Editor,
After a week of hearing people complain about Aramark, I think it's time for a little story.
When I first came to UNM, I was blown away by the selection at La Posada. It was quite an upgrade from the gruel they would serve in my high school cafeteria.
Combined with a comfortable dormitory, I got to eat like a king and live near my friends. Eventually, I moved out of the dorms and got my own apartment, with all of its inconveniences.
That old proverb that says, "You never know what you've got until it's gone" rings true. I miss having delicious food ready without having to cook it. I miss the wide selection of edibles as well.
How can people complain there's no selection in the cafeteria when, on any given day, there are at least two main courses, a vegetarian meal, a sandwich nook, a salad bar, a soup table, a made-to-order pasta stand, a plethora of beverages and a dessert bar where you can find anything from pies to Jell-O to ice cream? What is wrong with the students of this campus?
Get content from The Daily Lobo delivered to your inbox
Is it a nutrition concern? Your body needs meat, vegetables, fruit and grain along with fatty foods or sugary substances. Nobody is forcing a student to gorge on pizza and hamburgers. Take responsibility for your own diet.
There's a voluptuous fruit basket in the very middle of the serving area. There are hearty soups and salads waiting nearby. It's OK to vary one's diet every now
and then.
Don't want Sonic or Pizza Hut? Good choice. The Market Place is right next door, and the Mercado is one floor beneath.
Let me put all this in perspective. The vendor that GPSA is looking to replace Aramark with is a company called Chartwells. Just the name alone should send shivers down the spine of anyone who's ever eaten at New
Mexico Tech.
During my time there, I was subjected to what we would decry as "that Chartwells feeling." Look it up on UrbanDictionary.com. In the most polite terms, it's the messy, anguished gurgle in the pit of one's stomach after consuming a Chartwells-distributed meal.
What I mistook one day for a thin, watery tomato soup was actually that day's spaghetti dinner. If you don't believe me, why not get in contact with someone you know down at Tech?
GPSA's second choice is Sedexo. I am not too familiar with this company, but I'm sure anyone who has ever attended CNM can clock in with their opinion.
As students, we should not be so spoiled that we rush hastily to bite the hand that feeds us.
David Martinez
UNM student
