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Cafeterias. What is there to say? Everyone just wants to do what they gotta do and then get out. For me, cafeterias have always been stressful. I hate having to fight my way around people, not knowing what I’m hungry for yet, etc. Often, I’ll just get a bag lunch or eat at the house instead of having to worry about dealing with the caf. One thing I do to ameliorate this situation is that I get the same thing (with small deviations) each lunch and dinner…for many people, this would get old, but if you know me at all, you’ll know I love routine.

Sometimes, people like to mess up my routine.

Here’s the question: HOW HARD IS IT TO WAIT IN LINE AT THE SALAD BAR?

Answer: Apparently St. Olaf students can get good GPAs, score well on standardized tests, and generally be successful members of a college society, but when it comes to grabbing some crudites, gosh darn it, they’re impossible.

Scenario: I’ve gotten my tray and my fork. I make my way over to the salad bar. Now, usually, I just get some celery, some carrots, some cucumbers, and then go to the grains condiments bar for hummus. I do not generally get leafed salad. However, I STILL WAIT IN LINE AT THE BEGINNING OF THE SALAD BAR, BECAUSE THAT IS WHAT YOU DO. I don’t care if you only want two things, YOU WAIT IN LINE. Needless to say it is VERY frustrating when I am patiently waiting, in the line, past the lettuce and past the spinach, to see some dumb student waiting absentmindedly to get in the line halfway down. How much longer does it take to be courteous and stand in line 20 seconds longer? YOU ARE NOT SPECIAL. YOU DO NOT NEED TO GET YOUR CRUDITES WITHOUT WAITING THROUGH THE REST OF THE LINE.

I don’t think this would annoy me so much except for the fact that THE EXACT SAME THING HAPPENS IN THE GRAPE LINE. Yeah, yeah, I always only want grapes, but I WAIT IN THE WHOLE LINE to get them. Past the yogurt, past the applesauce, past the pears and the peaches. The line forms to the right. Not hard. But people always INSIST upon trying to get grapes from the left. Why? Why does this happen? It’s clear that people have been waiting in line. Grapes are always the most coveted of the things in the fruit line. Again, it’s not that hard to wait a couple minutes in the line like a normal person.

Who are these people? Are they all first-years? Even if that’s the case, it’s almost the end of the semester; they should know how things work by now. Good lord.

Maybe I’ll start eating at 4.

Posted on November 29, 2011