Every Tuesday from 12:30 to 1:30 P.M. members from predominately Caucasian Greek organizations (fraternities and sororities) gather in the North Cafeteria in the Webb Center of Old Dominion University. The North Cafeteria happens to be rows upon row of dining tables. This event of the Greeks gather has been cleverly deemed as "tables".
But why is the event of Tables held?
Why do people go to Tables?
And how is this all related to food?
That is where my investigation begins...
The Brave Brother Nelson Villamon was the first to be interviewed while Tables was going on.
Approaching the interview in an official tone, like that of business man, Mr. Villamon explained how he does not come to Tables to eat. "It's more of social thing," Nelson said as he scanned the cafeteria with his eyes thinking of the actual reason he attends during his free activity hour.
To Brother Villamon Tables is a right of passage for Greeks. Once a Greek or in some cases potential Greek begins to attend Tables, he or she is acclimated to the Greek social network and becomes an acting member of brotherhood and sisterhood. Nelson explained that it is obvious who is Greek and who is not when observing the interactions. Not wearing letters to Tables makes you an outsider. This isolates you.
"If I come in and see a kid eating a bucket of chicken," Villamon exclaimed, "I'm just like 'That's not right'." He wonders why anyone would come to Tables to eat. He would much rather observe and socialize with his peers.
According to Nelson, why spend eight dollars on a meal, when you can shop around and get three meals for eight dollars. Rather than eat at the Webb Center during Tables, Mr. Villamon either fixes a full, healthy breakfast in the morning off campus, or eats after tables off-campus at a place where the meals go for at least a few dollars less than eight.
Arsenio Evans takes a somewhat different approach on the issue.
"I came to tables because I finally got out of bed at 12:05 this morning," said Arsenio. The idea of coming to table sis reason enough for Brother Evans to attend Tables. Usually, he just wants to be here.
But when Arsenio comes to Tables, it is not to eat. He comes to see his brothers, to hang out, and to socialize. He especially likes to represent his fraternity while he is here, as do most of the students here.
The lively and free spirited Arsenio tells that he does not eat at Tables, because there is no set time that he eats on a daily basis.
"Most people eat when they're hungry," he says slyly with a smirk of descent. Brother Evans eats when he is hungry and consumes whatever he feels like.
When asked whether he would compromise a taste meal for a lower price he replies with a short concise answer. He prefers meals that are, "Cheap to free. Free beats taste."
Last to be interviewed was Brother Santana Avalos.
This lowley, red-headed Spaniard says with a hint but a hint of regret that he comes to Tables because his fraternity makes him. He then explains, however, that he does like to socialize and interact with his peers at the event. According to Santana, Tables is not typically a place to eat, although it is held during activity hour when students are allotted a free block of time to recover from morning classes or prepare for afternoon classes.
He does not mind eating at Tables and eats at Tables whenever he gets the chance to be swiped into Cafe 12:01 for free by an unsuspecting friend.
In his point of view, Santana says that being a "broke, barely educated college kid who can't cook" creates many obstacles in his life and that it's often hard to come by a quality meal. This creates a since of desperation on his part and makes him sacrifice a healthy meal for a cheap and filling one all too often.
Being a potential Junior at Old Dominion University, Brother Avalos only wants to know one thing when it comes to the food on campus.
"Is it true they put salt peter* in the food here?"
*(Salt Peter, also known as Potassium Nitrate, is a substance with an interesting, controversial history...)
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