Free Lunch Does Exist, Even When You're Picky

I suppose I should be honest and say that the horror that was Monday and Tuesday of this week wasn't all inconvenience and unhappiness. It did prove that my college has some amazing people on its staff, specifically the Dean of Students who is my favorite person at the moment.

Even though the staff though they were being helpful in our time of need, after being kicked out with no warning, free meals at the school cafeteria seemed like a slap in the face. Our dining services are horrible, sanitary but disgusting. Anyone who says otherwise either doesn't know how food is supposed to taste or has been eating the stuff so long that they're just used to it. I live in the apartments so that I don't have to waste time and money trying to survive on whatever garbage the chefs decide to throw on the menu. Going back to eating in the cafeteria this year is not a part my game plan.

When Serena and I went to retrive our belongings after the initial evacuation, safety concerns forced us to wait for an escort. As we stood in the lobby, the dean of students arrived on the scene and gave us an update on the situation (and pretty much confirmed the rumor that RA's roommate was hanging something on his sprinkler). When he told us that he was covering our bill at the cafeteria, it was with that sort of excitement that screams "I know that what I am saying right now is great news to you! I'm happy to help!" in a completely genuine way. Picky eater that I am, I threw his generosity right back at him--in the most polite way that I could--and asked if we could get credit somewhere, anywhere else on campus. His face fell flat for just a fraction of a second before he assured me that if I asked food service would be happy to accommodate my needs.

I am such a pessimist that I didn't even bother asking. Hungry and furious, I simply stumbled into the cafeteria for lunch and check out my options. Nothing worth mentioning. Defeated, I made my way to a friend's apartment to see if they had any plans for lunch. I was only a handful of yards away when the dean of student drove up to me in a golf cart and flagged me down. He was happy to inform me that he spoke to food service who agree to let me eat in the campus's made-to-order cafe instead the hole-in-the-wall cafeteria. My mood improved by 2000% then and an extra 1000% when I actually went to order and learned that they never set a price limit (Know that I did not abuse this opportunity and ordered a reasonable amount of food).

That moment alone made my day, week, semester even. So much so that I wrote him a thank you card and dropped off at his office this afternoon. It's always the small bright spots in chaos that can make the most difference.