Hannah H. Mug
The Hornets Nest is supposed to be the cafeteria for everyone, the cafeteria with lots of options. Supposed to at least.
For anyone who is vegetarian or vegan, it can be a struggle to find food to eat at the caf. Sure, there’s the salad bar and usually there’s a vegetarian station, but rarely is there anything good.
The vegetarian options aren’t as abundant as the choices with meat. The main line and the grill rotate between different foods each day. There might be some type of fish one day then turkey or pork the next day.
The sides are sometimes vegetarian, but it’s a hassle to wait in the busy main line for one or two items, especially since the portions are tiny. Vegetarians are better off spending their time making a salad or seeing if there’s a meat free soup available that day.
Vegans have it worse. The vegetarian options available might have cheese or another dairy product but this isn’t a choice for vegans. Their meals then become salads, dry cereal or rice.
As someone who rarely consumes meat, and never eats meat in the caf, I dread going to eat there. I’m always stuck with just a few options that never seem to change. The options I do have, aside from salads, are unhealthy. Fries and dessert have been a staple in my caf diet. I’ve even had to resort to croutons sometimes.
The caf is the main dining place, anyone who lives in the dorms is required to have a meal plan that accesses the caf. If students can’t find any good choices in the caf, they have basically wasted their money. The swipe into the caf could have been saved for a time with more options.
Checking the online menu doesn’t help either, because it’s not always correct. That means vegetarians have to risk losing a swipe just to see if there’s something they can eat.
If you see a lack of options, tell Sodexo’s general manager Frank Karcher either in person or on their website, because these “options” aren’t enough for everyone.