I think I'm going to stick with the topic of Sodexo because, well, they always seem to have room for improvement. I don't, of course.
Anyway, I recently found something out quite interesting or rather, appalling after I had taken a fancy to the "new" salad bar, Garden Daze, in the Lair.
I wanted to see what my salad was like without meat for a couple of reasons. One: I was doing it for an article. And two: I was really low on money and figured that without chicken the price of the salad would be cheaper
Appalling factor? As I strolled over to the cash register, I coolly told the cashier, “Chinese chicken salad. No meat.”
She said there was no button to reduce the price. If I were a tea kettle, you would have heard my high pitched whistle – it probably would have made you deaf.
Sodexo doesn’t discount the salads if there is no meat on them. I suddenly felt a great deal of sympathy for vegetarians on campus, who never get discounted for being a better person than me.
There’s all this talk about people being rewarded for acting “green.” Well, what about not acting “red” by being a lover of meat? Plus, being "green" can include eating less meat. Cows emit some serious CO2. Eat less cow, have less CO2. Talk about bad gas.
Look, I love meat, don’t get me wrong, But if a salad costs the same price with or without meat in the Lair, that is just one less incentive for me to go cold turkey on eating meat.
In terms of running a business, I have no idea how this is fair to the consumer. In terms of principal, when you buy more merchandise, you pay more money. You should never be paying the same amount of money for less merchandise.
That’s like saying “the sky is down,” “Christmas is Halloween,” “children are dragons” and “Sodexo runs a perfect business.”
None of these statements make sense.
-Alex Tandy
Photo courtesy of Tomas Castelazo
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7 comments:
As a vegetarian, I really appreciate this article. The lack of price reduction is absurd not only from a moral standpoint, but a business one also.
There should be a way to discount the salad, AND a way to add vegetarian protein items like tofu, seitan or something to replace the meat.
I too choose to opt out of meat at almost every meal, and am extremely disappointed that Sodexo does not have price differences on orders with no meat, especially at the Garden Daze.
I recently approached the General Manager of LMU Dining (Lisa Farrell) who told me that the workers were supposed to give you more fruits and vegetables when you don't get meat in your dish.
Apparently, Sodexo hasn't given that memo to any of the workers.
thanks darryl, for the info. i'll have to bring that up at lunch next time. ;P
while extra fruits and vegetables are great, they should have some tofu on hand to replace meat. obviously, vegetarians can't survive on leafy things alone.
also, people who aren't totally vegetarian but avoid meat for religious or nutritional reasons are likely to develop a protein deficiency eating on campus! i know that demanding tempeh or soy meats is picky, but tofu can be bought in bulk, it's familiar to just about everyone, and it's cheaper than most meats anyway. and it keeps better.
many other college campuses in SoCal have a larger variety of tofu and vegetarian proteins in their eateries. why doesn't LMU?
Most places that offer salads allow one to weigh the salad in order to ascertain the price. This assumes, of course, that one is able to add the condiments and variety of veggies or meat, chicken or tofu. Perhaps sodexo can supply a "basic salad" to which each person can then supplement with their protein or fruit, nuts, etc., of choice. All you need is a sneeze guard if the latter items are exposed, and BINGO--you get what you want.
BTW, I am offended by the photgraph used to head this blog. That is a culture you are making fun of, buddy! Shame on you for using your camera to cast aspersions on Hispanics. Is "Tomas Castelazo" a Hispanic name?
Weighing the salad and having a variety of options would be absolutely ideal; it's also very simple to implement.
I wonder what it would take to get this started at LMU. Maybe ASLMU would be the best place to start?
To the person who was offended by the photo at the top, would you have been offended about how it depicted Caucasian people if that was who was in the picture? There were humans in the picture. They happened to be Hispanic. I doubt that was intended to insult all Hispanics any more than not liking an individual who happens to be from a certain country means you hate everyone from that country. I'm from the United States. There are some other people from the United States that I happen to dislike. That doesn't mean I dislike everyone from the USA.
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