Being that it was my first semester in Midwestern State, I chose to live in the dorms and reap the benefits of on-campus housing. One of the conditions that came with that was the requirement to purchase a meal plan. I ended up picking the 14-meals-per-week plan as I thought that it was the most convenient for me. In my first week, I have to say that I was pretty impressed with the quality and the display of the food in general.

My excitement was short-lived, however, as two weeks later the food was anything but good.

First and foremost, an all-you-can-eat buffet should be exactly that with no exceptions. There is a rule in the cafeteria that if you come in and get a to-go box, you are only entitled to one entree, forfeiting your right to get food from the other sections. That, in its is entirety unfair. Students like me who don’t like to eat in the cafeteria either because of the noise or because I have a class to catch are not taken into consideration.

I have since canceled my meal plan and choose to cook my own food instead, but that’s not possible for the incoming freshmen who are required to purchase a meal plan because they live in the dorms. They have no choice than to accept whatever Mesquite Café offers. My best friend canceled hers in the first week of her first semester at MSU and hasn’t gone back since.

There are about four food sections in the dining hall, each serving different entrees, but the quality of the food is nothing to write home about. From my experience, the rice is always undercooked and the chicken is tasteless and lacking spice. Word around campus is that they cook the food two to three days before it is needed, which, if it is true, is grossly unsanitary. I wouldn’t even doubt that too because every time I went to get food from the cafeteria, the desserts often look stale, like they had been sitting out for a few days.

Regarding the staff, I never encountered bad customer service, though there was this one cafeteria worker who lacked the much-needed skill of knowing how to interact with customers. Other than that, customer service was sub-par.

However, not everything about the cafeteria is bad. Some days—very few days I might add—they actually served food that was good. Also, the declining balance is quite useful and necessary. With the quality of food served in the cafeteria, my D.B. was used up within three weeks because I had to go elsewhere to get food that I can genuinely enjoy eating.

I’m not saying that the cafeteria should have the same quality of food as an exquisite restaurant. After all, everyone knows that most college dining halls are less than average in terms of the quality of food they serve, but we deserve a higher quality of food if most of us are required to buy a meal plan.

I ate the food in the cafeteria because I had no other choice. I lived in the dorms where cooking was not only inconvenient, but frankly impossible. Now that I live in an apartment, I do most of my cooking. Though there are days when I would like to eat out because I’m too tired or too busy to cook,  and the thought of buying food from Mesquite crosses my mind. I shake it off quickly, though, because when I remember how the food is, and how it costs almost $9 for such bad quality food, I’d rather get food from Chopsticks or Quiznos instead, the other on-campus dining alternatives.

I had a chance to visit again once or twice this semester, and nothing has changed. The food is still as bad as it was last semester. I had a friend who told me that she feels the food is better, but I stand by my conviction that it’s still the same.

I am sure I’m not the only student who feels this way. Mesquite Café definitely can do better overall. Students, faculty and staff alike should feel comfortable enough to purchase a meal from the cafeteria and enjoy it. You know the condition of your cafeteria is truly questionable when the only people who eat from there are those who have no other choice.

The contract between the school and the meal providers expires in July next year. The university can either renew its contract and have people constantly complaining about the food, or find another contractor who can provide us with better quality meals. I suggest that the school authorities do the latter. We are a relatively small school, we should be able to have a dining hall that serves good quality meals.

READ MORE: Give input on dining contract before it’s too late

READ MORE: Students give input as dining contract expires in July

READ MORE: Mesquite Cafe is not for everyone