By Emily Rachelle Russell | Echo
It's the most enviable aspect of senior year: meal transfers. The freedom to take your meals with you, whenever you want, wherever you want, with options from fried chicken to noodles to my favorite, the chilled turkey sandwich. The LaRita Boren Campus Center's food services have always strived to maintain the same level of quality and healthful choices found at the Dining Commons. Until now.While the hiring of a new chef has indisputably raised DC quality, my excitement at achieving seniority has led me to choose most of these first weeks' meals from Zurcher Commons. Every day, I peer into each of the many new coolers, only to be disappointed. Where, may I ask, is the milk?!
Taylor's dining services prides themselves in offering variety and quality in their food. An important part of this vision is the wide availability of delicious, healthy choices. Yet my beverage choices for meal transfers are limited to water, soda, tea, lemonade and chocolate Silk. If I'm paying for a meal, I don't want a liquid I can get elsewhere for free - no water. And fountain drinks? Think of the sugar! The chemicals! The rotting teeth!
According to ChooseMyPlate.gov, 19- to 30-year-old adults should consume three cups of low-fat or fat-free dairy daily. Dairy consumption is linked to reduced risks for osteoporosis, cardiovascular disease and Type 2 diabetes. Milk has been a staple in school cafeterias for decades. Entire advertisement campaigns that haunt my childhood have been dedicated simply to getting children to drink milk. Is a return of the little paper cartons that keep me happy and healthy really too much to ask?Wait! I hear the comments. "Silk is milk! Isn't that good enough? It's so considerate to the lactose intolerant students! You can drink it too." I agree. Woe be the day the lactose-free milk alternative is removed from the campus center. But let's be honest. If the campus center has room for more than 80 choices of sodas, teas, coffee and sports drinks, it has room for two kinds of milk.Students who care about your health and your freedom to choose your food, join with me in begging the campus center food staff: Bring back my milk!
