Both new and returning students have stepped back into MIA, ready for their favorite part of school, lunch. Most students use this time to eat with friends while gossiping about teachers or students. Students who don’t pack lunch usually bring up a dollar to the iconic MIA Snack Shack to choose a snack. Foods range from sweet to salty, and even to sour. There are three common categories within the Snack Shack including sweet and sugary snacks, warm-up meals, and chips. I went around asking fellow students and peers their opinions on the snack shack including their favorite snack and what they feel should be added or changed.

Sweet and Sugary Snacks

A little kid’s dream. Growing up, we are taught that eating too many sweet snacks and candy is unhealthy. With the snack shack, there are no restrictions. You can buy anything from chocolate to chewy sour snacks and even full-sized candy bars, all for a dollar only. The most popular at the Snack Shack are the Sour Patch Kids, Sour Skittles, and M&Ms. Although highly popular, students rate them very low. Hanna Saad, a freshman, had mostly positive things to say about our beloved snack shack. One minor complaint that Hanna had was that “the M&M’s are a five out of ten, I love my sweet snacks but those are too sweet for me.” The Snack Shack is known for its sugary snacks but some say there are too many and we need to have more of a variety. 

Warm Up Snacks

Warm-up snacks consist of anything that needs to be microwaved to be consumed. Popular options for this are macaroni and cheese and ramen. Cassie Letendre, a junior, states that the chicken biscuits are “actually really good.. they look disgusting but they taste really good, and the Velveeta cups are really good.” The problem with the heat-up sandwiches is that the bread gets soggy and sometimes they don’t cook all the way through. Also, the line for the microwaves to warm up snacks can get long and take time out of a student’s lunch period. Although sandwiches are not usually a common pick, the mac and cheese and ramen have very good reviews. Four out of eight students pick mac and cheese over ramen, rating it an average of 9/10. The other half of the students chose ramen with a 9.5/10 overall rating. Some don’t prefer the warm-up meals at all, with one review from Collette Combs, a senior, “I don’t really like any of them (the warm-up meals)… Uncrustables I can put in the microwave.” Though some may not prefer them, many students say Uncrustables are one of the healthier/better snacks at the Snack Shack, compared to the candy and chips. 

Chips

Chips are a very common purchase at the Snack Shack. Flavors range from sweet to salty to spicy. The most common ones are Takis and Sweet Chili Doritos, also known as the purple Doritos at our Snack Shack. Taki’s are the most popular with 4 out of 10 people saying they would choose them due to their spicy and strong flavor and their intense crunch that comes with the hot chili pepper and lime flavoring. Rating them the highest of any snack with 10/10 reviews. Another common suggestion was the purple Doritos with 3/10 votes. Another snack mentioned was Cheetos, with two mentions from Megan Donaldson and Cassie Letendre. Overall, these snacks are a must-buy at our Snack Shack.

Student Opinions 

Despite the wide variety of snacks, students feel there are still some sections lacking in our MIA Snack Shack. When asking students what should be added or brought back, many mentioned the lack of nutrition and “healthy snacks”. Student Noah Smith stated his opinion, suggesting “proper food, still microwavable but more substantial.” He further went on to state affordable options such as “Fettuccine alfredo and protein bars for people who want the protein”. Many others have vocalized their standpoint, and a common request was salads. “I think they should have pre-made salads there… because salads are really good for you,” said Lily Tessarzik. But she is not the only one who shared this opinion; other students like Celeste Forester and Collette Combs also agree with this statement. Parents have voiced their concerns about the amount of processed food with artificial dyes and flavoring. To better our student health it can be seen that the addition of salads would greatly benefit the school and students. Getting healthier alternatives to junk food would be better for the seller and the buyer. Still, despite the improvements that could be made, the snack shack is a great overall success.