Some people lie awake at night craving a comfortable acceptance in this harsh world. There are those who desire love, others, who lose sleep from the emptiness of a hollowed hole in the soul.
I have felt that same tinge of emptiness in my soul, not for any individual or intangible motivation. Rather, I, with midnight bloodshot eyes, desperately long for the cafeteria’s burrito bowl day.
One never knows when the burrito bowl line is coming. It’s as spontaneous as a chilled breeze in late August. The only way I am made aware of the event is when the morning’s first wisp of wind grazes my ear and gently whispers, “It’s burrito bowl day.”
For those of you who are inexcusably illiterate in that of the dining hall build-your-own-ethereal-burrito, I will briefly explain.
Soft tortilla shells are in abundance (low-carb shells would be fantastic, but I won’t get picky), as if picked out by God Himself; each disk is delicately soft.
I will now explain the toppings section but will only focus on what I put on my burrito because, frankly, I couldn’t care less about what anyone else does. I proceed to layer on (strictly in this order) cilantro lime rice, grilled chicken, and guacamole. I’d like to say that I have exceeded all human limits of intellect by picking the tomatoes out of the sub line’s pico de gallo and sprinkling them across my burrito.
It is finished.
Not only is my burrito moderately healthy and satisfying for my soft palate, but I genuinely believe that it is something most people like.
So, I ask you oh, great, wonderful, powerful dining hall (please notice how I said dining hall rather than cafeteria), to bear with me as I, with humility, give you a suggestion. I am the wide-eyed child looking up at the dining hall and lightly tugging on its pants fabric and yelling, “Excuse me!”
Hear me out. Replace the pasta bar with the burrito line. This is a monumental ask, I understand, but I feel as though people would be more apt to make their own burrito rather than eat pasta. If there are individuals who consistently eat pasta every weekday (with it being included on weekends), that’s weird and lacking any kind of nutritional value.
With the burrito line for a daily dinner option, it is more catered to those with dietary restrictions or who are vegetarian/vegan because of the various ways they can eat the ingredients. It is also a sustainable, healthy option so that students get their balanced fill of carbohydrates, proteins, veggies, etc.
The dining hall also has many of these ingredients in stock, so maintaining the burrito bowl line is free of hassle. Soft tortilla shells are reliable and can be kept upwards of a week, chicken is served every day, it seems, so just transfer a pan over to the deceased pasta line. Rice can just camp out in an instant pot, and the guacamole and pico de gallo last a good while.
Please listen to me, I am practically begging. Although as of last semester, I pledged my allegiance to the bistro with the veggie hummus pizza. I can be swayed with the burrito bowl line, or at least, have the comfort of routine in the same exact meals each day.
Being one with so many failed relationships, I need something I can count on. Respectfully, I will cry if I have to.
All of this to say, once my pining for edible euphoria exhausts me to sleep at night, I only have one dream caressing my mind during the only hours of peace.
My dream is for a daily burrito bowl line to become a reality.
