Hello UMBC!  Sorry it has been a while since I’v gotten the time to write anything other than papers for classes.  But during that time of stress and frustration I found a new UMBC website that recently launched.  www.umbceats.com is UMBC’s new food blogging website.  I sent an E-mail to  Ricky Howard, one of the food bloggers, asking what’s the deal with this cool new website and how he got involved.  This is what Ricky had to say:

UMBCeats is a new blog about food at UMBC and within the area of UMBC
(i.e. restaurants). However, food subjects are not limited to
restaurants and the UMBC smart market. Blogs can be written about other
food topics, like home cooked meals that we or other people we know
cook, and the recipes that are used.
I got involved with UMBCeats because I was asked if I wanted to get
involved by Ms. B. Rose Huber, who heard about me through my
involvement with UMBC CollegeBe, the new social communication network
website exclusive to UMBC. Plus, I love food, I have experience with
eating at different venues and am always interested in hearing about
other people’s receipes, opinions and experiences with food. Not to
mention, I always enjoy socializing with others and giving my input in
discussions, including those that revolve around one’s favorite food.
So you can correctly assume that I was truly honored when offered the
opportunity to get involved with UMBCeats.
I hope to see this site become another area in which everyone,
bloggers and readers, will have the opportunity to give their input
about various food topics. In addition, I would like to see this site
eventually expand from being a site exclusive to UMBC to a site that
anyone from Baltimore (and perhaps outside of Baltimore) can
participate in. I know that that kind of expansion will take time, but
I have lots of faith!

Like Ricky said, he found out about this website by being apart of be.umbc.edu.  Another website that UMBC has been pushing students to join.  Having scrolled around this website, I think that UMBC students should join because not only is it a way to communicate, but you can also become apart of a project like UMBCeats.

Chris sends in an article on a subject which isn’t quite dead enough yet.

Hi, my name is Christopher Marchsteiner.  I’m writing an article about on-campus dining for a newswriting class UMBC offers and probable publishing in the Retriever.  I wanted to ask you a few questions about Chartwells.  An interview isn’t necessary, but if you could respond to a few questions I have it would be greatly appreciated.

• What are the main complaints students have?
• Does SGA or Chartwells address these issues?
• Do you see the change from Sodexho as positive? Why or why not?

Thanks, Chris Marchsteiner

It’s been a year since Chartwells became the food service provider for all of UMBC, and the changes to the overall dining experience have continued to roll in.  The ‘D-hall’ has become ‘True Grits’ (does anybody actually say this?), the interior spaces have been completely re-done, and the floor space opened up. On the other hand, the lines seem to be suffering from the same cramped orientations as the previous layouts, trays have been done away with entirely, and the price point hasn’t seen much action at all ($10.50 for a dinner meal?). New flexible meal plans have been introduced that allow students to break free of the meal period schedule, but the ’standard’ plans are still locked in this way.

I’ll admit, I’m a little out of touch with this subject myself because I’m making an effort at learning how to cook so that I can survive in the Real World™. But I have seen some changes, some for the better, some for the worse. What I want to know, UU, is what you think of Chartwells after a year? Have your previous concerns been addressed by these changes, or do you feel passed over?

Just in case you were thinking, “Hey, I wonder if they’ve even started building that Chick-fil-A in the UC yet.” Well, yes; they have. Here’s a photo taken on January 8th courtesy of one Radek Matweecha.

I, for one, cannot wait. And it’s so close to the gym I can cancel the both of them out and be absolutely nonproductive! I’ll try and find out if it will be fully opened before the end of winter break and I’ll keep you posted.

So I came across this article on Zwybak, the SGA’s informal blog. I spoke with SteelWolf, the author of the article and obtained permission to post the article here on UU to get more feedback from the UMBC community.

**BEGIN ARTICLE**

Every UMBC student with a meal plan has encountered “meal zoning.” That’s the little system that prevents you from using your meal at lunchtime if you had breakfast too late. Why does this policy exist? Is there any real reason for it? Why, if a student buys, say, a ten-meal plan, can’t they choose when to use them?

The answer to this question is clouded by myths, two of which I would like to address here.

Myth #1: Meal plans are priced assuming that students will not use all of their purchased meals, and the meal zones are designed to facilitate missed meals.

Fact: This is not the case. Meal plans are priced according to how many meals could potentially be used. When you buy a ten meal plan, you are paying for ten meals whether you use them or not.

Myth #2: Meal zoning is specified in the food services contract, and therefore cannot be eliminated.

Fact: The food services contract specifies a list of “minimum requirements” that the contractor must meet. At the very least they must provide meals during the kinds of zoning rules UMBC has always had. There is nothing to say that these rules could not be superseded by a superior system.

I see no reason for UMBC to cling to an outmoded system that most other schools have long since abandoned. Some progress has been made with the so-called “unlimited” meal plan, but why not go all the way and allow students to use meals whenever and wherever is most convenient?

I propose that students be able to use their meals at any time of the day, dining hall or Commons, restricted only by the number of meals they are allotted each week. A student with a ten meal plan could use five meals on Monday, one meal each on Tuesday, Wednesday,and Thursday, and two on Friday.

The infrastructure is already in place; all that would have to be done is to lift the frustrating time restrictions. There is really no strong reason not to - it’s time UMBC’s food services moved into the modern era.

**END ARTICLE**

The idea of meal zoning is something I personally have been frustrated by for a while now, and I’m fairly sure I’m not alone in that. Thoughts?

We contacted Tom DeLuca, Resident District Manager of Chartwells about why the Chick-fil-A has not opened yet and we received this response, excerpted below.

As with all of our projects, we have a projected time line for Chick-fil-A that has changed over the course of the last three months. Rest assured there are many people, including myself, that desperately want to see Chick-fil-A open at UMBC.

We have been delayed in opening the Chick-fil-A primarily due to unforeseen field conditions in the University Center building; that is, unexpected issues have come up with the flooring, which were not apparent until initial demolition work was done, as well as issues with the mechanical systems which required review by a mechanical engineering firm. Due to these issues, additional design engineering work needed to be done. Progress is being made but is not readily apparent as it started in the “back of the house” behind the partition.

That being said, we look forward to opening the Chick-fil-A for the start of the Spring semester on January 26th!

Thanks, Mr. DeLuca for taking the time to answer our questions.

Attention! There is now a hotdog vending machine in the Gameroom (which is on the second floor of the Commons.) Might be the funniest thing I’ve ever seen. A regular Oscar Myer hotdog is $2, a Kunzler dog is $2.50, and the Hillshire Farm Cheddarwurst is $3. Sounds a little bit pricey to me, although you do get to see the machine at work while it’s cooking. According to my friends who have tried it, it is worth the money. I am going to have one for lunch and let you know how it goes.

There have been a lot of rumors circulating, but now confirmation at last that we WILL get a campus petting zoo! The new installment is currently undergoing construction behind Chesapeake Hall, and is slated to begin 23 1/2 hour operation sometime in November.

Still no word about whether this program will honor the meal exchange program.

Hey everyone, sorry I didn’t update over the weekend. I was on a very relaxing vacation in the Shenandoah Valley with some of the UU writers. It is really wonderful out there. We hiked (on an ATV trail by accident, haha), we played in a creek and built a dam, we went to an auction, and on the last day we went tubing for 4 hours down the Shenandoah and got burnt to high hell. If you have some time, I really recommend staying there for a weekend; it’s only a 2 and a half hour drive (depending on traffic.)

So far I have only eaten at Mesquite Ranch BBQ & Grill and the Skylight Room but I don’t have a bad thing to say about either one. I saw a lot more quality at the Grill. I’ve only tried the burger so far and I was happy with what I got. Bigger, less greasy fries, a drink, and a burger for - get this - a reasonable price (somewhere around $6.30.) The burger came on a nice bun that wasn’t soggy or too small and the meat wasn’t gray. Still nothing to write home about but, honestly, much better than last semester. Has anyone tried anything else? I heard a lot of talk about the BocaBurgers, are they good?

In the Skylight Room, the food has only changed slightly in quality (for the better.) But I was impressed with the salad bar options. The fruit and pasta salads looked pretty good, although I didn’t have enough room to try them. Has anyone else eaten here? Also, has anyone tried the pizza place yet?

Chartwells, a subsidiary of the Compass group, the largest food service corporation in the world (about 400,000 employees worldwide, and a fortune world rating higher than McDonalds corporation) will be the new food service provider to UMBC.

What