Spoon University at Baruch: A Food Site That Caters to College Students
By: Nicole Caropolo
College students are great at a lot of things. They can pull multiple all-nighters before exams, right a 1,000-word paper 2 hours before it’s due, and can tell you the best places to get cheap textbooks. One thing that college students are not so great at is finding things to eat besides Raman noodles and $1 pizza. Thanks to a new club that is beginning at Baruch College called Spoon University, you will no longer have to suffer through microwavable noodles and doughy, undercooked pizza.
Spoon University is a site made by college students and for college students. It revolves around all aspects of food, from the best local restaurants to recipes that you can make in your dorm. They also have articles on a variety of important, relevant topics related to food that prove how influential the food you eat can truly be.
Spoon University currently has over 150 chapters across U.S. college campuses, as well as over 50 more in production.
Baruch College’s branch for Spoon University was started by Hannah Sarraf, a Baruch College sophomore. After receiving 300 signatures on a petition, the branch became established.
The site intrigued Sarraf because she’s always been a “foodie.”
“I’ve always been interested in it,” Sarraf said about food. “Cooking in the kitchen, wanting to know more about what I eat.”
Katherine Recinos, Baruch College senior, is an avid reader of Spoon as well as a close friend of Sarraf’s, and she is confident Sarraf’s leadership skills.
“Hannah will be a great head of the Spoon at Baruch branch because she’s very passionate about the topic,” Recinos said. “I’m so impressed already by the initiative she has taken to get it off the ground.”
A major topic often covered in Spoon articles is health. This isn’t referring to just reducing the amount of cookies you eat in one sitting or doing 10 minutes of yoga every morning. This refers to common healthy food trends that have blown up throughout the teenage and young adult demographics.
Common health trends that have been taking over the current generation include things like protein smoothies, kale, and organic ingredients. Spoon embraces these growing trends with stories like “4 Smoothies to Get You in Shape for Summer” and “5 Ways to Make Kale Not Suck.”
The overwhelming content of health on Spoon is proving that just because you have a low budget, doesn’t mean that you can’t have nutrition and protein in your daily diet. Regardless of time and money, you should always have your health in mind.
“The section of Spoon that is based around health can and should appeal to college students because we need to make good decisions about what we’re putting into our bodies,” Sarraf said. “We need to eat more intelligently. We’re college students so we’re low on money and buy groceries on a budget. Spoon appeals to that.”
Spoon’s recipes give students the chance to stay fit from the comfort of their own kitchen. The overwhelming amount of these recipes on the site prove that you can include healthy food and drinks into your diet without having to sit down at a restaurant for every meal and order something with unpronounceable ingredients.
Food is more than just a necessity for living. It has become very influential in unexpected ways. Spoon University covers a wide variety of important, relevant topics such as eating disorders and what to eat based on your religion.
Eating disorders are relevant to not only college students, but to all ages. Spoon acknowledges the real issues that surround the sensitive topic of disorders through profiles of people that deal with them, as well as informational articles about the truth behind eating disorders. They have articles including “Why I Consider My Eating Disability a Disorder” and “10 Misconceptions About Eating Disorders.”
Melanie Cordova, Baruch College senior, is excited to see content on important, serious topics like eating disorders that many students may be worried to speak out about.
“It’s great to have coverage on that to show people that they aren’t alone and there’s other alternatives to help during their times of despair,” Cordova said. “A big platform should use their power to spread awareness of those things and also help their audience, and inform them on trends that they can benefit from.”
Eating habits based off of religion are another important part of many college students’ daily lives, especially in diversified colleges like Baruch. Eating kosher, specific table manners, eating certain foods for holidays, these are all things that college kids may be dealing with based off of their religion. It’s not always easy either, as we can tell by Spoon articles like “5 of the Weirdest Jewish Food Traditions, as Told by a Jew” and “What Americans Don’t Know About Real Indian Food.”
Spoon covering issues such as health, eating disorders and religious foods proves that food is more than just something to fill your stomach so you don’t get sick or tired. It plays a pivotal role in our daily lives that many may take for granted, and we need to be aware of the issues and obstacles that may come along with it.
The intriguing part about having a Spoon branch that caters to Baruch is that it will show content unique to our area and our students, like the best restaurants near Madison Square Park and what to eat from the school café.
Spoon at Baruch is currently searching for photographers, writers, videographers, and marketers to contribute. The application deadline is October 3rd, and students can apply at http://spoonuniversity.com/apply.