Perhaps our beloved toasters took a play out of Anna Kendrick’s book in Pitch Perfect, “You’re gonna miss me when I’m gone.”
Last week, students were surprised to find that conventional spring toasters in the dining hall replaced the conveyor-style toasters. The old toasters were a popular choice for students in a rush to grab an on-the-go breakfast or looking for a quick meal in between classes. Several students complained about the uneven toasting and slower speed of the replacement toasters.
“I really miss the revolving toasters. I just think they were a lot more efficient, and you could put so many things in at once.” said Elyse Cornwall ’18.
Besides slowness, students have encountered other issues with the replacement toasters as well. Anselm Kizza-Besigye ’17 recounted, “The new toasters don’t indicate when they’re on or off. So the other day, I stared at my toast for five minutes before I realized the toaster wasn’t even on. And then I just had to eat cold toast because I had class.”
Mr. Jay Goodmaster, the Production Manager of SAGE Dining Services at Choate, reassured students, “They are strictly backup toasters. They’re not ideal, and we don’t plan to use them on a regular basis.”
The spring toasters were temporary stand-ins for the two conveyor toasters provided by the dining hall, both of which were sent out for repair. One was found broken four days before Parents’ Weekend and the other a week or so later. The source of the damage was in the heating elements of the toasters.
Mr. Goodmaster explained, “We didn’t see anyone break them but we do have peanut butter being sent through the toasters. Oils can get on those elements. Bread or butter knives hitting them can also cause them to break down.”
When this article went to press, one of the two toasters had been repaired and reinstalled in its original station.
This recent issue could be highlighting a bigger problem: a dearth of appliances that can be used by students to cater foods to their preferences. For example, many students find that the cookies taste better when heated; however, the only available options are to toast them (which is discouraged) or press them in the Panini maker.
“I went to a college campus, and I frequently used it to cook meals. I think the underlying problem is that the dining hall needs a microwave, an asset that would be highly valuable to our overall dining hall experience,” said Abby Blair ’17.
This idea of allowing students to access additional appliances such as microwaves in the dining hall has been previously proposed, although it has not been implemented due to safety concerns and technical issues.
To the relief of students across campus, the conveyor-style toasters have been returned to their rightful spot in the dining hall. As Cornwall put it, “We definitely took the old toasters for granted.”
