Harboring a special hatred for All Things Bruff is not exactly a difficult feat. However, Tulane students will come to realize that hating our on-campus dining hall is basically a futile waste of energy. Bruff is inherently a big part of our Tulane — and especially freshman — experience, whether we like it, or not. So here’s my proposal to all you Bruff-bashers: Embrace the Bruff! If we’re all gonna be stuck eating at the same cafeteria six or seven days a week (unless, hey, you have no objections to spending ridiculous amounts of money at the LBC food court), then we might as well find ways to enjoy it, right? Here are some tips I’ve acquired over these past three months that should help make your BOSS (Bruff Over-Saturation Syndrome) dissipate.Â
Switch it up!Â
I am 100% a creature of a habit. By this, I mean that I am a girl who pretty much lives and dies by her routines, so naturally, this can apply to my diet. It’s hard for me to resist filling my plate up with the same, reliably-decent fixtures that I had the previous day (and the day before that, and the day before that…), so I can empathize with anyone out there who is a little apprehensive about trying any of the Bruff specials or entrees for the first time. But honestly, branching out and sampling that disconcertingly mysterious Crescent Corner offering may be to your advantage in the long run. Otherwise, your meal “staples” are going to get very old, and very unfathomably edible, fast.
Use all the resources Bruff has to offer
Anyone could understand why, Monday after class, the only effort you want to put into your lunch is the motion of your arm reaching for a plate of ready-to-eat pizza. But you may find your meal to be a little more satisfying if you do some creative exploring, and sometimes this means combining a few different things from multiple food stations in order to create one awesomely delicious speciality. For example, instead of just going with the tried-and-true buttered toast, I like to dress my morning slice of bread with something a little more fun: Peanut-butter from the toast spreads station, chocolate chips from the waffle-making area, sliced almonds from the yogurt and granola bins, and butterscotch chips from the ice cream cart. Put a moderate amount of each ingredient on a piece of toast slathered with peanut butter, and you’re in for one helluva breakfast treat (plus, it’s totally filling!) Basically what I’m getting at is that there are a lot of different things you can make yourself at Bruff; it just requires a bit of outside-the-box thinking.
Look at your friends’ platesÂ
No, I’m not insinuating that you fixate your eyes on the turkey wrap to your left, because that would be creepy. But you can get an idea of what foods in Bruff are located higher on the appetizing-scale by noticing which meals your friends consistently deem worthy of seconds. Up until about a week ago, I was entirely unaware that making your own omelette for breakfast was even an option! Fortunately, my roommate opened up for me a whole new (better-late-than-never) world of breakfast possibilities.
When it comes down to it, college meal plans are what you make of them. You can either have a bowl of cereal for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, or, you could make mealtime slightly more balanced and gratifying. The choice is yours; now go Bruff (yep, our cafeteria is a verb)!