Bifocals, plates and Powerade are just a few words on posters that got students scratching their heads.
Since the beginning of this school year, the Dining Commons (D.C.) started making changes and chose to add a panini press to create more options.
On normal days, the typical bread and lunch meat are compressed together in the panini press, offering a hot and crispy sandwich for students and the Taylor community to enjoy.
It was not until Jan. 17, 2023, that Nesquik strawberry milk powder caused trouble for people wanting to make a sandwich for dinner. While the panini press is good at grilling sandwiches, it was not built to hold Nesquik strawberry milk powder.
“It was awful stuff like a flashbang went off in the D.C. Think smoke everywhere,” freshman Ryan Hanak said.
Chaos around the panini press ensued, and it became clear that people needed to be informed on how to use the panini press safely.
Before long, posters about the panini press appeared on doors of buildings from the Zondervan Library to Reade Liberal Arts Center, sparking conversations among students.
Even though it is unclear who created the posters and displayed them around campus, the strawberry milk powder incident seemed to inspire the posters.
No matter where students were, the posters served as a reminder for the proper use of the panini press and gave readers a good laugh.
“I think they wanted to advertise for the panini posters in a comical and informative way,” junior Carolyn Nevins said.
As the panini posters raised spirits and brought enjoyment in the middle of J-term, they also inspired Rice Pilaf’s posters for their previous show.
No one expects items like “hands” and “clothing of any kind (socks),” next to bullet points, but it catches people’s attention allowing them to be informed of the way to handle a panini press.
“Rice Pilaf wanted to use the posters as advertising because we saw a great opportunity to hop on an idea that already had some traction,” junior Wade Frances said. “Although we may not have come up with the idea, we sure loved it.”
In addition to the panini press, the D.C. also included to-go boxes this semester as a part of the changes.
While the panini press posters were meant to inform students in a humorous way, the to-go posters let people know about a new amenity that presents an option allowing students to take food to go if they are busy or want to relax away from the D.C. crowd.
This way, meals are more convenient, and it allows students more space in an already busy schedule.
“I’ve heard some people be really excited about them,” junior Laurel Burgess said. “I guess for people who are sick, it’s a really good idea that they can just grab it and go back to the room, or if they’re tired, the D.C. can get kind of loud, so it’s nice to be able to be inside.”
As people go to the D.C., it would be hard to forget that hands or plates should not be in the panini press. Safety is critical, so conversation around proper usage helps keep things running smoothly. That might mean including bizarre items not normally thought of.
Even though Nesquik strawberry powder created a disaster for the D.C., it encouraged students to think about how applying safety helps the Taylor community while keeping the conversations lighthearted.
Hopefully, there won’t be any more incidents with the panini press, but it certainly offers a new sense of camaraderie around the D.C.
