It might be time for me to give Saga another chance.
As I begin my final year at Hillsdale College, I know that my past six semesters have had their share of culinary joys: the magical night I first mixed peanut butter in with my Cocoa Puffs, the day I discovered the bottomless tub of apple butter, and anything at all with cinnamon sugar on it.
But for every sweet surprise there was an equally crushing reality: finding barbecue sauce inside an unlabeled pizza for the 12th time, forcing myself to eat the oranges, and having the same two things for dinner every Saturday and Sunday of the year.
After three years on such an emotional rollercoaster, I’ve gone the path of many a senior: moved off campus and switched to the 10-meal plan. At the time I thought it a sound choice, but when I arrived on campus a few weeks ago everything changed.
The first Thursday of classes I stood in the lunch line, wondering why it had grown so long so early in the day. Of course. It was chicken patty day. I reached mechanically for the plastic tongs but doubled back, shocked. Next to the stacks of fried patties was a dish of turkey burgers — the first I’d ever seen in Saga. Reluctant to believe my good fortune, I grabbed one to sample, but stopped in my tracks again seconds later. The gluten-free counter had hot food that everyone was allowed to eat. I grabbed a couple of delicious cabbage rolls there, rounded out my plate with the brand-new spinach at the salad bar, and had a delightful meal.
My chief surprise that Thursday was not in finding healthy food in Saga—that’s always been possible in some way or another. What shocked me was that on a chicken patty-and-onion-rings day, I was able to find not only nutritious food, but food that was filling and tasted better than the deep-fried alternative. I think many of my fellow students have been caught between the same rock and a hard place: Do I eat something healthy? Or do I get what tastes good? The numerous healthy initiatives I’ve noticed Saga is taking this semester have brought hope back into my collegiate diet, and I feel excited about Saga for the first time in years.
I’ll admit that sometimes the freshness of each new year makes me feel the same way about Saga, but both feelings fade as the weeks roll on. That being said, though, I’ve been pleased to note that spinach salad is still available three or four days a week, and that the gluten-free bar seems to have firmly declared its independence from the vegetarian counter. I can’t predict what the coming months may hold, but two weeks into the semester I can still walk out of Saga with a clear conscience.
My favorite part of that Thursday lunch? The fried chicken patties were stacked in their bin dozens high, while only three or four of the turkey burgers remained. Maybe I’m not alone in my quest for a healthy meal. Time will tell.
