What You Can Expect on Your Plate at UCSF Meetings

By Elliott Gorelick
Staff Writer

Most people get a free meal in conjunction with some UCSF function several times each month – then there are those connoisseurs that see a free lunch as one of the perks of being a student. For them, schedule.ucsf.edu is a must check at some point each morning. I confess, I am the one of the latter and my insatiable appetite has meant I have heard Rachel Naomi Ramen speak of the Heart of Medicine or listened to an explanation of how to repurpose adult pancreatic cells in a possible first step towards a diabetes treatment. The meal offerings for these events are much less diverse or interesting. The main considerations for providing food for between 10 and 100 people at UCSF are cost and convenience; taste lags far behind.

The Big Three
1. Pizza - Who doesn’t like pizza (or at least tolerate it)? The taste is reliable and, in moderation, it’s not unhealthy. When the organizers order from Cybell’s or Milanos, the job of feeding is done at a cost under $5 per participant. The pizzas are delivered and setup is as easy as finding a table to place the boxes on. The basics are cheese or pepperoni. If you’re lucky, there will be a vegetarian option. Personally, I find nothing wrong except when it’s being served the third or fourth time that week.

2. Subway – Another low cost, convenient option. The sandwiches are pre-made and easily transported in plastic covered platters. The choices are ham, turkey, and vegetarian. If you’re lucky there might be roast beef. To save additional dollars, a Costco run will yield a very similar meal. This meal is probably the healthiest campus option; my only complaint with this option is that the meat to bread ratio tends to be too low.

3. Burritos – These are low cost if somebody goes to the trouble of cutting them in half, and still not too dear even if whole ones are handed out. People can eat them in the wrapping without need for any extra utensils although a napkin to wipe your hands at the end comes in handy. The choices will be beef, chicken, and beans. For variety, there might be a pork option. This is my personal favorite and the only meal I regularly purchase on my own.

The food above covers probably 75% of what is served, but with several hundred opportunities each year, it is hardly exhaustive.

4. Chinese/Thai/Indian food – Requires a place to set up serving trays and fairly slow in terms of handing out the food so not that common. Also, people need to balance plates and utensils, but definitely tasty.

5. Peasant pies - These are small, hold-in-your hand casseroles that come in variety of flavors.

6. Deluxe sandwiches – Palio’s (and others) can put together some tasty choices loaded with meat and fixings.

7. Vietnamese sandwiches – Low, cost and tasty, but too spicy for some.

Of course, if you are going to a Chancellor Committee Meeting or something similar, your meal will likely be catered by Moffit Cafeteria which offers a full-service menu, but at a price few, if any student organizations can pay.