Being a picky eater is not a laughing matter. While many people tell us to "Just try new things" or "If you don't stop, you'll have to eat off the kid's menu the rest of your life," a lot of us are perfectly content with what we eat and how we eat it (everything plain!). However, around campus, things can start to get very repetitive when it comes to food options. I've compiled a list of the 15 best things to eat while on campus, or campus corner, that are in the safe zone for picky eaters.
1. Raising Cane's
While this is certainly not the healthiest thing to eat on campus, It is the one of the safest bets when it comes to a meal. It's a simple combo meal comprised of chicken strips, french fries, coleslaw, grilled Texas toast, a medium drink and cane's sauce. The best thing is being able to substitute any of the sides for another. Does coleslaw make you gag? Add on an extra side of fries. Does the thought of not knowing what's in Cane's sauce freak you out? They'll throw in an extra slice of toast. They also get a lot of people trading in different side items, so no one is going to think you're weird if you don't want toast. Trust me, the amount of times I've had to say "Box Combo, no 'slaw, extra fries" will surprise you.
2. A Huge Waffle
Channel your inner Leslie Knope and order a waffle from Crossroads. Warning: it is very sugary so don't chow down too fast. Crossroads is open 24/7, so these waffles are always an option.
3. Grilled Cheese at Ruthie's
Cate Main holds some amazing treasures when it comes to food, but nothing will ever beat the grilled cheese at Ruthie's. Actually, no other grilled cheese will beat the ones you get at Ruthie's. It is the most buttery, most cheesy, and most delectable thing you will put in your mouth. These are not the grilled cheeses your mom made for you when you were five. You can even get two sandwiches, a side of fries, and a drink for one meal exchange. There is nothing stopping you from getting one every day for lunch.
4. Fruit Cups in Xcetera
While Xcetera is one of the more expensive places to get food from, it's a very accessible place to get one thing with out having to get a whole meal. One of the best things to get here is the fruit that doctors say you need every day. Some other places offer fruit with their meals, but they usually just come with an apple or an orange. In the Caf, you need a table and a plate to put them on. Xcetera offers cups of mixed fruit that are easily edible on the go, and they offer a wide array of different fruits so you always know there will be something you like.
5. Hurt's Donuts
Again, not the healthiest option, but definitely the most selective place on this list. Walking inside Hurt's may be very overwhelming, but the amount of donuts they have will have you trying a new one every time you come in, and you probably won't repeat one until you graduate. Given that fact that they are open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, this pretty much the only late night snack allowed after countless hours of studying.
6. Chick-fil-A
Chick-fil-A is the classier, grown-up version of a kid's meal. You get exactly the same thing-- chicken nuggets, fries, and a drink-- but better tasting. Chicken nuggets and/or chicken strips are always a go-to for picky eaters because of how simple they are and how hard it is to mess it up, and Chick-fil-A offers some of the best.
7. Chocolate Chip Pancakes at Oliver's
Or blueberry, or strawberry, or banana, or plain. Pancakes were never made to be consumed just at breakfast. Good thing Oliver's in Cate Main serves breakfast all day long. They have a wide array of breakfast foods, but pancakes are the item that can basically be consumed by anyone no matter what you like to eat. I mean, who doesn't want to eat pancakes at teh pm?
8. Hideaway Pizza
Coming from Texas, I had never heard of Hideaway Pizza before I came to college. It is so good. Just like chicken nuggets, pizza is always a safe bet for picky eaters. That's why Olive Garden keeps it on the menu, right?
9. Bagels
Or, as my best friend and I call them, 'Bae'-gels. We, no joke, eat one every day. Whether they're from Starbucks, Roscoe's in Cate, Einstein's, or the Bookmark (those are the best), we always get one. I recommend trying the 'Everything with Cheese' bagel with plain cream cheese, best served toasted, from the Bookmark. It's different than a plain bagel, but still really good. However, any way you take your bagel, it's still a really simple and inexpensive thing to snack on.
10. Chips and Queso
This is a pretty standard menu item, and it's the only thing I will ever order at a Mexican restaurant. Whether you get it at Fuzzy's on Campus corner, use points at Qdoba, or a meal exchange at Taco Mayo, there's always going to be a steady rotation of different chips and queso to try.
11. Sbarro
Being one of the only places to get pizza on campus, Sbarro is definitely the best place to get it. They offer a lot of different types (some I would never touch in a thousand years), but never fear, plain cheese and pepperoni are always offered. The pieces are HUGE, the breadsticks are super garlic-y and it's always at a perfect ooey-gooey temperature. The guys that work there are also extremely nice, and if you go there as often as I do, they might even know what you want when you get in line. Guilty as charged.
12. A Fruit Smoothie from Freshens
Smoothies from Freshens are one of the most delicious and fulfilling things you can get on campus. If you don't like kale in your smoothie, they offer a dozen different fruit smoothies and even a peanut butter chocolate one *insert heart eyes emoji.* They're also all under 700 calories so you don't feel too guilty about getting a large.
13. Diamond Dawgs
Yet another chicken finger entree, I know, I know, but that is what 90% of picky eaters order anywhere. The same 90% are totally ok eating them pretty much every day, and sometimes, we (I) make a game out of it and try as many different kinds as we (I) can. Each restaurant's chicken tenders do have a different personality. With that, I have to say that Diamond Dawgs on Campus Corner has some very interesting but delicious chicken fingers. They're huge, you get like six with your meal, and a side of fries for about $8. They're really good and even if you aren't a picky eater, I recommend trying them.
14. Corn Dogs
What? Not chicken fingers! I'm surprised as well, but at Ruthie's in Cate Main, the same place you can get that really good grilled cheese, you can get a corn dog basket for one of those days you're just feeling risky.
15. The Caf
Going to the Caf means no actual commitment to one thing. You can make a meal out of anything in there. My personal favorite meal is a bowl of vanilla Greek yogurt with chocolate chips, Chick-fil-A nuggets with Polynesian sauce, and a side of the fries from the smokehouse place. I then move on to getting one scoop of vanilla ice cream and putting it in a glass of coke. Best meal ever. The only issue is that going to the Caf is pretty time-consuming because it's so far away, but I always tend to have one open night when I can go. More power to the people who can go there everyday.
Picky eaters are probably some of the most tolerant people I know. We eat the same things over and over again and rarely get tired of it. Being a picky eater in college has been such a struggle but once you actually take time to walk across campus to assess your food choices, it's worth it. I'm talking about the grilled cheese.