I feel lucky to say that my whole life, I have had a great relationship with food. My parents are amazing cooks, made dinner most nights, and never stopped me from eating dessert every night. I also had a healthy relationship with exercise and was an athlete growing up, so I always felt free to eat whatever I wanted. After arriving at Cal Poly, I quickly found that the food was not exactly up to the standards I had previously known, and that a lot of stress came with trying to feed myself as a college student.
I always knew that my parents were great cooks, but I didn’t realize how much I took that for granted until I came to college. I imagined that dining hall food would perhaps lack some seasoning, and be a bit different than what I was used to in order to accommodate the allergies and tastes of thousands of students. I had probably also heard about Cal Poly having a particularly weak food reputation. However, I did not anticipate how much I would struggle with eating dishes that are often not even tasty enough for me to eat all of in one sitting. I also did not expect the options to be as scarce as they are. I will admit that Vista Grande (the dining facility located near the Sierra Madre, Yosemite, and yakʔitʸutʸu living communities) does have a bit of variety, but that does not mean that the assortment of individual meals are appetizing. I would also describe a lot of the food I have eaten from Vista Grande as beyond bland. This may be an idea my own attitudes concocted, something like a Vista Grande effect, but nonetheless, I still struggle with getting past my qualms with the dining hall and finding something to eat there.
In addition to the sub-standard taste of Cal Poly food, many of the prices are shocking. In my experience, a lot of the food available at Vista Grande costs no less than 8 dollars, although there are some combos with appealing savings deals. Campus Market Grill also has multiple combos available that often include an entree, side of fries, and soda. During fall quarter, I purchased a cheeseburger combo multiple times for $9.95, but it appears that this same combo’s price has been raised to $11.45 since the start of Winter quarter, which is yet another disappointment. This element to Cal Poly food added another level of stress for me. I had never had to do the budgeting myself for food before, but I did a lot of monitoring my balance of dining dollars during fall quarter out of fear that I would run out. Although you can always add more to your balance if you do run out, I restrained myself a lot because I didn’t want to have to do that. This quarter, I have decided to prioritize myself and my relationship with food, in other words eating what I want without monitoring my account balance. For any prospective or incoming Cal Poly students, I would recommend selecting the largest meal plan that you can because it will probably be worth the extra money to feel secure once you get here, and free to put your hunger before your dining dollars balance. I would also highly recommend learning to cook and preparing to put the communal kitchens to use. There are communal pots and pans in the freshman living communities, but if you might feel weird about cooking with those, I highly recommend bringing your own and pushing yourself to invest some time in making yourself a home-made meal. Cal Poly also has a food pantry that all students can go to, no questions asked, and get as much food as they need. This is a great resource for all students to utilize. Most of the options are great for cooking with, so my advice about getting comfortable with a communal kitchen stands here too. They often offer produce, refrigerated foods, canned goods and a few small snack items.
While I do have a slightly negative view of the food here at Cal Poly as a whole, there are a few great options that have been a huge help to me. Personally, I have always been a big consumer of Starbucks. Since coming to Cal Poly, the Starbucks on campus has been great for me, coming through with a nice treat to get me through the day, breakfast sandwiches that were a perfect dinner when my stomach was adjusting during my first few weeks after move-in, and later hours than some other spots on campus. My favorite Cal Poly-specific food establishment by far is Mustang Station. In my opinion, Mustang Station has the best pizza on campus and for decent prices. The pizza is filling and flavorful, and their pasta is another trustworthy dish. Red Radish also resides in the same room as Mustang Station, and their salads are essential to my efforts to get my vegetables in. Also, Campus Market Grill remains my second favorite food place specific to Cal Poly, despite their recent increase in prices. The extra $2 is a small price to pay in exchange for the reliable burgers and fries that are important to me as a first-year without a car to get myself to In-N-Out. Another highlight are the food trucks. While the hours are not always regular, the food trucks provide a lot of great options that are a nice change from all of the things I eat on a daily basis. Of course, I can’t leave out Jamba Juice. The company was actually created by a Cal Poly student, which makes me feel a bit of school pride when going there. Plus, Jamba Juice is a great breakfast or snack option that helps with getting some fruits and vitamins into your system.
Overall, I have definitely struggled with food and nutrition more than I ever have since coming to Cal Poly. However, the options here are almost all edible (to use an opinionated choice of words) and I know that many of my peers are getting by just fine. Just like everything else about starting life at college, the food options have been a huge adjustment for me. At the end of the day, I know that at least one of my few favorites will get me through the day. Having bad on-campus food is also not a Cal Poly-specific issue. Even though it is a struggle, it also provides opportunities for bonding, with peers inside and outside of our own school. In addition, with so much food within walking distance at all times, it is easy to make friends by recommending new favorite options and taking a group trip down to the dining hall. Delicious or not, the food here at Cal Poly has a way of providing a sense of community. There are always a few pros to contrast the cons.