Memphis State University - DeSoto Yearbook (Memphis, TN)

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A Full Meal Deal Meal plans are designed to fit the student Re weal food, what every dorm resident dreams of. It seems that, as a rule, there simply isn ' t enough room in the regulation refrigerator, or even enough money in the regulation collegiate checking account, for such delicacies as real food. So what is a student to do? Survive off of cold cereal and peanut butter sand- wiches for four years? Per- haps. But wouldn ' t it be easier to simply buy a meal plan? Maybe. Maybe not. pope, 76 Obtaining a Food Serv- ices meal plan only requires money, a smile for the I.D. photo, and a signature on the contract. To help meet the needs of each student and each student ' s budget, the service offers a choice of three different meal plans and or a just-like-cash coupon book. Choose, pay, smile, sign. That ' s the easy part. Then comes the accep- tance of and adjustment to each rule and regulation that a simple signature adheres a student to. For many students, to the dis- may of the Food Services administration, this is the most difficult. Yes, generos- ity is a virtue; however, sharing any food purchased by a meal plan is a breach of contract punishable by in- validation without a refund. In other words, students must keep their friends ' hands out of their plates in order to keep the meal plan that the student paid sev- eral hundred dollars for in the first place. Along the same lines, meal plan food may not be taken out of the cafeteria. In addition, certain foods may only be eaten in specified amounts at certain times in order to comply with meal plan standards. On the other hand, it may be com- forting for meal plan stu- dents to know that they alone can use the card. Food Services employees and administrators are far from shy about enforcing such rules and will not hesitate to point out any violation. In fact, trays being snatched up and stu- dents being confronted both at the register and in the dining room have not tales of tiger

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groceries, Owens says. If I ' m short on money, I ' ll buy groceries and eat in my room for the week. But if I happen to run into a little extra cash, I ' ll eat in the cafeteria or go out to restau- rants, she explains. Owens said she just loves spicy foods, such as Mexi- can food, and especially enjoys pizza. Of course, it ' s hard to find good examples of these on campus and at Kroger or Piggly Wiggly, so Owens heads for the near- est Taco Bell (sometimes known as Taco Hell for its after-effects) or she orders from Domino ' s. However, when she buys groceries, Owens goes for the basics. (A college student ' s basics, of course.) Usually, I ' ll buy a lot of sandwich stuff, cookies, chips, cokes, coffee, cereal and soups, she says. These will do me for a week. Owens has an added benefit— a roommate who also provides food. My roommate works at Marvel ' s Bakery, she says, and sometimes she brings home boxes full of assorted doughnuts and cookies that would otherwise be thrown out. I just love it! Owens also says she re- ally has no set mealtime. But which college student does? Usually, it ' s when there is a spare moment in a busy schedule and some time can be devoted to eat- ing. Although most stu- dents learn the eat-while- you-run tactic. Ill eat breakfast on Monday and Wednesday, Owens says. Those are about the only days she can because she has 8:00 a.m. classes on Tuesday and Thursday and can ' t wake up on time to eat and go to Decisions, decisions. Jill Hoper appears to be a little frustrated at the high cost of groceries and the various choices that must be made. Still, it ' s healthier and less expensive to frequent the local Kroger rather than the local McDonald ' s. Devin Greaney class. Tina Bledsoe, a junior public relations major, says her favorite time to eat is often at times after mid- night. Sometimes I just have these wild binges in the middle of the night, she says. I just love Taco Bell and Perkins and any other 24-hour restaurant. Stu- dents like Bledsoe are happy to know that the Kroger just around the cor- ner is open 24 hours. Like Owens, Bledsoe will also eat in the cafeteria and buy groceries. My favorite food is the little Pepperidge Farm frozen pizza, she says. Of course, you can ' t leave out the old stand-by: peanut butter and jelly, Bledsoe adds. So, it looks like mothers don ' t have to worry if their children are getting their share of that glorious food after all. In fact, it seems to be a word that most college students literally live by. ■ Andy McDill Born to shop. Even grocery shopping can be fun, as evi- denced by the smiles on Lachele Hardin ' s and An- nette Taylor ' s faces as they finally reach the checkout line. Small purchases like theirs are usually made on late-night runs at Kroger and other 24-hour stores. Devin Greaney 15 grocery shopping

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been uncommon sights this long as they can get that year as the meal plan satisfied feeling after a hot, guardians came down hearty meal. ■ harder on violators than they have in the past. There are four Food Serv- ices outlets where students can use a meal ticket. These are spread all over the campus. Although these appear to provide a wide choice of dining locations, the place to eat weeknight su ppers and all weekend meals is restricted to the Tiger Den. This does not create a complete inconven- ience, but it does limit the possibilities. Another limitation for students is the restriction on meal times. According to the Food Services contract, a meal ticket may only be used once during any one meal ' s serving period. These periods are outlined by Food Services and are strictly upheld. For in- stance, because dinner begins at 4:00 p.m., a stu- dent who missed lunch may not use his card to eat twice between four and midnight. Due to these designated times and possible missed meals, a missed meal fac- tor is already figured into the price of each plan. In essence, the prices are lower because of possible missed meals. Sometimes having a meal plan can be an inconven- ience, but it does have its advantages. Food Services provides already prepared and paid for real food, with some all-you-can-eat items, at a relatively low price. And the cafeterias are places to socialize while someone else does the cooking and cleaning, too. For many, the sacrifices and hassles are tolerable as Melynda Howell Real food is easily available to meal card holders like Eric Gaither, who has invested part of his budget in order to have access to entire meals. However, some re- strictions do apply to these cards. For example, a meal ticket may only be used once during any one meal ' s serving period. Devin Greaney Man cannot live by bread alone. Tiger Den, the main cafeteria, of- fers Italian food , as well as fast food and frozen yogurt. Melissa Flanigan smiles as she receives part of her home-cooked meal from Karen Richardson, a Food Services em- ployee. Perhaps one of the best as- pects of having a full-service cafe- teria is not having to cook or clean- up after a meal. Devin Greaney food services