Being naive is my biggest pet peeve

Graphic by Shane Olson and Richard Chu

The frothy, sour liquid seeped out of the chocolate milk jug. Its flavor and consistency triggered my gag reflex.

It was expired. 9 days expired. 216 hours expired. 12,960 minutes expired. 777,600 seconds withering away in its cafeteria refrigerator, each second pushing further and further past its expiration date.

About a month later, I was met with the same dilemma. This time, I brought the expired drink back to cafeteria, and the staff allowed me to take a new milk jug. As I attempted to do so, I found myself face-to-face with three half-filled rows of milk in the refrigerator, each jug stamped with the same expired date, waiting to strike its next victim.

Other food was also purchased in subpar conditions. A Torch columnist said she had received cold, pink chicken.

But it’s not the cafeteria’s fault. We, as students, need              to take accountability. The cafeteria serves a school of over 2,000 students, so it’s hard to ensure that all food is in perfect condition. The cafeteria has a lot on its plate.

If we never bring these problems to their attention, how can we expect them to be fixed? We need to start to ask questions, stand up and be proactive.

According to the Torch columnist,she didn’t do anything in response to the undercooked meal. However, she said if there were similar incidents occurring, she would want to go back to the cafeteria and complain about it.

When you leave the barber shop with an uneven haircut, why not go back and tell the barber to fix it?If you order your salad with extra bacon and the restaurant forgets the bacon altogether, why walk away from the delicious meat that you paid for? When you’re looking to catch some Z’s on.                                                                                                               your plane ride to Florida and you find yourself in front of a kicker, turn around and put an end to those kicks. Time to put an end to our complacency too.

We can’t hesitate to voice our thoughts. We must chew away our childish ignorance and unresponsiveness.

On the other hand, if you enjoy slurping down chunky milk and attempting to swallow inedible pieces of chicken, go ahead and continue to keep your mouth shut.