Smoothie change met with praise and disappoinment

Jason Lipeles Guest Writer

Last spring, the students of Vassar College made their opinions known; they yearned for something new at the All Campus Dining Center. They hungered for exotic foods never before served that would enliven their taste buds and spice up their mundane ACDC meals. The Food Committee, comprised of student representatives and Vassar administrators, heard the students’ cries for help. But what could possibly satiate their intense desires?

“We thought, ‘we’ll try smoothies’: we’ll get some fruit and we’ll get some blenders and try it out,” said Maureen King, the Director of Campus Dining.

The smoothie station started modestly with some “in-house recipes” made with combinations of yogurt, fresh fruit, and ice. Although the Mediterranean pasta station had to be removed to make room, the student population responded enthusiastically to the Food Committee’s offering.

“I loved the smoothies last year. I drank two a day,” said Micelle Ciccone ’07.

Because of the popularity of the smoothies, the Food Committee decided that the station had to be run in a more orderly manner. “We knew we couldn’t continue and have a successful program like that. We had to formalize it in some way,” King said.

Over the summer, the Committee ordered new blenders and “Fresh Market Smoothie” brand ingredients, including frozen fruit, “boosters,” and a variety of syrups and juices among other things. Boosters are little caplets added to the smoothie that add nutrition or fat-burning nutrients.

This decision resulted in an outpouring of student opinion. Some students love the new smoothies. For instance, Matt Tracy ’07 likes smoothies this year better than last year.

Although Jason Farkas ’08 never tried a smoothie from last year, he thinks the smoothies this year are excellent, especially the mango. “I was pleasantly surprised by their refreshing taste and the wide variety of flavors,” said Farkas.

However, students’ opinions are not in agreement on the new smoothie format. Although Mike Klein ’07 enjoys the new smoothies as well, he said, “They really commercialized [the smoothie making process]. They just took some individuality out of our dining center.”

Others are hostile to the idea of syrups and artificial ingredients in the smoothies, not to mention the $4.29 price tag. “It seems more like a milkshake than a natural fruit smoothie,” says Jenny Gratz ’06.

Laura Beth Giles ’07 said, “They put all that powder crap in there. You don’t know what that is.”
Some students would like to do away with the smoothie station altogether. “They should put back in the pasta stand. The pasta stand is a much better nutritional alternative to smoothies,” Genevieve Sandier ’07 said.

King would like to assure the student body that the smoothie station is not a permanent addition, depending on student demand. “We can change. We are flexible. We can adjust to the needs of the students,” she said.

In order to better understand the students’ needs, a manager of Campus Dining reads the students’ comment cards from the ACDC and brings the prominent issued to the Food Committee to discuss.

Due to students’ comments, the Food Committee is considering removing the “Fat Burner Booster.” Students argue that its name is misleading and that it contains too much caffeine (approximately the amount in a six ounce cup of coffee).

“We are really trying to please a majority of the students,” King said.

Any comments or questions about the ACDC can be written on comment cards located near the exit of the dining hall or e-mailed to comments@vassar.edu.