Food at College

So D18 is not loving the food at college. I never thought of her as picky, but I think she's evolved into a thoughtful eater. Where is the food coming from? Are the apples local? Anything organic? She toured enough colleges last year to realize these are selling points for some schools, and would like her school to become more sensitive to these issues.

A bigger problem is that the "nut-sensitive" cafeteria has bread with walnuts sharing the same toaster as nut-free bread. And the cream cheese, butter, and jellies aren't individually wrapped, so cross-contamination is a distinct possibility.

I suggested she voice her concerns to various higher-ups, so now she's on a committee to address food issues. Heh. Her school values activists, so I think she's fitting in just fine. She's not sure what the time commitment is yet, but she's raised some valid points that were, surprisingly, never considered before, so she's determined to make a difference. After all, everyone needs to eat and looking forward to mealtime is sometimes the best part of the day (if I'm remembering my college days correctly).

There are some good things about the cafeterias. The fresh fruit smoothies are apparently awesome, and the omelet station uses cage-free eggs if you ask. The stir-fry station has a varied assortment of veggies and sauces, and lots of protein choices. The pasta station is pretty good, too, from what D18 says. Yesterday she discovered that the grill serves turkey burgers along with beef burgers, and she might investigate further to see if veggie burgers are offered, too. Dessert is off-limits, since it's not made in-house and therefore could contain nuts, but the nut-allergic kids make do with soft-serve ice cream when they want something sweet.