Frogbytes’ culinary selections reach far if you’re willing to turn on ovens
COMMENTARY
Emilee Baker

The seemingly eternal arguments regarding the food services at TCU are, not surprisingly, ever-present in the Skiff. I would like to present my perspective, which seems to be a bit out of the ordinary.

I commend Frogbytes. In an atmosphere where many students criticize having to eat according to certain hours, paying too much, and a lack of diversity in the foods, Frogbytes has come through.

The issue of paying too much for the food is not going to be addressed here, because I do not have a suitable voice for defending such an argument. I’m simply thankful that I can use a little card that sends the bills directly to my account, which my parents control (thank you Mom and Dad!).

In regard to having to schedule meals around the hours of The Main, Frogbytes provides a solution. They do not close their doors between lunch and dinner. In addition, they are open late enough to satisfy many students.

The lack of diversity among the food, of course, is small when you only consider the food that is cooked for you. Pizza, cyberwraps, salads and soups can only go so far.

But I encourage you to take a look beyond the pre-cooked meals. On the shelves in Frogbytes are many different types of food. The problem seems to emerge when students stop considering making their own dinner.

There are many times when I’m inevitably short on cash, and pizza is not enticing. The solution? Look on those shelves, and you will most likely find many ingredients for a great lunch or dinner. You can decide to keep it as simple as sandwiches, the good ’ole homemade kind with white bread, slices of meat and tons of condiments. It’s not time consuming or painful to make, and you can actually put exactly what you want where you want it.

As for the fancier dishes, Frogbytes is still able to help you out. Many times, all I have had to provide is the meat. They have all of the ingredients I need to make chicken parmigiana and a few other casseroles. Plus, side dishes are right there in the can, and dessert is simply a few dollars away. It’s nice every once in a while to take the time to cook a meal yourself.

I think part of the issue may be that many students simply do not think about this option. I understand that many people do not have a kitchen in their rooms, but residence hall kitchens DO exist and are rarely used, in my experience. Besides, if you make an error and burn something, you can always blame it on another resident after you have fled the scene.

I am in no way claiming that Frogbytes contains everything you will ever need to cook a four-star meal, but it does a good job of supplying college students with options different from the standard cafeteria selections.

Making your own lunch or dinner does not simply mean making a batch of macaroni and cheese. Next time you think of how much you miss a nice home-cooked meal and before you buy your thousandth pizza of the semester, look in Frogbytes a little more closely. Become adventurous.

Emilee Baker is a senior anthropology and sociology major from Sheridan, Ark. She can be reached at (e.m.baker@tcu.edu).