The cafeteria food here at West High is something that some find enjoyable and others do not particularly enjoy. More and more students are continuing to go off campus. There’s just one question: does the cafeteria food have anything to do with it?

Junior Dale Calma goes off campus quite often. “Even if there was better lunch here, off campus is better because you can have many varieties,” Calma said. When asked if he enjoys cafeteria food Calma replied, “When I am hungry I enjoy cafeteria food but when I am not hungry I prefer not to eat cafeteria food.” He isn’t as satisfied with cafeteria food as he is with the food he can get off campus. He thinks that some upperclassmen go off just because they have that privilege and others because they prefer to get lunch from outside rather than the cafeteria. Calma estimates it to be about a “fifty-fifty” ratio of upperclassmen going off because they can or because they want to.

Junior Ajaybir Heir, who buys lunch everyday, had some interesting things to say on the topic. When asked if he enjoys the cafeteria food he said, “I dislike cafeteria food due to the portions.” He argues that they are too small to fill ones stomach. He claims that not only him but many others are “displeased with the quantity of food the cafeteria dispersed and this leads students to travel to third party sources of food to suffice their needs.” Heir thinks the main reason for upperclassmen going off campus is because it has been the same food since freshmen year for some of them and they have gotten bored by it. Heir believes it all relates back to variety and how we need more of it in our school lunches.

According to these upperclassmen, cafeteria food definitely plays a role in students going off campus, whether it is because of portions, variety or just needing healthier lunch choices.