Cafe vs Cafeteria

 By: Stella Horton

  Our school is undergoing many changes right now. Both visible and invisible. Some affect only the administration, while others change the way we, as students, operate. The cafeteria is and has been, especially since the introduction of long lunches, the center of student life. And it has arguably gone through the greatest change we’ve seen so far. We have new tables, new background noise, a new stage, and the removal of the vending machines. But is any of this better?

        The change in, and diversification of, our lunch tables are one of the most visible changes in cafeteria design. Rather than the two types of tables we had last year, rectangular and circular, we now have an array of tall tables, corner tables, booths, and updated versions of our previous designs. Each type has its own pros and cons. The booths provide a sense of privacy, but can also be challenging to get out of if you are the innermost person. The high, café-style tables seat four and are perfect for small groups. The corner tables are great if you want to be in solitude and get work done. The updated circular and rectangular tables, however, both have no better attributes that came with being updated, but in fact create more problems than their original counterpart. Firstly, they come with attached seating. Because the seating is attached, one cannot add or remove seats based on the number of people sitting at that table nor can one move seats to be closer together or farther apart for any reason. Secondly the seats also lack any backing, which in a country in which posture is all around terrible, is a bad decision. As an observant they seem like a waste of money. They are barely changed, except for the worse, from their original counterparts. That being said, I do appreciate the addition of the newer styles of table, and I think it adds a level of class that our school generally lacks.

        While the tables are arguably the biggest change, and the one that has been the most talked about, the piano is what affects me, personally, the most. I have found this specific addition to the cafeteria, while sometimes nice, primarily an irritation. Although it depends on which particular person is playing it, for the most part the piano just contributes more pointless noise to an already noisy cafeteria. Most of those playing it seem to only know a few songs, and will play those songs at the loudest possible volume. While the first few days were charming, it has quickly become frustrating to constantly be unable to hear the speech of those sitting within two feet of me. That being said, for those who play the piano at a reasonable volume and without repetitive choices, it has been nice to hear. And the piano is certainly getting played more than it had been in the hallway.

        What I have heard by far the most complaining about by the general student body is the addition of a stage at the expense of having vending machines in the cafeteria. Many students used to eat snacks from the vending machine as a replacement or supplement for their lunch, so in this respect removing the vending machines was upsetting. This disappointment is accentuated by the addition of a stage. Aside from karaoke performances during long lunches, the stage is used for essentially nothing. Generally people get upset when something they love is replaced by something useless. I personally don’t mind the loss of vending machines very much as I spend too much money when I have easy access to the vending machines, but I do dislike the inclusion of karaoke performances when I am trying to eat lunch for similar reasons to my dislike of the piano.

        Overall, I feel the updated version of the cafeteria is nothing special. Aside from the addition of the piano and the removal of the vending machines, lunch is much the same as it had been last year and in years prior. Those who aren’t seniors still can’t wait to become seniors to escape the noise of the cafeteria, and those who get school lunches still find them unsatisfactory. By and large the school day hasn’t been altered considerably and, while there are some perks to the new design, I wouldn’t mind and might even slightly prefer to go back to the way it was.