Greasy burgers and high-fat fast food -- this seems to be students' general opinion of the fare available at The Marketplace in the University Center.
However, Brice Bivens, location manager for Aramark, Inc., said there are healthy choices at The Marketplace. He admits there is the traditional fast food available at Chick-fil-A and Sizzle, which specializes in grilled foods. Nevertheless, he is quick to boast the healthier alternatives at Pangeos, Nao and Zen, Memphis Market, The Soup Bowl and The Garden.
Some students, like Amie Williams, a sophomore early childhood education major, do not mind the fast food at The Marketplace.
"I don't come to school to get a gourmet meal," Williams said. "Fast food is fine with me. I love Chick-fil-A."
Other students, who like to manage their diet, appreciate the healthy choices.
"I don't want to eat food filled with grease," said Ashley McKee, junior English literature major. "Pangeos is cool though. They have pretty good food."
Pangeos, a healthy alternative to "food-on-the-run," specializes in Mexican and Italian pastas. One of the most popular dishes is "Splendente Penne Parmigiana," said Angela Dawson, Pangeos chef. Splendente Penne Parmigiana is a pasta dish with grilled peppers and onion, mushrooms, penne pasta, garlic marinara sauce, basil and parmesan. Pangeos accommodates their customers and will fix a vegetarian dish upon request. They feature one pasta dish daily.
"We prepare our dishes from fresh vegetables," said Dawson. "Most Pangeos dishes take about three minutes to fix, and the entree is prepared while you wait."
"Pangeos is a healthy alternative to the traditional fast foods," Bivens said. "It is prepared to order and we always use the freshest ingredients."
Nao and Zen, Asian fusion, specializes in Chinese food. They have fried rice, chicken, steak and chopped vegetables. Nao and Zen has one entree and egg rolls daily, said chef Camellia Gordon.
"One of the most popular dishes we have is the 'Steak Sweet and Sour Fried Rice,'" Gordon said. "The dish consists of steak and vegetables on a bed of rice, topped with a sweet and sour sauce."
Memphis Market serves food with a home-cooked touch. Every day has a theme -- ranging from Cajun, Homecooking, Country Roads (Western), Italian or Chef Friday. There are usually three entrees, four vegetables and a roll or cornbread to choose from.
The Garden prepares fresh salads while diners wait. They have a choice of two salads and one sandwich daily. Some specialties include the house salad, chef salad, chicken caesar salad and taco salad.
The Soup Bowl specializes in homemade soups and chili. Some popular choices include the seafood gumbo, cream of broccoli and vegetable soups. The Soup Bowl also serves chili daily.
"All our soups and salads are prepared fresh daily. I make the soup from scratch every morning," said Sandy Hubbard, chef for The Soup Bowl, The Garden and Memphis Market. "We use fresh vegetables in our soups and salads."
A weekly menu for The Marketplace can be found at its front entrance, or on the A-frame sign between The University Center and the administration parking lot.
