The smell of fried chicken wafts down the hallway causing students to cartoonishly float toward a beloved destination: the cafeteria. But wait! The fried chicken turns out to be cod nuggets! With great disappointment and heavy hearts, students quietly grab bowls and head to the yogurt bar, anxiously awaiting the day when chicken nuggets might be served again.

There is no denying the people in this community have certain unspoken preferences, whether that be for certain lunch tables or for certain music. But the most common preference, the most universal, is for certain lunches.

Now, there will always be yogurt-bar fanatics and pasta-bar junkies, or even the lesser-known salad people (who call themselves vegans), but there are those of us who would enjoy more variety.

The main courses the school offers range from meatball subs to breakfast-for-lunch. Although the main courses are generally well liked among students and faculty, some are certainly more popular than others and deserve to be served more frequently. Why not have a school-wide vote as to what dishes are most popular? This way community members will be consuming their favorite foods almost every day, rather than having to find alternatives.

Speaking of alternatives, the school could also solicit feedback from students and faculty as to what side courses they prefer. Simple changes such as adding additional protein options besides the main course or daily vegetarian options such as roasted tofu or seitan, would greatly improve the community’s experience at lunch. Finally, it might be fun to add a little more culture to our school with themed foods for special occasions such as turkey and mashed potatoes before Thanksgiving or cultural food for Hispanic Heritage Month.

The cafeteria is a beloved location for students on campus. For this reason, it is important that the food being served is popular with everyone, and that there are a variety of options beside the main course.