Convenience without quality at Silk Road

Everywhere I go, I hear great things about Silk Road Express. "It's so quick," people say. "It's convenient." "The cold noodle salad is the best," someone will tell me. "Try the pork dumplings. The secret's in the sauce." "Don't you like bubble tea?" I've been asked, "Have you tried the eel sushi?"

No, as a matter of fact, I haven't tried the eel sushi, and no, I really don't like bubble tea. I haven't tried a lot of what Silk Road has to offer. But I have eaten there often. I've had meetings there, met friends there, checked my e-mail there and done work there. I've tried the old favorites and the daily specials. I've dipped their samosas in yogurt sauce and munched on egg rolls between class. It grows old ... It grows old ... I shall never again eat their egg rolls.

I hereby resign from Silk Road Express. I'm exercising my right as a citizen in a free-market society and effectively boycotting the little Mattin Center hideaway. This isn't because I think Silk Road is terrible, I just think Silk Road is, well, adequate. And after three years at Hopkins, I think I've put up with adequacy long enough.

The food is fairly hit or miss. There are a few good dishes (those mentioned above), but what lacks in quality is poorly substituted with quantity. The dishes range pretty broadly over the cultural spectrum. There are panini sandwiches, falafels, noodle dishes, even some Mexican food. But the diversity of options hides a very simple truth. Silk Road Express does not have a kitchen. They don't have access to a grill or stove. What you're getting is microwaved dishes.

This may not matter to most if the food is good, but as a student strapped for cash, I just don't feel right shelling out five, six, even seven dollars to eat a dish that someone defrosted for me. In terms of operational costs, Silk Road's prices strike me as way out of whack. Why would I pay anyone $5 to nuke some chimichangas that probably cost them $2? Have I mentioned that they suck?

But beyond my complaints, Silk Road is successful. Visit during lunchtime on any weekday, and you'll see the crowd of upperclassmen and grad students. But even if their food isn't the best, the fact Silk Road does well is no surprise.

You're telling me that an establishment that sells serviceable food on campus in a highly trafficked area to a niche market in a nice venue with meager expenses and a small staff whose only real competition is Levering is successful? Shocking! You could put a hot dog stand in there and do just as well.

Sure the Allfirst Courtyard isn't exactly a goldmine, but the success of Silk Road, even with its limitations, just shows how high a demand exists for food service on campus that isn't operated by Sodexho. Imagine what Silk Road could be with some initiative and direction.

Imagine if there was an establishment in the Mattin Center area that sold good, cheap food. Imagine if they held fundraisers with clubs and groups on campus. Imagine if they tried to decorate or even provide any type of atmosphere at all. Imagine if they allowed meal equivalency or employed students. Imagine if freshmen actually had a reason to go to the Mattin Center. Imagine if outdoor on-campus dining was a reality for students four months out of the year. As long as Silk Road Express is there trying to make a buck, you're just imagining things.

Silk Road operates on a bottom line with little interest for how on-campus space is used. For a campus already starved for hangout space and social scenes, is it fair to let the potential of a prime location go to waste? Instead of a pizza place or a deli, we get bubble tea.

When a food service provider does not have the needs of the University or students in mind, when they don't try to be dynamic, when they just concentrate on making a buck, you don't progress, you get Sodexho.

Silk Road is a just the equivalent of an Asian Taco Truck stapled into some futuristic glass panel architecture: all angles and little flavor. I'd hate to judge Silk Road just on what it could be, rather than what it is. It's just a bit difficult when you realize that what Silk Road is adequate, and what it could be is so much greater.