CHARLOTTE EHRMANN Copy Editor
The Caf this year has been through some serious changes due to the turbulent times of Bethel’s ever changing color status. Through these trying times, one thing stays consistent. Food from the Caf tends to be the main option of many students. While the Caf may not always serve everyone’s favorite food, there are definitely a few hacks to help yourself navigate through the menu.
The biggest “hack” to the Caf is the menu! It’s online. Go check it out. Just search up Bethel KS dining hall menu and you can find it at the first link. They usually put up one week at a time for both lunch and dinner.
Is the food at the Caf a little bland and you want more flavor? Start carrying your own spices or sauces to use. One of my favorite seasonings is from Trader Joe’s called the “multipurpose umami seasoning,” and it’s an umami flavoring that adds a nice punch of flavor to any dish. Umami if you do not know is an extremely savory taste that is often described as almost meaty in flavor (without meat too, so it is vegetarian safe!)
If none of the main entrees are suiting your palate, then maybe go for a toasted sandwich with the panini press over at the salad bar. The salad bar always has sandwich options for you to choose from. Make yourself a panini or two or maybe grab a bowl of soup!
When it comes to dessert, are the cookies a little harder than you’d like? Pop that sucker into the microwave for about thirty seconds and it should soften right up. Maybe add some ice cream on top, and you have a delicious dessert! One option that is always available is to create yourself a root beer float, or any soda of your choice.
For those of you who do not live on campus, or do not like what the Caf offers and have a little spending money, I can offer you a couple food hacks as well! One of my roommates and I’s favorite cheap meals to make is Korean BBQ ramen with boiled eggs. All I use here is a pack of Korean BBQ sauce which is roughly two or three dollars at Walmart, three eggs (a half dozen is about $0.88), and the noodles from two or three ramen packets. This whole meal is under five dollars. Another cheap meal I love to make is spaghetti or other pastas. Kroger brand pasta is one dollar at Dillon’s. You can always make yourself a butter sauce with garlic and a few other spices. You can get a variety of spices from Walmart or Dillon’s for about a dollar each. What about pots and pans? Most of my dishes I have either bought on sale at Walmart or found at Goodwill. Another great place to look is at other thrift stores like Et Cetra, or where I found mine was the DAV Thrift Store in Wichita. Whether you live on or off campus, hopefully these meal hacks help you out in some way!
