By Lee Cole
It’s become common for my friends, and many other students that I know, to refer jokingly to Westside Dining as “Westaurant.” If you’ve been there, you know that it’s really less of a unified restaurant and more of a collection of unrelated food stations posing as restaurants. Basic Kneads is one of these so-called restaurants.
When I think of kneading, my mind conjures up images of angelic hands and artisan chefs. With this in mind, I imagined Basic Kneads as some pristine bakery where there are no mere bakers, but instead only the truest bread artisans, carefully and painstakingly kneading their dough until it has the ideal amount of gluten and approaches perfection. Unfortunately, the bread at Basic Kneads was not prepared by angels’ hands, but instead seemed to have been prepared in a factory, probably by a machine or, at the very least, by non-angelic entities.
The first thing I noticed about Basic Kneads was the lack of any kind of menu. Under the glass at the counter, you can see an assortment of pre-made sandwiches and individual ingredients. But there was nothing indicating what was actually in each food item. When I politely asked if there was some kind of menu I could look at, the person at the counter explained to me that students can choose from the pre-made sandwiches or make their own sandwiches from the individual ingredients, which I probably couldn’t have gathered on my own. I ordered, well, what can only be called “that one,” when accompanied by a pointed finger. I also picked up a roll as a side.
When I sat down, I ascertained that my sandwich contained salami, ham, lettuce, tomato, provolone and mayonnaise. The cold-cut sandwich was filling and the meat was acceptable, but it was nothing to write home about. The roll was also only mediocre at best.
When I returned for round two, I ordered a cheese quesadilla. Once again, the quesadilla was filling and acceptable, but I was left unsatisfied. I had to grab a chili dog and about five double-chocolate cookies from other stations to round out my meal.
The atmosphere around Basic Kneads is loud, crowded, and what you would expect from a cafeteria-style dining hall. In terms of décor, there is very little to distinguish Basic Kneads from its neighbors, but nobody really goes to the Westaurant for its atmosphere. Students go there because it’s fast, filling and supported by the meal plan. The bread at Basic Kneads may not have mystic qualities, but it’s certainly enough to fill you up when you’re pressed for time and you can’t afford to eat out. It may not have been the best place I’ve ever eaten, and the bread may not have been kneaded by real hands, but it wasn’t bad either. And it’s healthier and closer to campus than fast food joints or more ritzy establishments. Overall, while it’s nothing spectacular, students will find that it’s fast and convenient and will certainly satisfy their kneads.
