Monotonous menu incites grievances

Another evening is spent at Fields Dining Hall (the Bon) for dinner. As you line up to get your card swiped, you hope for something different and appetizing. For the last three days, dinner consisted of the Bon’s special: bland chicken and rice. 

As it has been two weeks since you last had any other form of protein, you are craving for anything with beef, whether it is stew, burgers or tacos, as you could never expect the Bon to serve a nice strip of Ribeye steak. After tapping your card, you realize that dinner is not entirely different from the previous nights, as chicken remains the only meat option for this evening. 

In general, Bon food lacks variety beyond the variation of each meal between delicious and disgusting. This is perhaps the greatest problem with the food on campus. While the Bon has four main courses to choose from at every meal, it is common for every choice to consist of chicken, except for the deli bar, which has either turkey or ham to add to a sandwich. 

Unsurprisingly, there is no lunch or dinner without chicken or rice, though it is occasionally supplemented by other protein choices. I am aware that chicken is generally cheaper than other meats, but having too little variety makes dining at Lewis & Clark unsatisfactory.

Perhaps another solution to provide more choices is to expand the Bon. On Tuesday through Saturday, if you are not satisfied with the choices at the Bon, you can go to the Troom and get chicken nuggets, a pizza or pasta. 

However, the Troom is not open on Sunday or Monday nights, so the Bon gets jam packed with students as it becomes the only dining spot on campus. As a result, the Bon runs low on cups, silverware and dishes. If the Bon’s operation were expanded, not only would it ensure all students get the utensils they need to eat, but it could give the Bon the opportunity to serve more food options, as there would be more room to make and serve food.

Another one of the drawbacks of  Bon food is the quality. Picture it like grabbing a Bean-Boozled Jelly Belly bean that will either be fruity or stinky socks flavored. In our case, the food at the Bon will either be tolerable, yet lacking flavor, or downright inedible. 

On a few occasions, such as during New Student Orientation, International Week, Chinese New Year or the Luau, the food will generally be delicious to impress guests such as faculty or parents. If cooks are able to prepare food this well for special days, I expect them to do the same for regular school days. 

What would be most effective is if the recipes for dishes get revised to ensure the food is at least somewhat satisfying to most students. 

Eating Bon food nearly every day is certainly tiresome, and having a variety of good-quality food may prevent campus food-fatigue from worsening. While I am aware that colleges in general do not get the best rap when it comes to food, the quality and the variety of our dining hall food especially leaves students begging for better.