I, along with many of my friends, have had less than satisfactory trips to the university’s dining centers. You could say that they have left  little to be desired. Some choices that we always looked forward to seeing in the dining center have now vanished. Among these, the changes at the Mongolian bar have been the most disheartening. First the real chicken disappeared in favor of pre-prepared and preserved frozen fajita chicken strips. The next victim at the bar was the shrimp. The duck was next to go. The beef was traded out for another lunch meat-style meat. Quickly all the protein options went to cheap and easy to serve choices which sacrifice the integrity of the Mongolian bar. 

In general, this trend can be seen across the dining center. My friends and I are now not only not looking forward to eating there, but almost concerned with the nutritional value. A man can only eat pasta or fries so many days a week.

In a related line of thought, the phrase “freshman 15” has now come to “freshman 50.” When I first heard this from my friends I thought it was a joke until, sure enough, I heard it on the evening news. The main culprits in the news stories have been not enough exercise and college dining centers. The former playing a larger role in most renditions. The causes have been all but pinpointed on the energy dense choices provided in combination with the vast number of choices. 

Both of these have been subject to studies of Dr. Brian Wansink of Cornell University Nutritional Science and Consumer Behavior. His multiple studies into the consumer have realized many trends and have verified among many things that the intuition of the more choices there are, the more people eat is exactly true. When has “just a bite” turned into eating a couple or going back for seconds? For me and my friends this mentality is common and for all of us brave enough to admit it, one line of reason we have fallen victim to.

A proposed solution seems simple enough that it just might work to alleviate both of these current issues in food: reduce the sheer volume of choices to provide fewer but higher quality, nutritious and delicious choices. 

This seems so simple because, truly, it is. If the number of choices is decreased, the quality of the remaining choices can be increased. If the studies hold true, food consumption should go down, which will help to both fix obesity rates and drive down the cost of food. Who doesn’t agree with a cheaper meal plan? 

It ends up being ultimately decided by the people. 

Demand drives supply; my only hope is that everyone will recognize with so many choices that the little more to be desired is really in actuality: a little less to be desired.