New West 82 station puts a tasty, and healthy, spin on a college staple
Photo courtesy of: Culinary ServicesStudent tries out the new Let's Get Ramen station in West 82
While not impossible, it is a bit tricky to get through college life without encountering the stereotypical college noodle known as ramen. However, the opening of Let鈥檚 Get Ramen, 帝王会所鈥檚 new West 82 station, aims to provide a filling, healthy and varied version of this dish.
While ramen has attracted a reputation as a solid staple of the unhealthy side of a student鈥檚 college culinary cookbook, the menu at Let鈥檚 Get Ramen includes expands the ways students can enjoy the popular dish through vegetarian and gluten free options.
鈥淧art of the selling point is that it鈥檚 healthy,鈥 said Executive Chef Tim Bruce. 鈥淚t鈥檚 hearty and comforting, and it just happens to also be good for you.鈥
According to Brittany Koska, assistant manager of Culinary Services, the idea for renovating the space was voiced by one of the department鈥檚 student office assistants (OA鈥檚).
鈥淥riginally we just had a snack station in the spot, but one of our student OA鈥檚 thought about putting a pasta bar there instead,鈥 said Koska. While this goal eventually shifted from a pasta bar to a ramen-themed station, Koska pointed out that the renovation for the previous snack space was a rather simple affair, allowing them to roll out the new station at the beginning of the spring semester.
The station allows students to choose from a variety of options to create their own unique dish, ranging between chicken, tofu and beef as protein choices to a number of garnishes and flavoring options, including water chestnuts, sweet corn and miso.
鈥淲e thought this would be a little more interesting than the original pasta bar pitch,鈥 said Bruce. 鈥淩amen鈥檚 very popular and it鈥檚 a bit more of a 鈥榞rab and go鈥 feel. With the semester starting in January we thought the warm ramen would be a great option for students.鈥
Although they did express a hope to improve upon the initial concept moving forward, both Bruce and Koska regarded the new station as a success, receiving mostly positive feedback from the student body.
鈥淚t鈥檚 gone over really well,鈥 said Koska. 鈥淵ou notice it a bit more when it is a little colder outside, but even on warmer days I look around West 82 and see a bunch of ramen cups.鈥
Photo courtesy of: Culinary ServicesThe new Let's Get Ramen station has been a popular destination in West 82