13 Responses to “Dining hall renovations and a farmer’s market? mmmmm”

1. Let’s get some composting too, baybeeeeee!

   Emily on May 12th, 2009 at 4:20 pm

2. ok, well i’ll believe it when i see it.

   steph on May 13th, 2009 at 12:39 pm

3. There is a great Farmers Market on Wednesdays from 10-2pm on Bloomsbury Avenue in Catonsville. Not far at all from campus. It features local produce and one farm is certified organic.

   Beckie on May 13th, 2009 at 2:39 pm

4. this all seems like a waste of time and money. more fresh fruits and such would be nice, but plush seating and new entrances are not necessary.

   paige on May 13th, 2009 at 10:30 pm

5. Do we really need a Farmer’s Market?

   Breanna on May 14th, 2009 at 4:28 pm

6. If they could provide basic healthy eating options for vegetarians/vegans in the Commons, without the need to load every sandwich with mayo/cheese that would be a good start. Please Mr Deluca, do something about this!

   Anonymous on May 15th, 2009 at 2:14 pm

7. @ Breanna:

   To eat locally grown food?

   While that’s a worthy cause, obviously, I agree with Paige that plush seating and stuff is pretty unnecessary… If we don’t even have composting or some way to properly dispose of all the wasted food, then we should not be spending money on luxury items like plush seats and new doors!!!

   anonymous on May 15th, 2009 at 3:34 pm

8. I spoke with the manager as well. Among other things:

   –Wi-Fi connection throughout.
   –”Pizza-Side” to be converted into a Bread and Pastries section.
   –The entire wall between the drinks and the waffles will be converted into one big, giant grill (stuff that comes off the grill will be served there)
   –You see how the current pizza and salad areas look like (the furnishing and the lights): everything’s going to look like that
   –The area behind the pizza place will become a lounge, with plush seating(as mentioned above) and a TV or TVs.
   –The drinks will be spread out so you can get them in more convenient locations.
   –Another thing was that the food, with the exception of the pizza and salad, will be SERVED, such that you will not be taking the tongs by yourself and getting food, but you’ll be saying, “yes, I want fries with that.”

   These are all the ideas that the manager had when I spoke with him. It will be interesting to see how many of them come to fruition. But he seemed ambitious. Maybe we’ll be seeing all this and more, next semester.

   The Greatest Scout Who Ever Scouted on May 15th, 2009 at 9:26 pm

9. @ Paige

   Yes, the manager also seemed very interested in adding more fruits. If I remember correctly, he wants to turn the old salad side into a Fresh Fruits area.

   If you lobbby him, maybe it will happen.

   The Greatest Scout Who Ever Scouted on May 15th, 2009 at 9:27 pm

10. Just don’t go over the top with the whole health food thing!!!
    I’m a big guy playing for the UMBC baseball team and have to eat a lot of meat to in order to get the required protein for effective strength and muscle workouts. But when I come to Dining Hall, I often see all these salad and seafood options all over the place instead of the real food with some meat in it!

    Dwayne on May 16th, 2009 at 2:59 pm

11. I am definitely impressed with the changes in the dining hall. While I do agree that we don’t really need better seating and televisions before more sustainable ways of dealing with our waste, the food changes will be great. There will still be plenty of meat and carbs, I’m sure, but having lighter options, especially local food – is such a great move.
    Also – to whomever made the move for Pura Vida – thank you! Compost-able cups are amazing. Now for somewhere to compost them? We could sell the compost and cut down on our transportation costs to lands fills… many more reasons exist, but those are two of the monetary pluses.
    Thank you!

    Mary on May 16th, 2009 at 4:59 pm

12. Wonder where the money is coming from?? Time to go rob the Citizenry again… :rolleyes:

    Joe on May 16th, 2009 at 6:25 pm

13. nobody cares about a farmers market seriously. All the food is just going to be wasted, not enough people are gonna buy.

    Ryan on May 17th, 2009 at 7:13 pm