Katie Miller
Staff Writer
As students return to the University this semester, they will find new opportunities, relationships and experiences to improve their current lives and futures. The topic of new food, however, shocked several students, as sushi was included among Troy’s dining options.
Sushi is now found in locations such as Quick Zone, Trojan Center and Herb’s Place. It can be bought cheaply and quickly as a convenience to students who prefer the raw meat as an easy snack.
Joseph Romo, a junior music education major from Columbus, Georgia, finds the smoked shrimp rolls enjoyable. “At first I was a little worried, but as I looked at it, it looked really fresh,” Romo said. “It tasted great!”
Romo, a frugal college student, commended the university for the price of each sushi box. “Compared to Publix, where I get similar sizes of sushi boxes, it’s actually a few dollars cheaper,” Romo said. When asked how the sushi lives up to other restaurants, Romo provided his take on Mr. Ho’s sushi in comparison. “I would almost say the university’s sushi is better,” Romo said.
Hunter Irby, a junior global business major from Homewood, sampled the crab-meat spicy roll.
“I like how we have fresh food instead of always having fast food,” Irby said. “It was weird at first; I was surprised they had it. It was an OK experience.”
Many students flock to Golden Crane to experience authentic Japanese cuisine. A popular and affordable dish present in the restaurant is sushi, similar to those of the Troy brand. Grant Robinson, a sophomore nursing major from Birmingham, believed the sushi is “not as good” as Golden Crane’s sushi, but “is still pretty good.”
“Any time you eat sushi, you’re eating raw fish,” Robinson said. “If you’re willing to put raw fish into your body at a professional restaurant, who really cares if you put raw fish in your body on campus?
“The first sushi I got was the Bento Box, which had the traditional sushi, California rolls and sashimi,” Robinson said. “That was $10 in flex points. I was being ambitious and wanted to try it.”
For students who are prone to eating on the healthier side, the campus sushi may be a fine option. Robinson was impressed by the campus sushi and described it as “pseudo-healthy food” in comparison to the other dining options located in Trojan Center.
Each sushi box is made fresh every day, based on the expiration date on the box. Each is set to expire 24 hours following the initial making of the food. Leftovers will surely be thrown away — if there are any left due to the supposed popular demand.
Personally, sushi is my favorite food and continues to be my favorite food, even after trying campus sushi. I was skeptical at first, but immediately dove in upon the first bite. The basic sushicado roll, consisting of tuna and avocado, was spectacular.
I received nine pieces of sushi for less than $6, which is an incredible amount of sushi at such a high quality, for so little of a price. With or without soy sauce, the sushi remained strong in flavor and the taste was neither drowned out nor unsatisfyingly unseasoned.
Overall, I enjoyed it a lot and look forward to making more lunch selections throughout the school year.
The addition of campus sushi was an important and noticeable move by our university. Not only was it a creative idea, but the task was also carried out effectively and with great thought and care to the selections and overall quality of the sushi. While some students may not find the raw fish appealing, I would encourage every student to spend some flex points and dive into this fresh, delicious snack.
