“Hello, how do I order a marketplace pizza made to order as vegan? Do I ask for no cheese, or is there vegan cheese?”
We do carry vegan mozzarella for vegan pizza requests. Please be aware that special order pizzas take up to 15-20 minutes to produce.
“Can the pasta bar mushrooms be cut into bigger pieces? lol they are so cut into pieces so small that I can barely taste them!”
The mushrooms are cut into small pieces for portion control. Employees use a certain size spoon, which does not work for large-cut items.
“I would love for there to be a "tres leches" cake option.”
We are currently looking at and trying out recipes. Tres leches cake will soon make an appearance.
“I'm disappointed that the price of berry bowl products went up, even if some of them are now slightly bigger portions. Can we please make the weekend brunch smoothies available in the mornings during the week too (and have the option to get them without added sugar)? I wish there were affordable options for healthy smoothies on campus”
So sorry about the berry bowl price increase. Minimum wage is increasing in California, this means many small-owned businesses have to pass on that increase to the customer. Still, our department has absorbed the bulk of that price increase to make the bowl still a little more affordable than it otherwise would be. As for the weekend brunch smoothies, the Marketplace does not have the space nor labor to support having them during the weekdays. The Cooler does have an all-natural smoothie you can get anytime of the day. The brand is Island Oasis. Here is the website address so you can have access to the ingredients and nutritional information. https://www.kerryfoodservice.com/products/island-oasis-wild-berry-frozen-beverage-mix-20056
“Would it be possible to get more vegan meal options that don't include soy/tofu? Soy can be good in small quantities but there are numerous studies that show how consuming too much soy may harm brain function, reproductive function, and cardiovascular function. More vegan meals with grains, beans, and lentils would be healthier, more sustainable, and more economical protein options than tofu:)”
We tend to receive this suggestion frequently and a reverse suggestion asking for more soy/tofu products. We like to rotate between soy based and plant based options so that we can tend to everyone’s preferences. For the week of 10/6 alone at Homestyle we offered the following; Grilled Cauliflower Steak, Mirepoix Beluga Lentils, Scrambled Egg w/ Cactus, Roasted Eggplant Pomodoro and Confit Portobello Steaks.
“purple sweet chili Doritos please!”
Sorry but these are not available through our suppliers.
[Tiger Cooler] “More grapes!”
Grapes are in rotation with strawberries. As soon as strawberries are no longer in season, you will see them at the Cooler.
“I miss the old pumpkin muffins without seeds”
The muffin ingredients are the same. The pumpkins seeds are only on top; not baked inside.
“Hello! I would LOVE it if y'all could serve whatever the vegan option was at perspective student weekend back in spring 2018. I'm not exactly sure what it was, I just know that it involved rolls or eggplant and marinara sauce and it was DELICIOUS! It's definitely one of the reasons I chose to come to Oxy and I'm super disappointed that we haven't had it since then. Thank you!!”
It was Soy Cheese Eggplant Roulade. You will see it on Friday 10/25 for lunch!
“Can we get some spinach at the salad bar sometimes”
Unfortunately, spinach is too expensive to have at the salad bar, without raising the overall price. At the salad bar we can’t control portions. Look for spinach at our specialty salad station more often in the future.
“Can you make the stir fry shrimp and fried rice a regular please? Good job, Thomas!”
We are glad you enjoyed this meal. We have passed the message along to the kitchen.
“Dear Campus Dining, I believe not many people are aware of this so I wanted to bring it to attention. As an Asian American, I grew up eating rice or noodles in every meal (except breakfast) and though not every Asian American eats like this, I know many of my Asian American friends also ate rice or noodles in every meal, as well as many international students from Asia. I know this may be difficult to understand, but it is very difficult for us to adjust to not being able to eat rice or noodles every meal. We don't mean to be ungrateful when we say that we don't like the food on campus, we simply just cannot eat like that.... I know it's difficult to understand unless it happens to you, but I hope that with the information I have given, you can kind of see that the food on campus isn't tailored to be enjoyable or even edible to me and the many Asian/Asian American students who feel the same way as I do. Therefore, could you please take all this into consideration at least to some extent and maybe have more Asian-style meals that aren't salads or cold? Maybe have the Cooler rice all-day? The hot menu items at the Cooler are all completely Westernized and there isn't even a single Asian-style option, which I would like to see change because Asian students make up a pretty fair percentage of the population and we need to eat too. Or in the Marketplace have more Asian soups, more ramen, pho, and udon bars (maybe biweekly instead of just once every other month), have stir-fry on Fridays, or have more Asian-style options at homestyle more often than just once or twice a week? If you were to implement just one of those, I'd feel a lot better physically and more included and represented. Thank you”
Thank you so much for reaching out. We have shortened your message because of length, and because it contained some personal information, but we recognize how much effort you put into it, as well as the good intentions. We have taken your suggestions to heart, and we hope you have seen a modest increase in Asian style options in the Marketplace since we received your message. Although you are clearly aware of all the times we offer rice, we’d like everyone to know that in addition to the weekly changing menu, rice is regularly available MWF lunch through dinner, Tuesdays and Thursdays at lunch, and Saturdays and Sundays for brunch.
Unfortunately, the Cooler does not have the staffing, space or equipment to offer rice all day, or the flexibility to change its menu easily. The facility does not have a kitchen in the back, which limits the types of items that can be produced. We do offer Curry w/ Shrimp and Yakisoba that is eaten warm and our Soba Noodles options can be eaten warm or cold. We welcome suggestions for Asian style options that can be cooked in the pizza oven, or on a char-broiler or flat-top griddle that may be limited to late Fridays and Saturdays when the pizza station would otherwise be closed and the grill moves to its reduced menu.
In terms of your individual circumstances – we believe you might benefit by arranging to meet with Associate Director Robert Starec: coolerrs@oxy.edu. Robert can assess your individual dietary needs and make suggestions to our team for items we might be able to offer regularly for you and other students. For instance, we may be able to stock frozen items that can be microwaved. Again, suggestions are welcome!
Vending - “you should def put microwave popcorn in the snack room vending machine!”
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Vending - “I really love when there’s instant ramen and bean and cheese burritos in the lib! Thanks for all the hard work y’all do to keep oxy students fed!”
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Vending - “I really love when there’s instant ramen and bean and cheese burritos in the lib! Thanks for all the hard work y’all do to keep oxy students fed!”
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Vending – “Would be nice to have utensils available? Was hanging out in there and two separate people came in looking for a spoon. One considered buying a yogurt from the vending machine just to get the spork that comes with it”
All these vending suggestions have been forwarded to our vending company.