BERICK: Chewed Out

Now I may be biased, by which I mean spoiled, but I’m pretty sure there isn’t anything to eat on the Boston University’s main campus. Here I’m not including anything west of the BU Bridge, especially that area lush with new establishments, the best of national and local chains. I’m not talking, either, about those who are furnished with a meal plan, which, however meager, disqualifies them from being able to eat guilt-free anywhere else. I’m speaking mostly for, as Julia Child put it, the servant-less American cook, though here servant-less most nearly means parentless. So as we rush to class, we might have time for cereal and we might not have time to pack anything else.

So here we are, without a dining plan and without a bag lunch. That leaves mostly the George Sherman Union and Espresso Royale Café. The GSU is overpriced. It depends on “convenience points!’ to get you hooked, though really all they need to get me hooked is the sweet and savory Allston Asiago Sandwich for $6 and some odd cents at the Charles River Bread Company. But when you get sick of $6 sandwiches or the incomparable Allston model, you are left with Espresso. Unlike the GSU, the ERC staff notices how often you stop by. Being a regular is not all bad and you may get an extra smile or even an extra genial nickname ñ but the embarrassment and guilt persist. Spend a couple dollars on coffee, lunch, more coffee . . . now you have reached the dilemma of the BU student. Your clothes smell like burnt bagel from so much Espresso, and you are out of points.

A few options remain to you. You now can venture over the St. Mary’s Street Bridge. South Campus is basically another realm, so there is always the possibility you won’t return. But your options there are now equally limited, ever since Crispy Crepes took over whatever that Moroccan place was called. It’s true, the two have merged which is either a matter of convenience or a conspiracy against choice, you decide. If you subsist only on caffeine and expensive pastry, i.e. you are Parisian, you probably don’t go to BU. If you do, there is Tatte, a café on Beacon Street, which is the definition of lovely and, like their meringue roses, practically useless as a food option.

So thank God for the eventual reopening of Nud Pob in central campus, right? Wrong. Nud Pob might have some good food, but they also know they are on a college campus and are essentially making American-style Pad Thai available if you have ethical problems with Americanization. Nud Pob gives the semblance of authenticity which Noodle Street lacks. This leaves Olecito, which I will say isn’t bad, especially the soft tacos. Cheap, filling, tastes like food.

Then again, any of these places are fair enough. Especially in good weather, the Campus Trolley is often overlooked. And anywhere is tolerable as long as you’ve got a friend to commiserate with.