KC Alert! '

I am having trouble getting your comments.  Those @#%&## spamers have figured out a way to hijack the e-mail address from the web site.  IT is working on the problem but hasn't been able to stop them yet.  If you have been sending comments through the Kitchen Comment web site I may not be getting your comments.  Please keep sending them though, some are getting through and I really need comments to be able to publish this newsletter.  Remember, you can always e-mail me directly at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it and or drop comments into the boxes at each operation.

Your Comments:

I just wanted to say that as a diabetic I need to watch my diet more closely than others, and one thing that I have been trying to avoid lately is refined carbs because whole grains tend to keep my blood sugar more stable. I was just wondering if for breakfast you could put some 100% whole wheat bagels out and also some 100% whole wheat bread out at Dot's Deli. Those are the two areas that would be easiest to change, but it would also be nice to occasionally see whole wheat pasta at La Roma's or the Vegetation Station. Thanks!

My wife is type 1 diabetic and in 22 years of marriage I have learned a thing or two about sugar control.  I applaud you for taking the time and interest to try to cut back on the higher glycemic foods and going with the more unrefined carbs. 

I think eating in the cafeteria is actually one of the better choices you could make because there really is a lot of variety for you.  I'm not sure I have seen a whole wheat bagel in Couch but I know we have a 100% whole wheat bread.  I'll ask that we put it out on the deli line each day.

We are going to have some whole wheat pastas as well as some gluten free pastas available very soon.  We will also be developing a whole wheat pizza crust, well at least a pizza crust with some whole wheat flour in it.  Straight whole wheat crusts tend to be a little dry and crumbly.

If you have any questions about what foods are available at Couch please talk to Dot Flowers the manager of that operation.  We also have a dietitian on staff at Goddard if you need some additional guidance.

I love the new La Roma pizza, but I was wondering if Calzones would ever be served again.  This was my favorite food at the cafeteria, and I would be really sad if they never had them again.

They certainly are still around.  You must have missed them when we made them last week.  I understand that we were hit pretty hard and it was hard to keep up but that just tells us how popular they are.  We will do them again soon.  They looked really good coming out of that hot oven.  I hope you will also try the baked pasta.  I think you'll really like that.

Hi Dave, I totally support your attempts to prevent the freeloaders that bring their cup back day after day to get drinks from Crossroads. However, it seems that "one refill per drink bought" is a little draconian in the opposite direction. I was so used to going to Crossroads last year for OU's away games, getting a drink and some fries or cheese sticks, and happily working on homework and watching the game all afternoon while I got two or three refills.

Have you considered dating the cups? If I go up and ask for a refill and the cup is blank, the employee can write the date on it. Then you can make sure the cup is still "today's drink" without limiting it to one refill.

While on the subject of refills, does Couch Express give any refills yet? I know the subject came up last year.

I think most people would agree that a refill for their drink is needed and appreciated.  I also believe that most folks would understand that there is a limit to the number of refills a person can get.  I'll tell you what, I'll compromise with you and suggest that we give two (2) refills per purchase. We are not going to make a cup refillable all day long.  We still do not give refills at Couch Express.

Dear Mr. Annis, First off I want to say that the improvements you've made in the eateries on campus are quite good. I still don't get why there are two Taco Mayos but I'm sure the market is there. The reason I am writing is because I usually get pretty good service with you guys. I have a couple of friends who work for you guys. Last night, I went over to the Blue Bell ice cream place next to the Burger King. I was waiting in line behind these guys who were probably just loitering. They finally leave and I come up to the window and it's just me and the guy said that they were closed. I'm sure he was tired but how hard is it to serve one more customer? Plus I was always under the impression they closed at midnight every night. Other than that, great job guys. Erich.

Erich, why so formal, please call me Dave.  Due to staffing problems Burger King and the Sooner Malt Shop is only staying open until Midnight.  Up until that time you should receive service.  You didn't say what time you came in and what time you tried to order.  If you were in the doors before Midnight I agree you should have been served, no matter what time it was when he finished his conversation.    If the shop was already closed and the employee was talking with his friends after closing then I have to side with the employee.

Could you do something about the rush of wind that is created when you open the door to Couch, I smashed my hand in the door when the wind slammed the door on it.

We have our engineers working on the problem.  Somehow the air handlers are not balanced.  We have a lot of hoods that suck air )and cooking smoke) up and out.  We need to replace that air.  If we don't the building is under a negative pressure and it will get air from the easiest source, that being the open door.  It does make the doors hard to open and dangerous to fingers and hands.  I'm hoping they will have an answer to the problem soon.

Hi Mr. Annis, I had e-mailed you shortly before school to inquire about vegan options for the first few days on campus.  So far I've been fairly impressed with the availability of food at Couch, but I still had a few questions about some options.  Firstly, I'm a little confused about the designation scheme for items on the Vegetation Station line.  While it's pretty clear that the veggies are vegan, it isn't always clear that something like "teriyaki vegetable rice" is vegan (who knows what kind of animal additives could be hanging around in there, right?  :-) ).  Anyways, every time that I've been to the Couch Restaurants there has only been one non-dessert item on the line that is labeled as vegan and it ends up being slightly confusing as I reach for certain things that don't clearly contain cheese or milk and hope for the best.

Also, on the salad line, it is very unclear which salad dressings contain eggs.  Early on there were some packets of Newman's Own that had clear ingredients, but now I've got no idea.  So my primary request is if the food services staff could more clearly label certain items to clearly designate that they are or are not vegan.  Putting the word "vegetarian" in front of the item doesn't clear the question up as there are plently of vegan items that are labeled as vegetarian at grocery stores and around town.  The only way to find out is to check the ingredients, something that can't be done around here.  Ideally, it would be wonderfully awesome if at some point on down the road, ingredients lists could be added to the large binders of nutrition facts.

Lastly, does the Shanghai Stir-Fry offer vegan tofu stir-fries?  The lines are always too long to go up and ask one of the workers and in general most of staff on the floor generally don't have a good idea.

I would love to see the Vegetation Station line reach its full potential here at OU, and while I'm not sure how many vegans eat on campus here, I would be happy to meet with you sometime to discuss improving some of the options and making things easier for our vegetarian population. Thanks, Joe

I agree with everything you say Joe.  Until we can get those ingredient lists posted I would suggest you talk with Dot Flowers the manager at Couch.  She is VERY knowledgeable about the foods we are serving and the ingredients in the items on the Vegetation Station.

Hey Dave! First I have to say that I am a freshman, and I am beyond impressed by the cafeteria.  It rocks!  The food is great, and there are usually lots of fresh things to eat, which I love.  The salad bar is especially good, and the staff has been very nice.

Now for the not as fun stuff.  First, is there any way that you could have honey dijon on the salad bar more often?  I eat a lot of salad, and that's my favorite dressing.  Second, I know that there have already been tons of comments on this, but I was heartbroken to find out that B&B is closed on Saturday.  I'm in the Pride and that's the easiest place to grab a quick meal on game days since I live in Cate.  Finally, I went for stir fry on Tuesday, and waited in line for just over thirty minutes.  There was only one person working the line for quite a while, and he could only handle two pans at a time.  I kept telling myself that it would be worth it since nothing else really sounded good, and I had really enjoyed the stir-fry when I got it before.  Unfortunately, after my 30 minute wait, the guy got confused and, instead of serving my bowl up when it was finished, he put the sauce for the guy behind me in it and started cooking it again!  I explained (as politely as I could) that the bowl was mine and that he had already put sauce in it, so he served it up and handed it to me saying, "I hope you like stir-fry sauce then."  It was inedible.  My meat and veggies were swimming in sauce.  It was like stir-fry soup.   I ate two bites and threw it away.  I ended up grabbing some nuggets at Chick Fil A and running, because I had a meeting to get to and there were lines everywhere.  I hated to use a meal, wait 30 minutes and then eat chicken nuggets.  I know you're understaffed, but come on.

Sincerely, Erin

Erin, we are understaffed.  It really is a stranger year, we have filled most of our positions in the Union and Cate but Couch is very short handed.  We could use that as an excuse but you know it's really not a very good one.  We need to pay attention to what we're doing.  Please e-mail me directly at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it , I'd like to make it up to you.

I live off campus, but I bought a meal plan because I have a restricted diet due to gluten allergies.  I (unlike a lot of students) do not have a dorm room where I can store my backpack while I eat lunch. 

Yesterday, I was (LITERALLY) yelled at by the guy at the door for not leaving my bag in one of the cubbies.  This is not the first time he has said something to me, so I understand his frustration, but I have repeatedly told him I was keeping my stuff with me so it didn't get stolen. Here's the problem:  last semester, a friend of mine had his backpack stolen out of one of the cubbies... I have a $1,900.00 laptop in my bag that I am not about to leave UNSECURED in a cubby.  There is a sign that says that if you have something of value, KEEP IT WITH YOU.  Until there are lockers in the caf for me to lock my laptop up in, I will continue to carry my bag with me.  Can you please explain to the door staff that there are exceptions to this rule, and they need to be a little more cooperative when students have valuables?

We can help you out there.  Don't blame the cashiers they are just trying to enforce our policy.  Every policy has an exception though and you may be that exception.  Please talk with Dot or Bobby at Couch, they will come up with a workable solution for you.

Roscoe's is awesome 99 times out of 100. Tim is one of my favorite people on campus because of the fact that he always has interesting conversation and a great attitude.  The only blemish on today's visit was the fact that there was no soy milk today when I ordered my Chai. Since I don't usually get Chai it isn't usually a problem, but according to Tim, Roscoe's hasn't been able to get soy milk since the beginning of the school year. Dave... this is not going to work.  I have a problem with lactose, and have noticed this problem at various eateries on campus... mainly at Couch Cafeteria, where asking for soy milk often results in the person looking at you like you sprung a second head!

I understand that accomodating the dietary needs of individuals like myself can not be a priority at every eatery on campus, but soy milk at a coffee shop is not asking for much.

I'm not sure what is going on.  We can get soy milk, we should have soy milk available in our operations.  Let me find out what the problem is and I'll see if we can't get it out right away.

Hi Dave, Any chance of a Coke Zero dispenser in Couch somewhere? Just one stuck in the back near Athens would be fine. Thanks!

I just found out that both Coke Zero and Vault are now available for the Coke dispensers.  We will find a way to work them into our lineup.