Nilla wafers and ketchup at Augsburg

commons
Good morning (MPR News / Alex Friedrich)

I'm in Augsburg's cafeteria with Reyka Huq, a 22-year-old accounting senior who's my breakfast partner today.

She's giving me the lay of the land food-wise as I stroll through the offerings.

I don't see as much variety as I have at other cafeterias -- the usual scrambled-eggs breakfast (no meat), three types of chopped up melons, a handful of cereals, yogurt, etc. But I do get a biscuit and some gravy with my eggs, and that's a nice change.

The food is solid. The eggs are moist and the biscuit isn't a rock, so I'm good. Considering the season, the fruit is pretty good in that it actually have flavor.

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breakfast-mine
Solid (MPR Photo / Alex Friedrich)

Huq says she hasn't been in the cafeteria for a while. The students think the food itself is fine. But she said a lot of students find the price a bit high -- about $8 for this morning's meal -- and veterans like her grow tired of institutional food. The stir-fry bar when she was here was always packed, she said, but she stayed away from the bland Fettuccine Alfredo.

I look at her dish. Yes, that's ketchup next to her eggs.

eggs-ketchup
I had salsa. She had ketchup.

As I make my way to our table, I spy a bowl of Nilla Wafers.

For breakfast?

Anyone care to explain?

 

nilla
Really, Mom -- all the cool kids are eating them for breakfast.