Weekend Knowledge - Dash Saturday

I originally wasn't planning on writing anything on Saturdays, as I have no intentions of eating on campus. Lets face it, when it comes to dining dollars we don't have enough for eating on campus Saturday. According to an Alumni, when Dining Services changed from the "all you can eat" meal ticket system to the dining dollar system they did so because students were only using 60% of their meal tickets. Depending on plan, you had tickets for each meal to get in. In response to this information they wanted a cash system so that people wouldn't lose their money, as extra tickets were lost at the end of the week. With the Dining Dollar system set up they told the students that 20 meals a week would equal the Lute choice plan. The truth is that the plan doesn't equal 20 meals because prices rose. The plan didn't then and it doesn't today.

If you have the Lute Choice meal plan, you have about $51.70 to spend each week, according to Dining Services website. This means that you have $8.62 to spend each day or $4.31 per meal. At a quick glance you are probably thinking you can do this but you are probably forgetting something. Saturday. You have three meals which you need to cover on Saturday. Divide by the total of 13 meals to cover a week and you are left with $3.98 a meal. For the normal person at eating at the Commons this is not enough - especially when the average cost for a main meal is MORE than the amount budgeted.

The average cost for a lunch entree this last week was $4.40. This is not counting a drink, a side dish, salad extras, or even fruit! Once you get a drink, you are paying $4.99. That is just an average for a meal that may not fill you - many meals cost more and I included Pizza as an entree, reducing the average cost.

According to Dining Services website."The Dining Dollar program was designed to get you through the semester with nutritionally balanced meals" Getting through is probably what we will do, we won't starve, but we will survive. Which is the reason the small meals cost an average of $2.36. If you get a side dish to make it more like a meal expect to hand over another $1.59 for a side dish. Add a drink and you are over budget at $4.54. As for nutritionally balanced - I wish Dining Services was telling the truth. It costs $5.99 a pound for salad or cut fruit. How is Dining Services actually providing balanced meals if we can't afford the food? Eating healthy comes at the cost of not eating another meal later on.

The food we pay for is also over priced. A single banana costs 60 cents and you can buy a pound of bananas for less than that often, 48 cents at Fred Meyer the other day. The simplest ragu spaghetti (meat marinara sauce) costs $4.95. To put it into perspective you can buy a pound of ground beef, canned tomato sauce, garlic, onion, and pasta for $5.50 - and feed six to eight people. Lets not even talk about the "all you care to eat" meals which cost us $10.75. Even by the high cost standards of Dining Services, I haven't eaten ten dollars worth of food in one dinner. If you have been reading my earlier posts, you know its true.

We are over charged and forced to make a budget that will "get us through" but not give us a well balanced or filling meal. The only solution in my mind is to Dash every Saturday so that the money I don't gets divided between the rest of the week, giving me $5.17 a meal. I have to pay more out of pocket for food, yes, but it is the same cost and better than eating in the Commons. 

Dinner at The Hub, downtown Tacoma, was so good! I had Fish & Chips, a dish that reminds me so much of my childhood. My favorite thing was that they give regular fries and sweet potato fries as well! The UC used to serve them...and they were just as good as I remembered. I also stole a piece of my friends chicken Bruschetta pizza. Pesto, chicken, homemade bruschetta, mozzarella , cream based and drizzled with balsamic vinegar - I would recommend it to anyone! Warning, if you order the risotto be prepared for some heavy garlic flavor!

The Hub: Check out their menu!

http://hub.harmonbrewingco.com/