Spring Break
Tasty, unique food less than a car ride away
Scott Dennis
Issue date: 3/4/09 Section: Forum
For some odd reason, Taco Bell does not have a restaurant 10 feet from my dorm room.
Because of this grievous oversight on Taco Bell's part, I must wait for one of my car-owning friends to drive me off campus to enjoy fire sauce and eighty-nine-cent tacos. Given the typically busy life of college students, such a trip rarely happens since it is a struggle to find a time when the driver is both free and willing to make the trek.
So when this doesn't pan out, which happens a lot, there is much to be found in on-campus dining.
Dining on campus is convenient above all things, which is good for those of us who don't want to plan every meal of the day. There are a variety of food options, from the standard American fare of Calabaloo's to the exotic flavors of Ring of Fire. And it's there when you need it, unless what you need is a basket of boneless buffalo wings or a spicy chicken sandwich (R.I.P. Tsunami Chicken Sandwich, you are missed).
However, if there is a particular item you'd like added to the menu - like boneless buffalo wings - you can suggest it using those little orange cards you find at the dining centers. Send 15 suggestion cards and you'll be eligible to win, well, nothing. But keep trying anyway.
To stay up-to-date with the latest food fashions, OSU's food services visits trade shows and subscribes to magazines in order to pick out new items for the various menus.
With the environment in mind, OSU tries to purchase local ingredients whenever practical and also tries to use sustainable materials in its packaging, silverware and other things you wouldn't normally consider edible.
Now that we've gone over food options, prices and behind-the-scenes stuff, let's take a look at the dining centers themselves. There are three, in case you're keeping score, and they're known officially as McNary Center, Marketplace West, and Arnold Center.
Marketplace West, conveniently located next to the Great Square Dorms, Sackett Hall and West International Hall, boasts seven distinctly different food options. Built in 1960, the hall gets ridiculously busy during peak hours and, like most of the dining locales around campus, isn't particularly impressive architecturally (unless you count the giant faux tree in the middle of the deli). There's a lot of nifty food available, but no Tsunami Chicken Sandwich.
Because of this grievous oversight on Taco Bell's part, I must wait for one of my car-owning friends to drive me off campus to enjoy fire sauce and eighty-nine-cent tacos. Given the typically busy life of college students, such a trip rarely happens since it is a struggle to find a time when the driver is both free and willing to make the trek.
So when this doesn't pan out, which happens a lot, there is much to be found in on-campus dining.
Dining on campus is convenient above all things, which is good for those of us who don't want to plan every meal of the day. There are a variety of food options, from the standard American fare of Calabaloo's to the exotic flavors of Ring of Fire. And it's there when you need it, unless what you need is a basket of boneless buffalo wings or a spicy chicken sandwich (R.I.P. Tsunami Chicken Sandwich, you are missed).
However, if there is a particular item you'd like added to the menu - like boneless buffalo wings - you can suggest it using those little orange cards you find at the dining centers. Send 15 suggestion cards and you'll be eligible to win, well, nothing. But keep trying anyway.
To stay up-to-date with the latest food fashions, OSU's food services visits trade shows and subscribes to magazines in order to pick out new items for the various menus.
With the environment in mind, OSU tries to purchase local ingredients whenever practical and also tries to use sustainable materials in its packaging, silverware and other things you wouldn't normally consider edible.
Now that we've gone over food options, prices and behind-the-scenes stuff, let's take a look at the dining centers themselves. There are three, in case you're keeping score, and they're known officially as McNary Center, Marketplace West, and Arnold Center.
Marketplace West, conveniently located next to the Great Square Dorms, Sackett Hall and West International Hall, boasts seven distinctly different food options. Built in 1960, the hall gets ridiculously busy during peak hours and, like most of the dining locales around campus, isn't particularly impressive architecturally (unless you count the giant faux tree in the middle of the deli). There's a lot of nifty food available, but no Tsunami Chicken Sandwich.
Note: writers will not reply to comments.
Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 1
sierra de aracena
posted 3/04/09 @ 10:15 AM PST
It's good to hear that OSU tries to purchase local ingredients whenever practical and also tries to use sustainable materials in its packaging.
Post a Comment
Comments by registered users are approved by default.