“Exploring a world of flavor” at Pat Case dining center.
Pat Case dining center hosted a Food Fest with cuisines from different cultures and countries on Oct. 10. The food options that day were arguably the best-tasting and most varied so far this year. Attendees of the Food Fest were given a passport where they could receive a stamp from six different countries: Brazil, India, Lebanon, Vietnam, China and France. The idea is that for each food station a student visits, they would receive a stamp.
The Chinese food station consisted of Kung Pao chicken, orange chicken, egg rolls, lo mein, fried rice and roasted asian vegetable soup. The Lebanese food station had pita bread, hummus, falafel, roasted vegetables, Lebanese rice and Tzatziki sauce. The Vietnamese food station gave students a small black styrofoam bowl of Phở with broth and “brisket” with other optional toppings such as jalapeños, lime, scallion, basil and cilantro. Lastly, the French food station consisted of several desserts, some including cream puffs and creme brulee cheesecake.
Oddly, there was no actual Indian food at the event. Instead, there were tubs of ice cream with various toppings in lieu of the soft serve machine that was previously advertised to be up and running for the first time since freshman orientation, which took place back in August. Similarly, the only remotely Brazilian food item at the salad bar was the caldo verde soup. However, they did have the several pasta options they typically serve, which could have easily counted as an Italian food station and Impossible Chorizo Tacos were also served as a meal option for vegan or vegetarian diners close by.
Interestingly, several students had their own various opinions on the food at Pat Case Food Fest. As a vegetarian, Marketing major Jessica Abdo was very pleased with the vegetarian and vegan options offered at the event, noting her favorite to be the chorizo tacos which were spicy and sweet at the same time, but was disappointed at the very dry falafel served at the Lebanese food station. However, another diner, Biology major Lucille Ledbetter, said the Lebanese food was the best out of the day’s lunch lineup. Forensic psychology major Bianca Worley stated that she, “wished there were foods from other harder-to-find food cultures, such as African, Scottish or European foods, since Vietnamese, Chinese and Mexican restaurants are commonly found throughout Tulsa.”
Personally, my favorite entree was probably the egg rolls and orange chicken from the Chinese food station. I was also a huge fan of the cream puffs and creme brulee cheesecake at the French dessert station. My least favorite dishes of the lineup were the Phở and the fried rice, as the Phở broth was a bit sour and the fried rice was a bit spicy. Additionally, it would’ve been nice to eat the Phở with chopsticks or a soup spoon. Overall, I’m glad Pat Case hosted the event and hope to see another Food Fest again, perhaps with different food selections.
The Food Fest was not the end of interesting happenings at Pat Case last week. The following day at Pat Case brought some exciting additions to the dining center. Firstly, the previously mentioned soft serve machine finally re-opened a day later than anticipated, which had several students flocking to use it for the first time this semester. On the same day, to the joy of several Muslim students at TU, Pat Case started including halal meal options which are now available upon request.
Zoha Ahmed, one of TU’s many Muslim students, stated “I was genuinely taken aback when two other Muslim students came up to me and said ‘You have to go to Pat Case, they’re finally serving halal meat options’ and they didn’t disappoint.” The halal meat in question was chicken seasoned with salt and pepper, which was brought in a sealed bag and cooked in front of diners with a clean, unused frying pan to prevent cross-contamination.
Maha Abid, another Muslim TU student, had this to say about the halal chicken meal: “I was happy that they finally served halal meat, so I could finally eat some protein. Even though the only option was chicken, which honestly tasted good, it’s better than having nothing. Although I would love to see more options in the future. Overall I’m happy, even if they stick to only serving chicken, because I appreciate that they are respecting my religion.”
All in all, last week was a very eventful and enjoyable week for students who went to Pat Case for their daily meal, and the TU student populace looks forward to the next event or updates Pat Case will have to offer.
