Believe only half of what you read.

The following appeared in NMSU's daily Hotline of press releases yesterday (Thu. 8/28/08). I'll let you read it first; then I'll explain what's wrong with it.

New NMSU food guide now available
NMSU houses two dozen food vendors in eight separate buildings across campus. Students, faculty, staff, and visitors wishing to dine at any of these establishments can download the NMSU campus map & food guide. This new guide provides a complete list of restaurant hours, a brief description of food items, and a campus map. Download yours at http://www.nmsu.edu/~dining/FoodGuide.pdf.

Okay, first off, I hope you didn't already try to open the food guide using the link provided, because it will come up with an error message. If you want to view it, go here and select the "Food Guide" link in the left column. (It's a pdf file, so you will need Adobe's Acrobat Reader to view it.)

Secondly, the university does not have "two dozen food vendors"; they have two dozen food outlets but only six vendors. Only the five outlets listed for Frenger Food Court are independently owned and operated. Every other establishment is a brand trademarked by Aramark, the campus food contractor, to fool the gullible into thinking that they're getting something new and different -- maybe even fresh. (Note that Aramark is my employer's prime competitor in the U.S.A., so if you really want to read about them, you'll have to look up their website yourself.)

Third, continuing along those lines, they are marketing one of the outlets as the "Taos Restaurant". (It appears only as "Taos" on the pdf file, but the word "restaurant" is painted above the entrance.) Those of you who attended (or even visited) NMSU know full well that it has been, is, and always will be, the Taos Cafeteria. Sure, they can remodel it and move things around and dress it up a bit, but it's the same old place with the same old pre-cooked food that's spooned off the same old steam tables and glopped onto the same old plastic plates that you have to carry yourself to a table. There ain't no waitress with a smile and a menu, no busboy to remove your plates and utensils and wipe down your table, and you certainly don't get something made just after you order it.