As I walked through the doors of the new Union Drive Community Center, I was amazed. It had everything from breezy open spaces and sparkling floors to an extravagant staircase — the only thing missing was Friley’s familiar retro brown. Compared to the aged feeding trough that was the Friley Dining Center, the UDCC has the makings of a palace, or at least a mall food court.

The center also offers a number of new features, such as meal plans that allow you the freedom to eat the meals you’ve paid for when you want them, rather than the required two meals per day. In addition to this, the UDCC has also extended their dining hours for more convenience. Despite all of the new additions to ISU dining, some things never change.

For instance, the hefty $7.25 price tag that comes with a fairly average meal. This price, however, is slightly more than that which is reserved for those with dining plans. Since I no longer live in the dorms or have a dining plan, I was forced to pay the entire $7.25 in cash.

After paying so much to eat on campus, I knew my mission was clear. I was going to A) see if the new chefs at the center had been able to improve cafeteria food, and B) try as hard as possible to eat my money’s worth of food. This meant serious eating — as in take-all-you- can’t-eat-till-you-get-kicked-out eating. It was a dangerous job, but I wasn’t afraid. I was going to try something from each of the eight areas: Italian, Chinese, Subway, Mexican, salad bar, BBQ, dessert bar and Down Home Iowan Obesity-Style, which consists of things like mashed potatoes, gravy and pork-chops.

Luckily for me, I beat the mad lunchtime rush, but arriving too late may result in a long wait. Here’s a tip: If you want to get lunch without waiting in a long line, get there by 11 a.m. If you have class until noon, be prepared to enter the line at the bottom of that aforementioned extravagant staircase. Perhaps you’ll get to grab a corndog just before your next class starts at 1 p.m. — or perhaps you won’t. If you can’t get through the lines for hot food, try stealing a few apples from one of the giant cardboard boxes of fruit scattered throughout the room.

After skipping into the center without much wait at all, I began my trip to the “buffet.” I gathered up a full spectrum of food: a taco, corndog, lasagna … the only section that I was too afraid to try was the down-home farm cooking. I may like food, but I will never be ready to try dining center fish (which just happened to be the treat of the day).

Now, I’m sure that some of you are cringing since most people who eat like this end up being lifted out of their homes with cranes. But not to worry, this meal would be a taste test, not a 30-minute eating challenge, and I had to know the truth.

After trying each item and topping it off with a fortune cookie from Wok Your Way (with an ice cream sundae and cookie on the side), I had come to a few different conclusions.

First of all, you can put a piece of parsley next to a hot dog, but it’s still just a hot dog. Also, while our new chefs do look quite presentable, most of the food still tastes a lot like last year’s. I’ll give the designers a big pat on the back for how nice the center looks, but for the most part, the food is the same. You should, however, keep your eye out and try everything, because there are a few items that have improved. For example, I was quite impressed with the additions to the sandwich deli, with new sub-style breads and fixings. Other nice additions include tasty caesar salads and a sundae bar with all the toppings.

Beyond the food, I also learned that for the average eater, it would take a lot to eat as much as you buy. I may have gotten more than my money’s worth during my first trip, but it would be hard to eat that way each day. However, the convenience of choices and the option of going back several times makes it all worthwhile. Just keep stocking up on those apples — the mid-class snacking opportunities alone will make your plan worth every penny.

In the end, I guess it depends on personal choice. Although the food hasn’t changed so much, there’s a sense of style in the new center that makes eating cafeteria food a bit more classy. If you want quick, easy retro dining, stick with the older dining centers. If you’d rather eat somewhere trendier, yet chaotic, the UDCC is for you.

Either way, it’s all cafeteria food.