I visited the Tim Hortons at UPEI a few weeks ago, and practically wept. As I was waiting in line, a loud raspy voice shattered the morning calm: “If you’re here for eggs you’re out of luck the truck didn’t arrive. You’ll have to move over to the next line.”
Ah, memories. It’s that special customer service touch I’ve had so often on the island— I call it “the inmate experience”. In fact, I narrowly avoided getting the strap from the principal a few years ago when I expressed loudly and clearly that perhaps the UPEI Chartwells at the time needed a bit of a wakeup call. So they replaced Chartwells with Tim Horton’s. Go figure.
It is an abject failure on the part of UPEI to not offer students and staff healthy, creative, and varied food choices. Though many studies have definitively proven the necessity of good diet to a healthy and mentally acute lifestyle, there is a dearth of good food on campus. Those in charge of decisions regarding food services have also made no effort to reflect and serve the wonderful burgeoning diversity in the student population.
It’s time to make some serious changes in the food philosophy at UPEI. Give it a flip or two in a fire-hot wok, add some cumin coriander turmeric, and a little imagination. It’ll taste so much better than white bread and grease. Honest.
Colm Magner
UPEI teacher
Victoria, P.E.I.
