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A researched guide to spending your “free” money

It’s freshman year — spring semester — and you find yourself with 600 flex points. How is this possible? (Disclosure and jealousy warning: This might be a very fictional scenario for most students.) If you’re lucky enough to recognize this situation, only one question remains: what will you use your surplus of points on …?

This real-life question inspired Lucy Hatch and me to implement “Try Anything Tuesday.” Try Anything Tuesday is a weekly lunch that evolved into the task of trying and rating every on-campus restaurant. With 15+ locations and only 15 weeks, we were determined to do the impossible.

Our journey began at popular locations like Chick-fil-A, but soon progressed to “remote” locations like Ivan’s Cafe at the Raclin Murphy Museum of Art. Soon, word spread about our challenge, and we received many requests to join. Our final meal turned into a potluck with all of our closest friends. Everyone brought their favorite food item from around campus to share. It was the perfect culmination of our freshman year with a melting pot of random foods and random friends. Lucy and I learned three very valuable lessons from Try Anything Tuesday.

The first lesson was about the value of random sidequests and shared experiences, even if they only last an hour. Tuesdays between 12:30 and 1:30 p.m. quickly became the highlight of my week. The second lesson pertains to student complaints about the quality of on-campus food. Lucy and I discovered mouthwatering food options; they simply require exploration, an open mind and sometimes, a trek to the art museum. The final lesson we learned was not so much a lesson as a discovery. … There is an insane amount of grilled cheese options on this campus!

For your enjoyment, here are our Tuesday rankings and subsequent reactions: