“America’s already very accustomed to Chinese and Japanese food, so it’s time to bring in bolder flavors,” Tila said in the Los Angeles Times, “Indian flavors, Singaporean flavors, and of course, Thai – I think Thai has been misrepresented. I’m trying to bring it back to what it’s supposed to be.”

In this spirit, Tila has prepared the following menu: Vietnamese pork sandwiches, an Asian noodle bar containing vegetarian, chicken and beef  and stir fry, and wild salmon entrées at the Exhibition station.

But delicious  food is not Star Chef Night’s only attraction. Bon Appétit will also be raffling off a weekend for two at Las Vegas’ Encore Hotel along with dinner at Wazuzu. Raffle tickets will be sold following the dinner (around 7 pm) so plan on attending if you want to enter your name in the raffle. If this didn’t whet your appetite, check out Tila in action below.

CMC also rakes in three Bs, the explanations for which seem rooted in all the methodological rigor of a third grade science fair.  Key factoids include the distribution of sustainability information during orientation, the board of trustees’ “Beliefs and Principles” document in support of a bike-friendly campus, our four buildings with low flow toilets (actually dual-flush toilets that seem to do high flow no matter which way you flip the handle), and the installation of Claremont Hall’s insanely annoying ecofriendly lights.  You know, the ones half the dorm leaves on 18 hours a day because we hate waiting 15 minutes for them to warm up.

Then there are two Cs (Administration and Climate Change & Energy) and an F (Endowment Transparency).  God only knows what endowment transparency has to do with being green but a few random clicks couldn’t find any schools with a score better than a C besides Mudd and frankly, who cares?  There’s no explanation for the two Cs (the blurbs instead focus on the positive aspects, presumably to keep our spirits up) but they sound important so I knew what to do– compare them to Pomona’s scores!

Turns out Pomona got an A- overall (one of 26 nationwide) with a B in Administration and and A in Climate Change.  Torn between my fathomless apathy towards the environment and competitive instinct towards Pomona, I figured we had to at least be beating one of the five Cs.  Turns out we are!  Scripps got a C- overall, Mudd a B-, and Pitzer, no doubt driven to conceal the terrible secret of their environmental hypocrisy (or too high to fill out the forms) wasn’t even listed.

Considering the report card’s methodology I guess we can look forward to endless new “green” features that nobody actually wants or uses for the sake of climbing the rankings.

Instituting snack on Friday and Saturday is important because it would help reduce the severity and number of alcohol-related incidents.  Thursday night snack already confers many of these benefits due to the popularity of TNC, which is why snack should be extended to the other two big drinking nights on campus.  Eating food, especially high protein foods, slows the absorption of alcohol into the body and thereby reduces the likelihood of people becoming intoxicated beyond their limit.  Drinking non-alcoholic liquids, particularly water or sports drinks, is an effective method to prevent hangovers.

Additionally, the institution of snack may slightly slow the rate of alcohol consumption, which can help prevent alcohol poisoning.  Certainly, people determined to continue drinking will sneak in alcohol or avoid snack altogether.  Nonetheless, many people interested in food, will avoid the hassle of smuggling in alcohol and stop drinking for at least the duration of their time in the dining hall.  Having snack on Friday/Saturday may also possibly reduce the frequency of drunk driving.  Yes, drunk people can currently always go to the Hub, Coop, or Mudd Hole instead of driving, but another option would make drunk driving in search of food even less rational, particularly when snack is “free.”  For the more sober-minded, snack on Friday and Saturday would provide another social opportunity for people who want to socialize at an event not dominated by the mutual consumption of alcohol (yes, these people do exist on campus).

Even if you think the public health benefits of Friday/Saturday snack are overstated, at the very least, people who are drinking would greatly appreciate convenient, “free” food and drinks.  In my experience, most believe the marginal utility of food increases when they have been drinking.  Similarly, the consumption of marijuana, another popular activity for CMCers on the weekend, is known to stimulate one’s hunger.[i] Furthermore, Gatorade and soda can serve as excellent mixers or chasers.  The priorities of drunk and stoned CMCers rightfully do not usually factor into discussions about campus policy, but it might seems reasonable to include those priorities when making snack policy.

I realize there may be some practical considerations against this proposal and I want to address a few of them here.  I can understand that many food service employees would not want to spend their Friday and Saturday nights working at snack, but perhaps overtime pay would entice them.  Maybe budget cuts make fewer snack nights a necessity.  If so, Friday and Saturday snack could replace Monday and Tuesday snack.  I can understand Bon Appetit being reluctant to let hordes of drunk CMCers into the dining hall on a weekend night and possibly messing up the place, but experience proves this concern is not warranted: Thursday night snack and TNC have coexisted peacefully.

Through a generous gift from the Bon Appetit Management Company, we will begin issuing one free container to every CMC student who is on a board plan. Distribution will be next week in Collins. The container we selected is currently in use at Pitzer College.

Free containers! We go to the best school ever! Free containers!  Incidentally, since we’ll be using the same containers as Pitzer, I suspect we might be able to use them at both cafeterias (unless insidious measures are devised to stop us).  As for why Bon Appetit was so eager to give us free containers, the administration explained that Bon Appetit’s greater buying power, “circle of responsibility” philosophy, and hopes of creating a prototypical green cafeteria for their marketing plans came on like a rush of generosity.

When I shared the news with students, reactions ranged from joyous to mysterious.  Elise Viebeck ‘10 described it as “lifechanging,” while Abhi Nemani ‘10 warned me that “freedom isn’t free.”  Wade Vaughan ‘13 said what I actually wanted to hear: “two thumbs up!”  Share your thoughts below.

A New York native, Callahan worked as an Assistant Beverage Manager at the renowned Treasure Island Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas before coming to CMC last fall. Callahan decided to work for Bon Appétit following his brother’s positive experiences as both a chef and manager with the company.

Bon Appétit Management Company is a nationwide catering company providing services and socially responsible and sustainable foods to universities and other organizations. CMC’s and Pitzer’s dining halls are operated by Bon Appétit. Bon Appétit prides itself on using as many local sources as possible to supply the food. The dining halls at Scripps, Harvey Mudd and Pomona are operated by Sodexho. Callahan describes the relationship with this rival food company as a “friendly competition.” He notes that Bon Appétit takes the surveys and input from students very seriously as they are always looking for ways to improve.

Callahan works about ten hours a day for five days a week. He says his favorite meal is brunch on either Saturday or Sunday, where Collins opens for made-to-order smoothies and omelets as well as the usual fare. His daily responsibilities include inputting menus online and preparing for the next meal, but his main job is overseeing his employees and ensuring that everything runs smoothly. Callahan is actively involved in the planning for Collins’ special dinners, such as the recent Mardi Gras dinner or the Winter Wonderland dinner in December. He says other employees work together to brainstorm for these events, which are often popular among CMC students.

When not working, Callahan enjoys spending time with his puppy and hiking mountains such as Arrowhead and Mount Baldy. Always happy to talk to students, Callahan takes pleasure in hearing about our achievements and upcoming activities– he was recently spotted at the CMS vs. PP Men’s Basketball game!