Quarantine students redeem on NYU’s “Fire Fest” food offerings on TikTok

This week, students from “restricted states” began arriving at NYU to complete a mandatory two-week career before starting in-person classes (the school encourages anyone from outside the tri-state to quarantine as well). They have precautionary measures in place to try to make the experience safer for everyone, including mandatory COVID-19 testing for both on-campus and off-campus students.

The school has also agreed to deliver three meals a day to quarantined students, which has not got off to a great start. Students began sharing videos about TikTok shaking the university for offering dirty meals, missed deliveries and improper deliveries of food to people with allergies as well as dietary restrictions. And several students compare the loud offering with the food given at Fyre Fest.

“There are now quarantine students who do not have dinner and they are not allowed to leave their dorm,” one person said. tweeted. “Please add my FRIENDS what is this FYRE festival ???”

“I’m a student on a financial emergency scholarship, I live pretty much from the restitution of housing and COVID grant grants until I can get some work,” said 20-year-old junior Landon J. “I was hoping I would at least not I have to worry about my meal, but do not think so. “

According to the career resource guide given to students when they arrive, “three complete boxes per day will be delivered to rooms or floors.” Students were told they would get one delivery every morning of all three meals with the food outside their doors, but several students said it has been more unfair than that.

“The timing of food is sporadic,” Landon said. “I moved yesterday afternoon and did not get a real meal until 10.30am.” He said he got a box with an apple, some cookies and a piece of bread, and then nothing else until late at night when he got a 12 ounce salad and some chips. “They did not report when the food would arrive, so at the moment I thought it was a meal. I’m not sure what it would be like to be honest with you.”

“It’s just annoying because the way I bought work could not bring a cooking ban with me and had to wait for them to ship. That I had to rely on takeout, which is expensive, and their incredibly tasteless meals,” he sei. “It’s a lot of students to feed, so I did not expect high quality, just something on par with the dining halls, but it is nowhere near.”

“I seem to be one of the happiest, because they deliver at least most of my meals – I’m happy in the sense that I’re skipped only once, that I did not get lunch yesterday,” said the 19-year-old. junior Charlie Dodge. “Almost everyone else I talk to has had problems where they only get one meal a day if their dietary restrictions are not respected.”

The suitcase of Dodge, 20-year-old junior Enrique Colon, was placed in the temporary room for the duration of the quarantine to speak to people. For the first few days, all his meals were delivered to her dorm instead of his room.

“I called the director of the Resident Hall for my dorm on Wednesday and was told they were aware of the situation and working on it,” Colon Gothamist said. “I was informed later that day by email that the food service did not put our temporary rooms on the roster, despite the fact that I received a record. I later received an email from the senior director of campus services advising us to order from Grubhub with the promise of a $ 30 ticket as a fee. “

The selection of foods included in the meal boxes – including salads with one piece of meat, bags of chips, a lemon – has suppressed people when they actually received it. “I can tell they’re trying to be healthy, because most meals are a salad with some meat and a few snacks, but because the meat is normally hard and the salad is often overcooked, I usually just eat the junk food that they throw in. A lot of people seem to feel the same way, “said 18-year-old newcomer Madison Hall.

Several students have said that they or someone if they knew they would be getting a specialty meal due to diet restriction, and that they were getting the opposite. Others are frustrated with the lack of response or guidance from the school.

“NYU originally promised us two meals a day, and later gave us three meals, although I was not aware of emails explaining the increase – they also sent us a form, although it was a little difficult to navigate. and to find, for food restrictions, so they knew who needed special meals, “said 21-year-old junior Raef Khan. “I filled out the form and asked Halal, because that’s my diet restriction. On the first day after I moved, they gave me an order I could not have, normal chicken Caesar salad. On ‘ the second day, I did not get lunch or dinner at all. “

knows the speed. it’s egregious mode pic.twitter.com/qa3ALMgBgd

– jamal (@jamal_nasirr) August 20, 2020

Students have been particularly frustrated and disgusted by the re-emerging watermelon chicken salad. (They are equally frustrated with students on campus Who are “bragging” about need not address these issues in other parts of the city.)

“I’m not on TikTok, but my brother sent me some videos and so far they are super on point,” Hall said. “The food is strange and the watermelon cone salad was disgusting. I hear a lot of the group chats where I am … I think a lot of the frustration is that the food is pretty inedible and the fact that it’s all has real access to it, unless you have the money to order or if you have brought in food. “

literally retched to the salad pic.twitter.com/rB5gD7SapA

– lexapro official update (@idiotsocialist) August 20, 2020

Dodge notes that with a lack of help from NYU, some students have taken it upon themselves to try to organize donation funds and coordinate food delivery for students who do not receive their meal and cannot order takeout.

For her part, NYU spokesman John Beckman acknowledged the problems with the issue of meal delivery. “We are aware of the complaints of the students, which are valid,” he told Gothamist. “This is a never-before-seen operation for us and our food vendor, Chartwells (or, large-scale supply of meals to dormitories. There are more than 2,600 quarantine students in our area, and they need to get three decent meals each day. Benei) 20% of the meals are specialized – kosher, vegan, halal, etc.) But it is essential to get it right, and we are disappointed in Chartwells’ management of the quarantine meal process.We and Chartwells correct the situation immediately. “

He adds that they have taken several steps to try to correct things, including adding a shift to make food earlier in the day for delivery; add staff to respond quickly to complaints about student food; dedicate the staff of food services to the preparation of special meals; add staff to the residences to deliver the meals faster; and authorizing staff in the residences to order meals through regular delivery services or giving money to students to order delivery themselves if the food that arrives is not good enough.

“We recognize that when people have to quarantine themselves in their rooms, a few things a day are more important than looking forward to something fun to eat, so this is a particularly sad mistake, and a let-down for our students,” he said. Said Beckman. “We are concerned that this did not go as planned, we and Chartwells apologize to the students, and we are working to correct them immediately.”