Kaysey Price/Winonan
I have heard many opinions about the cafeteria food at Winona State University during my time as a student, and I say it’s time to come to a universally agreed upon conclusion about which campus has better food: Main or West?
Granted, the topic isn’t as hot as the Hatfields vs. the McCoys, but I expect once this article is published and read by everyone at Winona State, we can all agree which campus has better food and move onto debating more important topics, like Miley Cyrus hosting the VMA’s.
Courtney Weston, a former Winona State student, said, “West is the best.”
Weston, however, was quick to clarify, “Really it all has to deal with where your loyalty lies.”
In other words, Weston thinks cafeteria loyalties are quickly being made freshmen year, depending on which campus your dorm room is on.
With those biased opinions flying around campus, it was important for me to get a fresh perspective on the topic. In order to do so, I had to find freshmen willing to have lunch with me, a terrifying senior. Sure, I have one pair of combat boots, but I think the Marilyn Manson comparison stops there.
The task of tracking down freshmen this time of year is very difficult, since they all seem to either be hiding in their dorms or traveling in packs with an impenetrable shield, mock-Avengers-style. Nevertheless, four brave freshmen, Kennedy Busche, Sienna Kaufmann, Aspen Zimmer and Emma Masiulewicz met me at the Main Campus cafeteria for lunch on Friday, Aug. 28, and we discussed the food situation.
The group seemed to have strong opinions about the food in general. Masiulewicz, who lives on Main Campus, grimaced at a half-bruised banana.
A little later, Busche, who also lives on Main Campus, commented on the fries, “[They] are like cardboard!”
When I asked which campus they thought was better, Kaufmann, who lives on West Campus, said, “I like West Campus better because there’s not as many people, so you don’t have to wait as long.”
Zimmer, who also lives on West Campus, continued the argument for the West Campus cafeteria, “I say the food on West is better.”
However, when I inquired into what exactly made the food better, all they could seem to come up with was the lines were shorter.
Maybe the argument simply boils down to crowd size. West Campus tends to have a smaller crowd of eaters. Therefore, the atmosphere is more comfortable and the food is more readily available. You can even scoop your own ice cream on West Campus – a privilege not afforded to the students on Main Campus.
The Main Campus cafeteria is daunting, I will admit. When I walked into Kryzsko Commons at noon to meet the girls, the line to enter the cafeteria stretched from one end of the building to the other.
I was even tempted to text Masiulewicz and ask if they would rather go to West Campus for lunch, but I am privy to the situation. I know about the smaller crowds on West Campus, which my introverted personality favors over fighting the crowds on Main Campus.
Busche admitted she has yet to eat on West Campus.
Her excuse was a lengthy bus ride, and she’s right. West Campus is a new frontier for freshmen living on Main Campus. Why ride the bus over to West Campus when there is a perfectly good cafeteria on Main Campus?
Maybe it’s less about the food and more about exclusivity, because let’s face it, comparing Main Campus’ food to West Campus’ food is like comparing the Subway on Gilmore Street to the Subway on Johnson Street – same company, different location.
