those who cant eat the same food as most of the masses. For that, I applaud their efforts. Now, if they can just apply that same enthusiasm to make sure that the rest of us are satisfied with the quality we can expect to see from their normal food services, I think wed be settled. I guarantee ratings would go up, more students would stay on campus and invest more money into paying for the food they eat, and Aramark would see their profits start to rise.... or they can continue to send out false polls because they have the controlling interest on the Carson Newman campus when it comes to food and forced payment, regardless of turnout. This has been Seans Rant. If you enjoyed the rant, feel free to like or comment below. Have a differing opinion? Offer your rebuttal! Those of you who claim I have it easy and dont know true caf suffering because yours was the worst, etc., etc., youre probably right! But guess what? That was your experience, not mine. Maybe I dont know how well I have it, and fair enough. What I do know is that it could be better and why should I stop at okay? If I can cook well for me and others with a minimal budget, so should trained cooks. At least give me the option to opt out of the meal plan or pick a much smaller one than $1690 if the same quality is offered every semester. Sean, out. :D
Posted on: Thu, 31 Oct 2013 09:49:29 +0000