Saturday, October 2, 2010

"All You Care To Eat"

I recently stumbled upon this clever phrase - "All You Care To Eat"

Everyone knows the universal catch phrase for buffets is "All You Can Eat". And obviously this entails two givens:
1. You are in America
2. You are supposed to eat a lot. 

Now, the dining halls at UVA apparently consider themselves to be one step above the standard buffet. Instead, UVA's dining halls are "green" facilities, provide a highly competitive price, and above all they are "All You Care To Eat".

What is it with this phrase? I realize that 'All You Can Eat' and 'Buffet Style' are not the classiest of terminology, but really UVA? Did you actually think saying "care to" was going to make you sound healthier or more appealing? I guess we have this standard at UVA for being skinny. Therefore, you can come to our dining hall and if you care to eat a little (anorexia)... please go ahead. But if you care to eat a lot, you can just barf it all up later or go on a 16 hour run (bulimia)! Either way, you can decide your portions for yourself when you come here! If they said "All You Can Eat", people would have no idea that they could limit the portions of food they consumed, I guess.

If its not about appealing to our health nuts (eating disorders) out there, then what could it be that sparked this change in terminology? It couldn't be that our dining halls are actually serving healthier food, in comparison to the fattier foods at other "All You Can Eat" establishments. That is simply not true. Done. And. Done. As if, "All You Care To Eat" is subconsciously echoing in your mind in a British accent! This particular buffet is transformational, a sensation of tastes and cultures! Gourmet meets Buffet in a whole new world of excitement... enter.. if you care...

So, this leaves me with only one option. Now, don't get me wrong. I love going to the dining hall. There is nostalgia involved, there is a plethora of options, and I personally gorge myself each and every trip! However, since our dining halls are not especially known for serving the healthiest foods, and because we certainly couldn't imagine UVA trying to feign the notion that it encourages healthy options and portions (sarcasm), I assume UVA chose "All You Care To Eat" because we are in the age of making post-modernist appeals to the public. Therefore, we all must have our own way of communicating simple messages to others without reverting or relying on colloquial idioms.

All You Can Eat = All You Care To Eat; Kirstie Alley

Beat Around The Bush = Hop-Scotch Around The Azaleas; Sex

Down In The Dumps = Need Adderall; Got A Wee Bit Too Drunk Last Night And Fell Into The Toilet

Last But Not Least = That Sucks; I'm A Double Major

Lost My Train Of Thought: I Might Smoke Too Much Weed; Dumb

<3

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