The best ever
Plenty of people like to rag on the food in
the MUC.
I personally think it’s consistently fine. Still, there’s always at least something available, and I think we should all resolve to focusing on the good parts of a meal as much as we can.Maybe I just feel this way because I’ve been in a sentimental mood recently. Last week I watched my grandfather’s funeral, and that got me thinking about the many magical memories I shared with him.
Like many South Dakota families, a large portion of these memories included food, almost exclusively in oversize quantities. In my stroll down memory lane, I came to a realization. Almost every meal I can remember with him, he said it was the “best (insert foodstuff here)” he had ever had.
Whether it was a cup of Folgers he brewed at home, some boxed lasagna at a church supper or even lutafisk, at least some component was the best he ever had.Obviously none of that was health food. I’d actually say he had something of a vendetta against healthy eating.
Most of the food we eat here isn’t that healthy, but that doesn’t mean it’s going to ruin us in the short term. He took pride in not eating any of that “hippy garbage,” and he made it to 85 with multiple bouts of cancer.
So maybe a student’s qualm isn’t with the health side of food, and nourishment isn’t all that big a deal to someone who’s accustomed to Ramon and easy Mac-and-Cheese. It should be, but maybe they’re more concerned with the quality of taste. Fair enough. But remember, anyone reading this column is most likely a college student. And that means my audience is likely of certain financial means.
A good portion of us are already in debt, and that amount is only growing. We need to feel some gratitude that we have food to put in our mouths.By no means should we not advocate for better food, especially on the axis of nutrition.But for the time being, maybe we need to take a bite of that garlic bread stick, and think it’s the best we ever had.
Smith is a member of College Democrats and the Political Science League.
