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The Daily Tar Heel

Greater decency for dining halls

The dining hall is an easy target for students to take out their pent-up aggression. Long lines, often sub-par food and inadequate seating are daily reminders of the dining halls’ deficiencies.

Anyone who has had a meal plan is guilty of complaining and I am no exception. During my sophomore year, I kvetched that Rams Head had mixed Golden Grahams and Cinnamon Toast Crunch together: “Shouldn’t we at least be able to rely on the cereal station for consistent quality?” Regardless of how much we might complain about the caliber of the dining hall food, it will always be there serving three meals a day, seven days a week. It will never return your disgusted look at the uninviting sight of stir-fried vegetables and overcooked rice stewing on your plate. It will never fight back when you spill a drink or neglect to clear your plates.

I am a senior with a meal plan — which might seem pathetic and lame, and also begs the question “Haven’t you learned your lesson?” “Don’t you know you can eat better and for less money without a meal plan?”

Well, in my six-and-a-half semesters as a Lenoir/ Rams Head patron, I’ve come to appreciate the meal variety, staff and ease that the dining halls add to my day. I’m tired of people taking unwarranted shots at the dining halls with no recourse. For all their flaws, Carolina Dining Services is doing a lot of stuff right.

To be honest, the thought of living next year without the security of a meal plan terrifies me. At the very worst, I can always walk ten minutes to the dining hall to find some semblance of a good, healthy meal. That’s not a bad last option. I eat a much healthier and more well-balanced diet because I have a meal plan. Left to my own devices, I’d be eating spaghetti, eggs, frozen dinners and canned vegetables regularly. We all benefit from the dining hall’s economies of scale. Because they buy food in such big quantities, they can afford to diversify their options. On any given day, I can grab fruit, vegetables, pasta and a sandwich for a meal.

The dining hall makes my life so much easier. I never have to worry about packing a lunch, rarely need to spend time doing dishes, and save time, trips and money to the grocery store. These are all very undesirable chores that the dining hall takes care of. The time saved by not thinking about and making meals for myself is well worth the time I spend in the dining hall.

Also, the employees at the dining halls get a bad and unfair rap. They have to put up with a lot of smart-ass, unappreciative, self-entitled students every day. I can see why the dining hall staff might not always have the cheeriest attitude.

Yet, despite this, many of the employees really do take a lot of pride in the food they make and the service they deliver. “Miss Angie,” the former Rams Head cashier, was probably the most visible and vocal example. Her “I’m always good,” was sometimes a little too boisterous at 7:30 a.m., but she genuinely wanted to have a positive impact on every student who chose to eat breakfast at Rams Head.

There’s a lot of things about the dining halls that aren’t great. But it shouldn’t overshadow all of the good things that they do.

David Bierer is a columnist for the Daily Tar Heel. He is a senior business major from Charlotte. Contact him at bierer@email.unc.edu.

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