Dining Hall Findings
What was one of your most intriguing things you observed in the dining halls while conducting your survey? What was one of the questions/issues that the manager raised?
posted by UVM Eco-Reps Program Coordinator @ 11:55 AM
23 Comments:
One of the most intriguing things I found in the dining hall (I went to Cook Commons)was the availability of vegetarian options. I had previously thought that Cook(and other dining halls) did not do the best job of providing options for vegeterains, but I guess I did not look suffienctly. Along these same lines, there were two options that were specifically made for Vegans (which of course could be paired with self-created vegan meals). I was impressed by this.
A concern that the manager raised was that compostable utensils may seem like they are helping to solve the problem of trash ending up in landfills, but they actually do not. She explained that compostable utensils actually do not biodegrade unless they meet specific temperature. This temperature is very hard to reach, and as such, means that compostable utensils are not composting at all, but merely joining items in the landfill.
-Arielle
I surveyed the Marche and I am still surprised at the fact that I became more intrigued by the Marche's operation after doing the survey, particularly in terms of its pricing and attempts at buying local foods.
The Marche is already very expensive as it is (an anomaly among the dining halls for some reason) and the chef that does all the ordering of the food whom I interviewed said that the prices would go up even more if she ordered more local foods. I don't know how much of that is actually true or just politics but it caught me off guard.
Having said that, the Marche does provide a lot of local and organic foods. A lot of its fruits (especially apples), vegetables and cheeses are local, not suprisingly. Many soy products, although not locally grown, are produced locally. The Marche is a general grocery store so they have to provide a lot of conventional foods that college students like to eat, even though they may not be local or organic.
One of the concerns that the chef brought up is that the Marche still only provides disposable utensils and plates. The plates are not compostable as they are made of some sensitive plastic, which also cannot be safely heated in a microwave. The plastic utensils are also not compostable. The chef said that they cannot provide silver utensils because people just take them but they do provide china.
The post below about the Marche was written by me. Sorry for forgetting to put my name on it.
-Daniel
THE ATRIUM (Given Building)
The dining services manager - all that she told me was that her name was Sue - reclined to answer any questions. I'm still wondering if it was a miscommunication of some sort, but she flat out said "no."
I approached one of the cashiers and asked to speak witht the manager, and so she brought me to Sue's office. I introduced myself to Sue, told her a little about what Eco-Reps are and the purpose of these two weeks of focus (meaning the concentration of food on campus) and then asked her if I couldt aske her a few questions. She told me that she wasn't who I wanted to talk to, that I wanted to speak with the manager of the University Dining Services. I politely told her that my focus was The Atrium, and that I "believe it is you with whom I'm supposed to speak." She then said "speak about what?" I told her I had a few questions to ask her specifically, holding my survey paper to indicate that the questions were already thought out. She took the paper out of my hands and looked over it; I pointed to the section that listed the questions to ask her. After looking at it for less than a minute, she handed it back to me and said "no, I won't."
And that was it.
Regardless, The Atrium clearly listed all the locally grown food, and where it came from (not surprisingly, it was centered around the salad bar!) as well as info about (most) of the foods presented. The only packaged (processed) foods were yogurts, chips, and energy/nutrition bars. Otherwise, everuthing was made that day, although there weren't any vegan options besides a salad or fruit.
It is more of a lunch for the medical building sort of place than specifically student food, so it ws fashioned as an older cafeteria. The only environmental parafanalia (spelling?...) was about composting right next to the tray return.
~Elle
One thing that really stuck out was that there were no labels for local foods. I had never really noticed this before, but if we are trying to get people to eat more local foods, it's hard to do it if we don't know what's local or even if any of the foods are local. One of the issues I talked about with the manager was the issue of waste disposal and the fact that the staff have no control over how the students deal with their waste.
I went to Alice's Cafe, and was very disappointed by the lack of signs promoting reusable cups. Alice's isn't a normal dining hall and as one of the largest coffee sellers on campus they should really be pushing the reusable cups idea hard. There was one little sign randomly posted on a vat, but no signs about the discounted price.
- Mollie
This weeks topic was incredibly interesting. I was assigned to the marche, and the dining hall services was never there in person when I asked for him, nor did he answer the emails I sent him with the interview questions. However, overall marche seems to be very well run... they provide countless vegetarian options,in addition to a vegan station. All the cheese and yogurts in the fridge are Cabot, a local dairy company. The eggs however I think were not local, (if i recall correctly they were from Wisconsin). The Marche offers composting, trash and recycling in its refuse area. I did notice that people tended to be very conscious of which receptacle they were throwing their stuff in. Some seemed to get confused based on the way the receptacles were labeled, but almost all at least seemed to be paying attention.
- Emily
The most intriguing thing that i found or rather that i didn't find in Brennans are the signs that advertise where to compost and where to recycle. Granted most people who eat at brennas use the reusable cups that are provided, but there are really no visible signs taht tell people where to recycle and compost.
The biggest environmental concern raised by the mananger was that not many people actually recycle and compost.
Nop surprises there- i think if they advertised more and put up signs telling customers where to throw their recyling and compostables they would ahve an increased usage.
-Michael Rubin
I surveyed Waterman Cafe and I was surprised to see the amount of local foods they offer. They have apples from Champlain Farms, Green Mountain Coffee, some salad entrees from local farms, etc. Unfortunately, the Cafe uses all take out/disposable plates, utensils, and cups. The manager said they sell lots of coffee, and he says that he sees more paper cups used rather than reusable mugs. There is no signage in the Cafe that promotes the One Less Cup program. Oh no! Also, he says sometimes students do not recycle. There is a small recycling bin outside the Cafe but it is not sufficient to hold all the recycling that the Cafe produces. Now that there is no more Cook Commons or Round Room and there is no place on Central Campus to get coffee, everyone goes to Waterman Cafe. The volume of traffic in the Cafe has really increased since last year. There needs to be more signage about the one less cup program and more recycling bins. Also, there is no area for compost. Granted everything is mostly take out, but a compost area would be great.
-Liz Bruner
I went to Brennan's in the Davis Center. I found it interesting that while the establishment does offer composting, coffee discounts for reusable mugs, many VT microbrews and "eco-friendly" take out containers (quite an oxymoron I think), there is no advertisment of these choices. Brennan's composting program is just beginning, so I'm sure that will improve. But I think it is important for students to be cognizant of what is being done to reduce waste in the dining halls. Being a fan of Brennan's veggie burger, I am excited to see their composting program begin.
-Will
I was impressed by the amount of local and organic food found at the Marche. However, it was not well labeled.
The Marche's other largest issue is there plastic forks, spooks and plates. Although the Gifts from the Gardens sometimes offers the option of a real plate, it is not on a regular basis. Frequently, I will go to the Marche without my own plate expecting to be provided one and end up being out of luck.
It was also very difficult tracking down someone who was willing to talk to me about the survey.
-Lindsey Gillies
The dining hall that I surveyed was Alice's. Since I have been there many times, I did not find many surprises. One thing that I have found surprising is that there are no options for taking out a sandwich other than a wax paper bag. I would assume that you could bring in a plate or container, but it not something they advertise and not something I have seen anyone do. I was also surprised that vegan options aren't advertised. There are plenty of veggies available, but they do not say if the bread is vegan. There also isn't anything posted about the vegetarian/vegan status of the soup. I was unable to visit directly with the manager and am waiting for an e-mail response, so I cannot answer the second question.
-Steph
I went to the Marketplace in the Davis Center. I was impressed by the variety and how many options there were, especially for vegetarians and vegans. However, it wasn't labeled very well where to find vegetarian/vegan food- you need to know where to look. I was told by the dining services manager that the produce is local/organic "whenever possible", but it wasn't labeled on the fruit cups, etc.
The most interesting thing I learned when talking to Tom, the dining services manager, was that he said that they'd "given up" on composting in the marketplace. He said that they were unable to get students involved, and suggested that eco-reps try and get first year students in the habit of composting as soon as possible, even at orientation. He seemed to think that juniors and seniors were going to be unable to change their ways and start composting, but I disagree- I think we can work on changing students' composting habits here at UVM!
-Kate R
On of the most intriguing things I found during the dining hall survey was the use of locally grown foods in the dishes. I surveyed the Market Place in the Davis Center and learned that my most favorite station, “The Mediterranean Station,” utilizes as many locally grown Vermont products in their capers as possible. Their tomatoes, spinach leaves, all cheese and even bread wraps are of Vermont companies. There are certain products such as chickpeas and tofu that are not from locally based companies. I was also impressed with the soup options as four out of six of the soups were vegetarian. One of the soups was completely made from local Vermont ingredients.
One of the issues the manager raised was the idea of composting silverware. When I questioned him as to why all of the silverware and cups were not compostable he explained how if all of the silverware were to be compostable there would be a need for the plastic that covers the silverware to be compostable as well. Many question if it’s worth it since students are already having a difficult time composting their own food.
when I first went to Simpson Dining Hall and requested to speak to the Food Service Manager, he said that I should speak to Paul Bahan in Robinson Hall about the issues, so I tried setting up a meeting with Paul, however, he was out of his office and did not reply to my message. So I did get some info (though I question the reliability) from his secretary at Robinson Hall.
My personal observations of the dining facility led to many interesting discoveries. I was pleased with the amount of local produce available(almost all the salad and sandwich bar fixings were from local farms). It was difficult to find the exact source, however, of many of the products, because it was not clearly listed. It was also neat to see the many vegan options available at dinner time in Simpson. I just wish the interview process would have gone smoother.
-Colin
Like many others, I visited the Marche and was impressed by the amount of local and organic foods available. In addition, a great thing abou the Marche is that there is truly quite a bit of options for both vegetarians, and vegans, which many other dining halls on campus can not brag about.
As a couple of the other Eco-Reps have pointed out, one of the biggest problems I perceived from the Marche was the lack of reusable forks, knifes, plates, etc. I feel like a lot of the waste from these disposable utensils could be cut down, as I noticed a good portion of the people buying food from the Marche were also eating it in the sitting area there.
-Mackenzie
The Marche offers a lot more vegan options than I thought they did. Most of them are not labeled as such though (like the veggie sushi). This dining hall also has a vegan food station that serves only vegan entrees, which is really cool. The chefs in that station tend to be proud of their meals.
The dining hall manager loved the idea of having compostable "plastic" dining ware, but said the problem was that they didn't know what to do with it. The intervale can only take so much of this stuff, and the volume they would get from the dining halls could mess up their composting operation (because the corn plastic decomposes so slowly). He said he thought it was no better to throw corn plastic into the landfill than real plastic. It seems that wastefulness is the nature of a take-out style dining hall like the Marche. Unless students are willing to only dine-in, then this wastefulness matter is out of the manager's hands.
- Kasey
One of the things I noticed while conducting my dining hall survey at Simpson Store was the reluctance of the workers there to comment on the environmental friendliness of the dining hall and products being offered. It took going through about 4 different workers to find out if the eggs used were cage free (theyre not) and if recycling would be implemented (no recycling in the dining area).
Among the many anti-environmental actions occuring at Simpson Store, the one that raises most concern would be the salad bar. The salad bar only offers huge plastic containers and has no recycling container for them in the eating area. Since a good amount of people eat in the dining hall I think that another form of plate should be offered so that less plastic is wasted... not to mention getting a recycling bin!!
-Katherine Moser
I was surprised to find how local H/M dining is. Most fruits and vegetables are from close places which I didn't know and I'm not sure how many students knew.
The manager talked to me about portion sizes in a place like Harris Millis because a lot of times people take too much without even thinking. he talked about wanting people to be more considerate about the food they are consuming and taking from the service areas. Because the students are paying for it he struggles with discriminating against "all you can eat."
meg
One of the most intriguing things about Cook Commons was that they have many vegetarian/vegan options available. This includes veggie burgers, salad bar, alternative meat free meals of the day, a vegan section by the doors and the breakfast bar.
One of the issues the manager raised was that the biodegradable silverware was not actually biodegradable. She mentioned that it is far more expensive then regular flatware and this biodegradable stuff does not work.
-Erin
I surveyed Waterman Café for my survey. It was interesting to sit there and see what people were buying. The manager said coffee was their bestseller. I saw many people using their reusable mugs, but I saw more disposable coffee cups than reusable mugs being sold. There was no signage in the area that promoted the One Less Cup discount. Also, everything in the café is in takeout, disposable containers. There is one recycling bin outside the café, but no signage about what kind of things can go into the bin. There needs to be more signage about the One Less Cup campaign and the recycling efforts on campus. The manager agreed with me about that. He said that everyone takes out at the Café, and the garbage fills up pretty quickly. Hopefully we can encourage more recycling and reusable mugs at the Café and make it more eco-friendly!
I surveyed the Marche, my most favorite dining facility on campus! Their Gifts from the Garden vegan section always has something fresh, nutritious, and totally delicious. One of the most intriguing things I found at the Marche was the availability of local/organic/vegan grocery items. Some are kind of hidden away in places that people don't normally look food food, but they are there, and their selection is quite impressive (except on days before a big delivery).
I talked to one of the chefs behind the Gifts from the Garden section and asked him about offering actual silverware instead of disposable utensils and he said that if they did that, kids would just take them or they might be thrown away, making more waste than they would eliminate. It would cost the school a lot of money to keep replacing the silverware, so that's why they don't do it. I think if kids were encouraged to bring their own silverware around, there'd be a lot less waste.
I did not find anything at the Atrium intriguing. It was actually kind of upsetting once I opened my eyes and looked around. Since it is one of the dining halls you can take food out of AND is one for the hospital all there stuff is take out and disposable. There is nothing that can be reused or washed. Last year they used to serve their food on real plates with real utensils. I was unable to talk to the manager and the cashier I talked to was kind of gruff, but I would like to someday ask why they switched over to all disposable utensils etc.
He explained how we couldn't because of health laws but he seemed scared of the idea, like all of us would bring in contaminated plates etc. It was kind of funny!
- Briana
Post a Comment
<< Home