If there is one major pitfall of going to Tulane, it is undoubtedly the food options. You’d think that living in New Orleans, we’d have some of the best campus food that those kitchens can cook. Instead, we’re stuck with Bruff, and a handful (though a very small one) of other choices to fill our growling stomachs.
Now before I start going into the disappointments that constantly surround Bruff, let me just give a disclaimer and say that Bruff DOES serve its needs. And now that that’s said and done, let the list of grievances begin. For starters –the silverware. There’s nothing like seeing last night’s dinner on your spoon while trying to eat your morning cereal. The plates have the same problem. Now, I get that there are only so many plates, forks, knives and spoons to go around, and they all have to be washed within a short amount of time, but they really could be a little more sanitary. I’ve never seen them, but some people claimed to have seen cockroaches crawling across the milk areas. That definitely doesn’t help Bruff’s already tarnished reputation. The food itself is another matter. We all know it’s college and none of us are expecting five-star gourmet foods, but the quality is just poor. It’s packaged, processed, and there are very few healthy options available. I’ll give them credit for those delicious
chocolate chip and M&M cookies last semester (for a great cause and DELICIOUS), though. But the rest of the selection gets old really fast, especially for picky eaters like myself. It’s unsatisfying, and you can’t live off cereal, eggs, salads, wraps, and pasta, no matter how hard you try.
While I fully understand that working at Bruff is no one’s dream job, some of the workers often act as if it’s the most painful place on earth to be working at. They are often rude and curt to the students who simply come in looking for a decent meal after a long day.
When dining at Bruff gets to be too much, students often relocate to grab a sandwich or salad at LeGourmet, or get a sushi kick, smoothie, or bagel at the LBC food court. But even those options are limited by the amount of Wavebucks you have, which isn’t a huge amount to begin with. And has anyone ever heard of the 1834 Club? It’s like a hidden treasure upstairs in the LBC, complete with a menu and looks like an actual restaurant. Dining services calls it “sophisticated.” The catch is that students can’t actually eat in it. It’s only for faculty and staff. That doesn’t seem fair to me. I’ve heard rave reviews of my friends’ dining halls at some other schools across
the country. I think the main problem with Tulane’s dining is the limited amount of options available. Albeit, Tulane is a small school, but that doesn’t mean there’s not plenty of room for improvement.