Stop complaining about the caf

How does the caf compare to a soldier’s everyday meal?

Conrad Hanson was visiting friends at Oklahoma Christian University after he was stationed in South Korea for a year. He said, “the caf is like a five-star restaurant” compared to what he eats. Maybe he will help put students’ first-world problems into perspective.

“You guys have an ice-cream machine, a slushie machine, a huge drink selection, a salad bar – heck, I don’t even know what a salad bar is anymore,” Hanson said.

Hanson said the place where he eats is usually open all day, but it is closed on payday weekends, because they assume everyone will go out and buy their own food.

And you’ve got to admit – there is always something to eat in the caf, no matter what time it is. At any given time you can walk into the caf and get waffles, cereal, salad, sandwiches and fruit. It’s definitely not like that at a U.S. military base in South Korea.

“They always run out of food – always,” Hanson said.

Hanson said how we have better portions in the caf than where he eats.

“You get to tell them how much to put on your plate – we don’t,” Hanson said. “One time I came through and they gave me this little piece of ham, a mound of rice and that’s all they could give me. And I waited in line for an hour.”

Maybe that fifteen minute chapel rush line isn’t so bad.

So what’s so wrong with the caf? The middle line is usually cooked right then, with your choice of ingredients. Cinnamon rolls are always handmade and fresh-baked. The gluten-free line is all hand-cut and fresh. The fact that they have a gluten-free line is pretty awesome. The pizzas are handmade, the banana pudding is always made with real bananas. And sometimes they put out fresh-cut pineapple, honeydew melon and cantaloupe.

Some students have called the caf out for having too much fried or unhealthy food, but Hanson said where he eats they usually just have one main line where you can get a hot dog, grilled cheese or hamburger and fries. The caf might have fried chicken (which is actually quite good) and sometimes fries and tots, but we also have healthy gourmet sandwiches, wraps, fruit and a salad bar.

Probably, what makes the caf less-than spectacular is not the food – it’s your timing. When you decide to eat is important. While the caf has staff working to put out fresh food and pizzas, sometimes it is hard to keep ‘em coming. So if you catch the pizza at the end, don’t expect it to be a Papa Murphey’s-esque pizza. And if you wait until dinner to eat a bagel, they’re probably going to be hard.

But you can have however many meals a day you want, fresh salads, casseroles, ice cream, slushies, wraps, fruit, any soda you want, gourmet sandwiches, waffles, bagels, baked potatoes, chips, dessert, pizza, pasta and breadsticks. And breakfast? Muffins, pancakes, bacon, eggs, omelets, tortillas, potato wedges, biscuits and gravy are all yours for the taking. I’m not saying the caf is better than your mother’s cooking, but really people – there are options.

So, in short, the caf really isn’t that bad. If you don’t like something, don’t complain — I hope you don’t act that way with your mother. There are plenty of options so just pick one. Also, I’m definitely writing this article because the caf took my comment about getting mints. I am beyond happy about that. Thank you, caf.

Everyone complains about the caf – that’s a fact. But is it really that bad, or are you just comparing it to mom’s immaculate home-style cooking? If that is what your mother really makes, that is.

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