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Bulldog Pantry feeds local families

The women sit on the sunny porch off Shaw Avenue near campus for a few hours each Saturday, talking over coffee like friends do. Read more

My life in cookies

THE PAIN WAS EXCRUCIATING.

I writhed and squirmed, trying to ignore it, but I couldn’t stand it any longer. I needed Ora-gel. 7-Eleven was out of stock, so I had to drive the extra distance to AM/PM. I think I would have crossed several states to alleviate this agony.

At last, my nerves were subdued if only for a little while, but on that night I realized that my passion for sweets had to end. That night, I kicked Oreo cookies.

In my 26 years on this Earth, I’ve outgrown a series of cookies. Sometimes it was the occasional toothache that jarred me, but more often, it was the natural and unfortunate consequence of getting older.

I don’t remember my first cookie. I do remember Cookie Monster, that anomalous creature from Sesame Street I once admired; that big blue mass of neurotic impulse who gummed entire trays of chocolate chip morsels in a frantic flurry of crumbs and lip-smacking tremors. I see now why he doesn’t have teeth and why he might need some Ritalin. Just the same, I used to ask myself if Cookie Monster didn’t have any discretion, then why should I? Read more

Altered eating

Jim Prince, Ph.D., a professor in molecular biology on campus, discussed a full spectrum of topics regarding genetically modified food, a prominent issue in agriculture, in an Ethics Center lecture at Fresno State on Wednesday. Read more

A dollar can go a long way

Read this story’s related blog.

For the cost of a morning cup of coffee, an entire meal can be provided for a family in need.

A donation of one dollar given to the Community Food Bank of Fresno would buy eight dollars worth of food. The food bank buys and collects food and distributes it to people in need around the Valley. Purchasing food in large quantities allows them to attain the cheapest price on most food items.

From Feb. 4 through Feb. 14, the communications department will be collecting cash donations and non-perishable foods to give to the food bank. This food drive is known as “Have a Heart.” There will be various locations to donate around campus, including the Speech Arts building, the University Student Union and the McKee Fisk building. Students can drop their donations in containers at those locations or in some classrooms.

Barbara Aston is a part-time instructor in the communications department and the creator of this fundraiser. She has donated and delivered food to the food bank before. During one visit, she asked them how they were doing and they told her that they were low after helping people during the Southern California wildfires and the holidays. After hearing of their plight, Aston decided to do something about it.

“I knew that there was a need. I thought that there must be something I could do. I knew that there was nothing to lose. Anything we can get would be useful. They are grateful for anything they get,” Aston said.

After her plans were approved by the communications department, she then contacted Chris Fiorentino, the director of Civic Engagement and Service-Learning, and talked about it with him. With his help, the flyer she created for the event, was e-mailed all over campus.

“It’s Barbara’s baby. We love it. We need more people on campus to step up and take a leadership role and support these kinds of events,” Fiorentino said.

Fiorentino believes that any amount that is donated, no matter how small, would still be welcomed and would have a positive effect.

“If one can of food is donated and it is given to someone who needs it, then it is a success,” Florentino said. “Ultimately that food will make a difference in somebody’s life.”

He thinks that the donations will benefit anyone in need, not just the unemployed or the homeless.

“There are a lot of people in this community who don’t have enough money to buy food. The perception is that the people who need this food are only the homeless and people who don’t have jobs, but that couldn’t be further from the truth,” he said.

Students will also be involved with the event by helping to pick up donations as, well as encouraging students to contribute.

“I think it’s a great cause. I will definitely have a box in my classroom and encourage students to donate and do their part,” said graduate student Guy Wade.

Aston hopes that this February event will be a regular fundraiser and that it will continue to grow over time.

“The generosity of the students and the faculty will make this happen. Hopefully we’ll be shocked and we’ll get a lot of donations,” Aston said.

No signatures needed in The Pit

After waiting in the long lunch lines in The Pit, Fresno State students paying with a credit card might not think twice when the cashier sends them on their way without asking for ID or signature.

According to university officials, the security risks of this system might not be as great as some might think.

David Binkle, director of University Dining Services, said that one reason the issue of identification has not caused concern is because most students use cash or debit cards to pay for meals.

“People generally don’t use credit to buy food,” Binkle said.

Debit cards require PIN numbers, so identification is not required. The use of this payment method is becoming more popular.

“Prior to me coming here a year-and-a-half ago, we didn’t even take debit,” Binkle said.

But more and more, debit cards have become the most common form of payment. Binkle said people simply aren’t using credit cards as much anymore.

Students have their own reasons for picking a payment method.

“Cash is just more convenient,” said junior Mauricio Gomez, a construction major who finds that he gets through lines faster when he doesn’t use his card.

Another reason IDs are not required is that the price of the average transaction is minimal. Binkle said that University Dining Services doesn’t have as much liability as other establishments that either sell higher-priced merchandise or a large number of small items.

Whatever is lost at Fresno State due to a declined card or some other issue is covered by the school. However, the amount is never enough to result in a loss of profit.

Freshman Neveida Carrasco, who works as a cashier in the University Student Union food court, said that students don’t usually hang around to find out if their card has been approved.

“The machine is so slow that students don’t usually keep the receipt,” said Carrasco, a Chicano and Latin American Studies major.

A card may decline for various reasons. Usually, it is due to insufficient funds. In some cases, fraud is responsible, but according to Binkle, it is rare that a stolen card would be used to buy a meal.

Binkle thinks that most stolen cards would be used for higher-value items, such as televisions and stereos.

“Ninety-nine percent of the time, the user is carrying the card,” Binkle said. “If [fraud] were happening more frequently, we would address it.”

What concerns Binkle more than suspicious credit card activity is the use of counterfeit cash, which could circulate easily into the public. Smaller bills such as $10s or $20s are often used because they are not easily recognized and don’t raise alarm. Binkle said that these bills are getting so realistic that even counterfeit marking pens cannot distinguish the difference.

“It happens about once every two weeks, but it adds up,” Binkle said.

But when it comes to credit purchases, other students are not so lax.

Junior Martin Rodriguez, an art major, said he would want cashiers to check his ID if he were using credit.

“I would feel safer,” Rodriguez said.

Gomez said he never gave it much thought, but that he would also want his ID to be verified if he were paying with credit.

Binkle said he is aware of the identification concern.

“We’ve talked about asking for ID if the amount is a little higher,” Binkle said.

There are also other ways to pay for meals. As part of the commuter meal plan, students can purchase a certain number of meals, which are deducted from a special card.

This card may be obtained at the University Dining Hall. Students may also deduct meals from their ID card. This option is typically for students who live in the dorms.

Yes, it’s possible

Believe it or not, there are lunch choices on campus besides the usual Round Table mini-pizza or Panda Bowl. For those trying to count calories or simply watch what they eat, there are a few healthy alternatives out there.

Round Table Pizza, for example, sells lunch items from opposite sides of the caloric spectrum. One of its most popular items, the personal pepperoni pizza, has 660 calories.

A healthier, cheaper lunch option is the salad bar, where patrons can create their own salad for an even $4. White-meat chicken, tomatoes, carrots and olives are just a few of the available toppings.

Located right next to Round Table is another popular, on-campus restaurant. Although Taco Bell Express made the move from the University Student Union Pit across the way, much of its menu has remained the same.

Looking at the nutritional information available online, any of Taco Bell’s soft or crunchy tacos appear to be a better choice in terms of calories.

To offer a comparison, it would take about 24 minutes of basic aerobics to burn an original crunchy taco. Using the same scale from nutristrategy.com, it would take approximately 74 minutes to burn off a Taco Bell chicken quesadilla.

These are some of the restaurants that Yohanna Browne, a social work major, tries to avoid.

“I would try not to eat much Taco Bell and Round Table,” Browne said. “Their food just seems the fattiest.”

Though a seemingly unlikely place, some healthier food options can be found at the Planet Java, located inside the Peter’s Business Building.

Planet Java sells more than just exotic coffee for anyone wanting to beat the lunch rush. The menu sometimes varies from day to day, but some of the usual items include pasta and Caesar salads, served with or without chicken and a small selection of grab-’n-go sandwiches.

Subway, with much of its advertising and marketing aimed at health-conscious consumers, comes as a natural option for healthy eating.

Browne said that when it comes to more healthy eating, Subway came to mind first.

“I would most likely eat at Subway, because the sandwiches are low in fat, but still taste good,” she said.

At full Subway restaurants, they even have a line of ‘Jared’ subs, stemming from their famous patron-turned-spokesman Jared Fogle, who used the Subway diet. The fact is, not all of their menu items can promote such healthy eating.

The Subway six-inch Chicken & Bacon Ranch, for example, weighs in at 580 calories, with about 270 coming from fat. Using the nutristrategy.com scale, it would take approximately 82 minutes of aerobics to get burn up those calories. The Meatball Marinara sub contains 560 calories – almost as much as the Chicken & Bacon Ranch – and would take somewhere around 80 minutes to burn.

Some students, like business-major Erica Quintero, were simply unsatisfied with food selection on campus. Quintero thought that most of the fast-food choices were almost inedible.

“Don’t get me wrong; I eat this food off campus, like Taco Bell, pizza, Subway and Panda,” Quintero said. “But here it’s just plain fast food that looks thrown together. I don’t think there is anything healthy on campus.”

Though the definition of healthy may differ from one diner to the next, there are better food choices available on campus for anyone willing to look.

Campus in need of healthy food options

Here’s a joke: How do college students stay true to their diets?

Drop out.

We can’t guarantee you’ll find that funny, but one thing we know you won’t is the state of health among children and young adults across the U.S.

A press release from the National Women’s Health Resource Center reports incidences of obesity tripling among 12- to 19-year-olds.

While a good deal of responsibility does rest on the shoulders of the parents of these children, college campuses should take more initiative in providing healthy eating options for college students.

Our campus is not exempt from this recommendation. The selection of food at Fresno State is slanted heavily toward the fried, the fattening and the all-around artery-hardening.

The hungry student can pick up a fried chicken sandwich from Chick-fil-A, one of several fried meat dishes from Panda Express along with some fried noodles or a side of fried rice, a pizza from Round Table, or something from Taco Bell or The Bucket. Both seem to specialize in grease.

Even the apparently “healthy” choice of a sandwich from Subway can quickly become just the opposite, if you want cheese, mayonnaise or any of the other calorie-laden sandwich sauces.

A quick look at the comments on The Collegian Online’s Web-Spe@k topic “How do you like campus food?” reveals a trend: students desire a broader range of vegetarian eating options

No, salads aren’t cutting it for us.

The Farm Market, located far from the center of campus, sells much of the produce the campus farms put out. As one potential fix, the university should give students greater access to this and other fresh food.

Also not funny, but it’s a reason to stay in school.

Food for fans

Hot dogs and baseball are synonymous, but Fresno State sporting events have a wide variety of options for cheering fans.

Food and drinks for both Bulldog Stadium and the Save Mart Center are provided by Ovations Food Services, and Fresno State has a contract with Ovations through 2008.

Ovations also has a full management agreement with the Fresno Grizzlies through 2016.

For those with a sweet tooth, sweets such as gummy bears and jellybeans can be found at the Sweet Spot in the Save Mart Center.

There are also cookies, Fresno State ice cream and pucker sticks, which are ultimately colored sugar.

The Cone Zone also offers sweet treats, specifically ice cream.

They have various flavors served on regular or waffle cones. Root beer floats can also be purchased there, as well as regular drinks and candy.

The Fan Fare offers hotdogs and Kosher dogs are also available for a little bit more money.

A regular hot dog is about $4 and a Kosher dog is $5.

Wine can be purchased at the Save Mart Center, too. It is one of the few places that offers wine. If this is your fancy though, be prepared to pay $7 for a cup.

For the kids, a special kids meal is offered for $4.

“The kids meal comes with a hot dog, chips and a small soda,” concession stand worker Arvelia Cooper said.

For nacho lovers, there are chili or cheese nachos and for a little bit more, there is the nacho grande, which comes topped with chili and cheese.

Me-N-Ed’s Pizza is right next door offering pepperoni and cheese pizza slices for $5.

“The prices are high but you can’t come to a game and not buy something,” basketball fan Wilbur Green said.

Fans who take advantage of the food offered at the Save Mart Center and Bulldog Stadium can find themselves leaving the game with an empty wallet.

“The prices for some food [items] are high,” basketball fan Andrew Perez said. “They can set the prices as high as they want because they know people will still buy the food.”

Tailgaters are allowed to consume alcohol and cook during tailgating.

Popular tailgating items include hotdogs, hamburgers, chips, sandwiches, soda and beer.

Tailgating also offers the advantage of allowing fans to consume alcohol before watching a game at alcohol-free Bulldog Stadium.

However, it does not come without rules.

Things such as tailgating may not begin until the area is controlled by athletics and is not allowed to take place while the game is being played are just a couple of rules.

Fans are also only allowed to consume alcohol within the specified area.

The alcohol ban at Bulldog Stadium was put into effect in 2006.

Charles B. Reed, chancellor of the California State University system, issued an executive order on Dec. 23, 2005 that prohibited the sale of alcoholic beverages at athletic events held in university-owned and operated facilities in the 23-campus system.

And although Fresno State could have waited to implement the ban until their alcohol concession contracts expired at the end of the 2007-2008 school year, school officials decided to end alcohol sales two years early.

The Save Mart Center, unlike Bulldog Stadium, does sell alcohol during events.

“Alcohol is sold at all Save Mart Center events, that I am aware of,” concession stand worker Melinda Motaleo said.

The reason the Save Mart Center still serves alcohol is because the ban was on university-owned venues and the Save Mart Center is owned by an auxiliary group.

For people who attend Save Mart Center events and want to purchase alcohol, they can head over to one of the bottled beer concession stands.

They also offer other alcoholic items such as Smirnoff and Mike’s Hard Lemonade.

To save their money, it is not uncommon to see fans packing the fields around Bulldog Stadium before the game.

Save Mart Center offers alcohol and food items at many events including volleyball, basketball, hockey and indoor track, as well as concerts.

Hungry fans should take advantage of these choices as the basketball season begins.

Tired of the same old food?

If four-wheel-drive comes to mind when someone says “four by four”, if you would agree that “PB&J” is short for a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and if “Now and Laters” are only a candy, you’ve missed out on a big secret –– the menu, that is. Big chains are offering more options than ever –– too many to list. So they don’t. But it doesn’t mean that you can’t have it. Read the following and never be stuck to the confines of value meal numbers again.

Jamba Juice

A Peanut Butter and Jelly smoothie? It’s just one of may flavors that for one reason or another, wouldn’t fit in with the “healthy” image of Jamba Juice. Other off-the-menu drinks include:

White Gummy Bear, Red Gummy Bear, Green Gummy Bear, Raspberry Dreamin’, Pineapple Dreamin’, Sourpatch Kid, Tropical Tango, Pacific Passion, Berry Depressing, Now and Later, Apple Pie, Fruity Pebbles, Rainbow Sherbet, Strawberry Shortcake, Push Pop, Skittles, Andres’ Surprise and Lemonade Lightnin’.

Though some drinks may be available at some places but not others, depending on ingredients available, www.consumerist.com compiled the above list of drinks customers have said are available by request.

In-N-Out

Probably the most well-known for having a secret menu, In-N-Out even has their menu listed on their website.

“Ok, you’ve heard the rumors, wondered what was on it, maybe even felt a little left out of the loop. But in reality we don’t have any secrets at all,” the Web site said. “So here are some of our most popular items on our not-so-secret menu.”

Their “secrets” are a small and simple list: grilled cheese (no meat), protein style (no bun), animal style (mustard cooked beef patty, grilled onions and extra spread), double meat, or 3×3 (three patties) and 4×4 (four patties.)

Simple secrets from a company that has a simple menu displayed.

Subway

A restaurant with the slogan “Eat Fresh” and a reputation for being a healthier place to get food on the go, one of their biggest secrets is that they offer basically the same calorie and carb-loaded pizza found at any parlor.

The name of the sandwich that defeats the purpose of a healthy lunch, but is bound to taste at least a little appealing? The “Pizza Sub,” with pepperoni, cheese, sauce and more of the ingredients that make the sandwich much like a calzone.

But that’s where the secrets end, other than possibly finding a way to get dessert for free.

According to a customer from www.consumerist.com, ask for broken cookies, and you may just get them for free –– they did.

Starbucks

The secret to Starbucks is that a drink can be modified in any way that a customer wants ––if they know what they want and how to order it.

Being knowledgeable about the amount of shots and pumps of syrup that come in each size of drink, as well as the types of syrup available, makes customizing easy.

Since it’s the season for hot drinks, a tall drink gets a shot of espresso, a grande and a venti get two. For an extra jolt of caffeine, try a double tall or a triple grande.

For something extra sweet, add more syrup. Want an extra sweet tall vanilla latte? Know that a tall gets three pumps, a grande gets four, and a venti gets five. Try a few more pumps. (There is no charge for extra pumps.)

The possibilities are pretty much endless.

Eating Out Around Campus

AS A DEVOTED taco shop hopper, I’ve learned a thing or two about what to look for. The No. 1 rule: the appearance of a taco shop has an inverse correlation with the taste of the food.

In other words, the most authentic tasting tacos will come out of a ghetto-looking taco truck with a misspelled menu written in Sharpie, served on a paper plate soaked through with grease.

Taquería Jalisco on the southeast corner of Shaw and Cedar Avenues isn’t that ghetto, but the myriad of Mexican and seafood dishes are all very authentic-tasting and filling.

A $4.95 order of Bulldog nachos for lunch kept me feeling full until the next morning.

I couldn’t believe I got a styrofoam to-go box holding a two-pound heaping mound of tortilla chips, meat, beans, cheese, guacamole, sour cream and salsa for less than $5.

Taquería Jalisco’s menu is basic but lengthy. The typical taquería meats — carne asada, chicken, carnitas, lengua and more — are available in a variety of Mexican dishes, including tacos, burritos, sopes, tostadas, tortas and quesadillas.

Combination plates with your choice of items plus beans, rice and salad are available for less than $8. Seafood dishes are more expensive, but each is less than $9.

Beverages include fountain drinks, imported Jarritos sodas, Gatorade and “authentic” jamaica and horchata. (I can’t call them truly authentic because they are made from a mix and poured from bubblers. Real aguas frescas are made fresh inside a large clear bucket with ice and served with a ladle.)

On a separate visit I ordered a combination plate with a chicken taco, carne asada taco, beans, rice and a salad.

I gave the jamaica a chance — it failed me. The sweet taste of hibiscus was overpowering and didn’t go down smoothly as real jamaica would have.

The tacos, which consisted of chunks of meat, white onions, chopped cilantro and hot salsa wrapped in two white corn tortillas, held the perfect combination of flavors. No ingredient was too overpowering.

No. 2 rule: real tacos are wrapped in two tortillas. Not Double Decker Taco style like at Taco Bell — but two soft white corn tortillas.

The idea is one tortilla would break because it is so overwhelmed with food and grease, so the second tortilla acts as a backup.

The rice is well seasoned and fluffy, while the refried beans taste homemade, which brings me to rule No. 3: the taste of a restaurant’s beans and rice, (the staples of Mexican cuisine) determine the quality of the rest of the food.

If the restaurant can’t get these right, it fails. Taquería Jalisco gets it right.

The salad turned out to be a few pieces of iceberg lettuce, one strand of a carrot and two pieces of purple onion all swimming in a puddle of ranch dressing. So much for the healthy part of the meal.

It’s wise to order your food by phone and take it to go. The chairs aren’t very comfortable and all dishes are served with a flimsy plastic fork.

The inside of the restaurant is not much to look at. The décor is a strange mix of posters of Diego Rivera paintings and U.S. Air Force advertisements.

But as I explained in the No. 1 rule of taco shops, you don’t go to one for its looks — you go for the delicious, greasy food.

What: Taquería Jalisco

Where: 4978 N. Cedar Ave. at Shaw Ave.

Open: Mon-Sat 8 a.m. to 9 p.m., Sun 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Phone: (559) 222-0600

Thirsty? Try H2O

It’s not unusual to see the morning rush with cars flooding in and out of the Starbucks drive thru line.

Then at midday, passersby gulp down 24 ounce sodas and stand in line to order an energy boosting drink from Juice It Up! Odds are you do this yourself.

With all the beverages being consumed, both instead of and in addition to meals, it’s a wonder the popular phrase “you are what you eat” hasn’t been morphed into “you are what you drink.”

“My boyfriend works at Starbucks and drinks coffee constantly and I’m always telling him he needs to stop because he may develop health problems later on,” freshman Mai Vue said.

It is a scary thought that as more and more Starbucks and7-Elevens, open the higher America’s obesity rate climbs and the more cases of heart related illnesses there are.

According to Yahoo! Health, that Venti Mocha Frappuccino often seen being guzzled down in place of breakfast food is costing you 380, mostly empty, calories.

That 20 ounce bottle of Pepsi with lunch adds an extra 250 calories.

Maybe this is a hint that it’s time to search for healthier options.

Juice It Up! employee Ray Pat said, “Juice It Up! is healthier than competitors like Jamba Juice because we use fresh fruit, rather than frozen, and nonfat yogurt in our drinks, which really can substitute as a lunch because the drinks are filling and much better for you than the fast food alternative.”

In fact, the average beverage at Juice It Up! has 280 calories, while Jamba Juice comparatively contains an average of 450 calories in an original-sized drink.

Aside from the juice option on campus, there are several other healthy and less expensive choices.

“I drink both hot and cold green tea,” said Haiwen He, a Chinese foreign exchange student. “It’s much healthier than other options, and I have been drinking tea my whole life.”

This is very cost effective because a 20 ounce Arizona Tea costs 99 cents, as opposed to a $3 smoothie at Juice It Up! or a $4 coffee beverage at Starbucks.

Of course if you’re trying to save cash, there is always the classic tap water option.

“I normally drink water, especially at restaurants that charge for refills on soft drinks,” Freshman Kinesiology major Garrett Workman said. “It’s not because water tastes better or because it has no calories, but because it’s the right price.”

So whether you’re concerned with your health or diet, or just simply your wallet, be sure to take note of your drinking habits, alongside your eating ones.

Hidden calories in some of your favorite drinks: The loaded truth

Whether trying a low-fat diet or simply being more health conscious, these three popular drinks can sabotage a diet.
• Starbucks Venti (20 0z.) Vanilla Latte: 250 calories, 60 of which are from fat.
• Big Gulp: 44 oz. of that sugar-filled Pepsi or other soft drink will cost you up to 600 calories and 40 teaspoons of sugar.
• 16 oz. Jumpin’ Java from Juice It Up!: 380 calories and 5 grams of fat.

Fajita Fiesta Mexican Restaurant

With an assortment of fajita dishes to choose from and a festive atmosphere, Fajita Fiesta Mexican Restaurant lives up to its name.

The spacious restaurant, on the southwest side of Shaw Avenue, near Cedar Avenue, features an extensive menu of traditional Mexican dishes, from chicken, beef, shrimp and pork fajitas to 10 choices of enchiladas. Entrée prices range from $9.95 to $15.95, and most dishes are served with rice and beans and a choice of soup or salad.

On a recent Thursday night, my family and I dined at the restaurant. As we walked to our table we passed the bar, a few steps up from the dining level, where patrons enjoyed the full bar service while watching a football game on a flat screen television.

After being seated by a friendly hostess, we were immediately served a warm basket of chips with salsa.

The brightly colored terra cotta walls, the three-tiered fountain and the faux palm trees created the impression of dining in a courtyard.

While waiting for the salads and albondigas soup, we listened to the Mexican music playing in the background.

As first time visitors to the restaurant, we decided to order three different dishes. The “choosy” family member tried the house specialty, tacos al carbon, fajita style pork, chicken, beef or shrimp rolled up in a handmade tortilla. Forgoing the usual beef or chicken, he ordered the shrimp version which he described as “good but nothing special.”

Another family member liked the enchiladas de queso, three cheese enchiladas topped with a red meat sauce. I sampled the chicken fajitas al carbon, a combination of grilled chicken, green bell peppers, onions and tomatoes served with handmade tortillas.

Although my fajitas displayed a noticeable lack of sizzle when they arrived and the plates were not warm, the food was good and our server was attentive.

While the menu may be a bit pricey for the college student budget, Fajita Fiesta is a good choice for a special occasion or for entertaining a large group. From our table, we could see a large semi-private dining area.

The restaurant, one of three locations in Fresno, is open for dining from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., and has take-out and catering services.

If you want to create your own fiesta or just enjoy singing for your friends, you might want to visit on a Tuesday or Friday evening for karaoke night.

VIDEO: Nov. 19, 2007: Tips for staying healthy

Mollie Smith, Dietetic Internship Director for the Department of Food Science and Nutrition, has some tips to help students eat better and stay healthier.

Video by Kylee Jepsen and Heather Billings

Read more

University Courtyard — the campus buffet

There’s a new item on the University Courtyard Dining Hall lunch menu this semester, bringing with it a taste of Japan and approval from some campus diners.

Each Monday through Friday, a chef from Bentley’s Fresh Market on Fort Washington Road in Fresno arrives at the dining hall to prepare fresh sushi for the customers.

David Binkle, director of Dining Services, said hiring the sushi chef is part of his goal to provide freshly prepared food.

“We’re able to do more presentation,” Binkle said. “More cooking in front of the customer as opposed to all the food being prepared in the back and then being brought out as the day goes along.”

Binkle meets with the Residence Hall Association and other student groups on campus on a regular basis. When students asked for more variety and healthy food options, Binkle said he expanded the salad bar and introduced daily feature specials.

Jessica Maddox, a 21-year old pre-physical therapy major, eats at the dining hall about once a day, usually for dinner. She’s tried the sushi, describing it as “pretty good.”

“I know a lot of people really like it so that’s one good addition,” Maddox said.

Although the main dishes don’t always meet with her approval, Maddox said the salad bar and sandwich bar are “usually good.”

“It’s hard to know if you’re going to get a good meal or not,” Maddox said. “When they have a barbecue, it’s a good variety and it’s good.”

Freshman Danielle Escover eats at the dining hall about 10 times a week. She likes the sushi, salad and deli sandwiches.

“There are a lot of side foods and, personally, I like a lot of vegetables,” Escover said. “There aren’t a lot of veggies there unless you have a fresh salad. The greenery in the salads is always pretty fresh.”

The dining hall, which is also open to the public, serves breakfast, lunch and dinner daily and brunch on Saturday and Sunday. The prices range from $5.10 for breakfast to $7.95 for dinner. During the “Five Buck Friday” weekly special, all meals are $5.

The menu features food stations, including The Back Line, or main entrees, Daily Features, The Grill, The Deli Bar, Soup Stop, Salad Bar, Potato and Pasta Bar, and Dessert Bar.

Brent Hansen, marketing coordinator for the California State University, Fresno Auxiliary Corporation, said The Grill station provides students with more options for made-to-order food, including hamburgers, veggie burgers and grilled chicken.

“We have a chef on site that will cook for students right in front of them,” Hansen said. “Students can ask for specially prepared foods, whatever the theme meal of the day might be.”

Hansen said the dining hall holds spirit nights on football game days, theme nights and outdoor barbecues.

“There’s sometimes the monotony of eating at the same establishment day in and day out,” Hansen said. “That’s why we’re trying to come up with some new ideas and some new dining options to give our students while eating in the same facility.”

For those students who want a quick sandwich or snack for studying, the Courtyard Express is open daily from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. The restaurant, which opened in the spring of 2007 on the Atrium patio, is based on what Hansen calls the “grab and go” concept.

“It provides students with a late-night snack option and it’s in a safe and secure location,” Hansen said. “It is within the Atrium, and the only way you’re allowed to get into the Atrium past 5 p.m. is to have your residence keycard.”

But with the customer base so diverse, providing food options to please everyone is a challenge, Binkle said.

“My goal is to always get better at it,” Binkle said. “I know we have a long way to go and I’ll be the first to admit that. I think we have come a long way from where we were a year or two years ago.”

Yet, the changes in the University Courtyard Dining Hall aren’t happening fast enough for some students.

After Fresno Bee food columnist Joan Obra wrote an article about Binkle’s improvements, fourth-year student Lauren McQuone said in a letter to the editor that the menu was upgraded for Obra’s planned visit.

“That particular day, when you enjoyed the fresher and healthier entrees of University Dining Services,” McQuone said in the letter, “the students who dine there on a daily basis were delighted though puzzled by the unexplained improvement in the menu.”

McQuone said she might discontinue her meal plan if the dining hall menu doesn’t improve.

“This talk of plans of new, healthier, organic, eco-whatever food options is lovely, but students paying now should benefit now,” McQuone said in the letter.

Obra, who received more than one letter, said students might have misunderstood the purpose of the article — to highlight a local example of the national trend to improve menus at college and university dining facilities.

“The story was pointing out this is a work in progress,” Obra said in a phone interview with The Collegian. “These are things that they’re trying to do and they’re instituting. This is something that’s being done at other universities across the nation, but at no point was it ever intended to be a review or an investigative piece.”

Obra said she toured the kitchens as part of her visit to the dining hall.

“I was with David, but that’s because I had set up an interview with him,” Obra said. “We were doing this specific news story to look at the changes that he’s trying to implement.”

Obra said the letters from students are useful.

“What Lauren says in her letter actually makes a good point,” Obra said. “If you’re going to be paying now, you should benefit now, and certainly I think that’s one of the things David Binkle is trying to do with some of these changes.”

A bad vegetarian

I ORDERED THE NO. 3 platter at The Old Spaghetti Factory last Friday and the waitress responded with a wry smile, “The meat lover’s platter, sure.” What did she say? A meat lover? Me? It felt dirty, especially since my girlfriend was sitting right next to me.

“Sorry babe, there’s another love in my life and everybody knows it, even this waitress. I wish you didn’t have to find out this way.”

It also felt wrong since for the past couple months, I have been an amateur vegetarian. But, like any passionate lover, meat has come crawling back into my life and it wants to stay.

I wasn’t always such a bad vegetarian. I recall one hungry night back in September when I drove to several fast-food restaurants looking for a decent non-meat meal. There wasn’t one to be had. A bowl of rice with vegetables at Panda Express cost almost $5. The salads at Wendy’s were pricey and most of them had meat.

The only cheap item that could qualify as a meal at Taco Bell was the bean burrito, and although these 90-cent treats would later become my boon companions, I wasn’t ready at the time for mouthfuls of flavorless beans.

I got some nachos and cinnamon twists from T-Bell. “This will be OK,” I told myself. “At least I’ll save some money.” And I certainly saved money. My wallet grew fat with small bills and I found myself wishing I had given up fast food sooner.

If I could take back all the money I’ve spent on burgers and tacos over the past four years, I would do it in a cholesterol-laden heartbeat.

But besides having limited options at my favorite fast-food stops, I was also troubled by the warning voice of my nutritionist, a.k.a. my mom.

“How will you get protein? You better be taking vitamins.”

Vitamins? Great. I wanted to be a vegetarian partly for health reasons and now I found it could be unhealthy in its own way.

So I went to Food-4-Less and got some generic multi-vitamins, a dozen eggs, and peanut butter. I fought the good fight against protein deprivation one peanut butter sandwich and hard-boiled egg at a time, and by God I won it.

The only price: an addiction to peanut butter (because it’s just so darn easy).

I felt healthier, too. I spend most of my days reading, writing, and teaching, so I don’t have much time or energy to exercise. Being a vegetarian gave me control over my weight without having to spend extra time at the gym.

Things were going so well; how did meat come back into the picture?

There was really just a problem with the way I started this whole experiment out.

To start, I came into it with cheap motivations. I had problems with the fast-food industry and the ethics of meat production, but those were just vague, impersonal ideas, and I think the only thing that’s really kept me going has been the commitment to my own health.

I also had a very casual attitude about the whole thing. G.K. Chesterton said, “Anything worth doing is worth doing badly.” This was my mantra. I knew giving up meat would be tough so I wasn’t too hard on myself when the occasional burger craving overpowered me.

And from there it was a slippery slope. Some pepperoni on a pizza became a cheeseburger, and that soon became a meat lover’s platter with spaghetti in meat sauce, meatballs, and Italian sausage.

So has it all been a waste? No, certainly not.

I’ve learned a lot about my own health, the environment, money management, and cooking, and though I may not be a vegetarian in the full sense of the word just yet, the effort has helped me become a more responsible adult.

I hope to wean myself off meat completely by the end of the year.

But not on Thanksgiving.

I’ve gotta have my turkey.

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