By Briana Keenan
Correspondent
A couple weeks ago, I took my daily Eickhoff Hall trip for breakfast with my boyfriend and we were delighted at the sight of mini pancakes being served at the Wok that morning.
Although I follow @tcnjdining on Instagram, I forgot that they were offering pancakes for National Pancake Day, which is Sept. 26. As a regular breakfast eater at Eick, I decided to try them, seeing that it was something new and different from what is offered when I go every other day.
To my surprise, the pancakes were pretty good. I tried the chocolate chip while my boyfriend tried the blueberry ones, and we were both equally satisfied with the taste, quality and texture of the mini pancakes.
That day, I also got the usual eggs from the Quimby’s station, and I left the dining hall pleasantly satisfied with the quality of breakfast that morning. The mini pancakes were a small, sweet carb that complemented the somewhat-protein the scrambled eggs gave, leaving me feeling energized and ready to start my day.
Since then, I have thought about these pancakes many times as I continue to make my morning breakfast stops at Eick. The Wok station is only open during lunch and dinner time, so my question is, why don’t they offer pancakes there every morning for breakfast?
Even though the two waffle makers are there every day instead of only on the weekends, I think that the mini pancakes would make a great addition. The waffle makers are often dirty, either crusted in batter or leftover grease, or there is no batter left at all.
Plus, sometimes I am not as hungry for a large waffle, and I know other students can agree with me because I have witnessed some only making half of a waffle in the makers.
Each morning, I know what I am getting myself into when I go to the dining hall for breakfast. Arguably, it is their best meal because it is consistent. Some days the eggs are more watery than others, and that’s when I know to try something else, whether that be going to the omelet station or making a bowl of yogurt and granola. However, this small addition to a station that isn’t used during the mornings could be a great way to slowly improve the quality of our dining hall.
Many students have criticized Eick, and I am no stranger to bad-mouthing it. A few times, I have found myself swiping in just to walk out, but for me, this happens more often during the dinner period. I choose to go to Eick every morning so that I can preserve my flex points and meal equivalency, and while it satiates me enough, it still has much room for improvement.
This article is not meant to further bash the dining hall. Other articles and several students in conversation already touch on that subject often enough. But, if the College wants to improve its ratings, especially with food, then I think that adding mini pancakes to the daily menu could be a step in the right direction.
After my freshman year at the College, I know that many of my peers decided to live somewhere off-campus or in Campus Town due to the quality of the food on campus. Many students who have not cooked on their own before started teaching themselves just to avoid the dining hall. If people in administration and dining truly cared about their students receiving something more humane than the poor-quality food served, then they should start implementing small changes like this one.
We won’t know until it happens for sure, but I think that offering mini pancakes could generate more traction in the dining hall, especially in the morning. They were made right in front of you at the Wok station and were probably the freshest food item I’ve ever had there.
The pancake vs. waffle debate that society has will never fully come to an end. However, Eick can improve its offerings by adding the mini pancakes, and then students can truly pick their side.
