Hot Take: I’m over hearing people complain about the dining hall. Yes, we all know, you miss home cooked meals, the athletes get special treatment, and sure, the food could be better. Those points can are valid, but that doesn’t mean you have to constantly complain. Here are 5 things you should consider the next time you feel that urge…
1. There Are Options – You Just Need to Explore Them
If you follow a typical American diet, you actually have plenty of choices. As someone who’s pescatarian I know the options aren’t perfect for everyone, but they exist. Many places on campus allow customization. You can make your own breakfast sandwich at Commons, pick your sauté ingredients at EBI, or choose toppings for your acai bowl at Blenz. If you’re consistently unhappy with your order, maybe it’s time to try something different!
2. Complaining Doesn’t Help
Whining about food on Fizz or to your friends won’t make the menu magically improve. If you want actual change, try a more productive route. Try sending an email to Campus Dining
(dining @vanderbilt.edu) or schedule a meeting to voice your concerns directly. You’ll be more likely to see a difference by taking action!
3. You’re Luckier Than Many
While it’s a cliché to say, “There are starving kids in insert country here”, there’s truth to it. In fact, around 30% of U.S. college students experience food insecurity. There are students all over Nashville who would be blessed to have our dining options. So, if you’re dissatisfied consider using your Munchie swipes to buy non-perishable items and donate them to local food banks so at least someone can appreciate it!
4. It’s Not the Food, It’s Your Attitude
We all know the saying “the secret ingredient is love” and maybe it’s true the food here is missing it. Well maybe the food would be better and made with “love” if we as students started treating the campus dining staff with respect and as actual humans. Yes, they get paid to cook and clean for us, but why does that entitle us to leave obnoxiously big messes and not acknowledge their presence unless the utensils need refilling. We see them everyday, and yet most of us don’t know any of their names?? They wear name tags for a reason. I challenge you to not only learn someone in campus dinings name but also have an actual conversation with them, something more than just, “burger and fries, please.” Maybe the “secret ingredient” missing from the food is simply mutual respect.
5. There Are Better Conversations to Be Had
Complaining about the dining hall may just be an easy icebreaker, but it’s overdone. Try switching up your conversation starters. You can ask questions like: “Which professor have you connected with the most?” or “What’s something new you’ve learned about yourself this semester?” or even “Which Disney Princess do you think would live in Hank “(I actually asked Dean Gresalfi this, so make sure to hear her answer on our podcast). There’s more to talk about than food!
6. Bonus: Visit one of your friends and try out their food!
There is nothing better than perspective. Maybe after trying some other schools’ dining halls it may be easier to appreciate ours. I’d bet we at least have better pizza than that orange school…