…Or at least the eggs have. Since the start of this semester, eggs have been somewhat of a rare commodity in the Yawkey Student Dining Room. The station where students could once get a variety of made-to-order eggs (in any manner from whites to fried to sunny side up) now sports a sign that reads “Due to egg shortages caused by avian flu, we’re offering delicious options other than eggs”.
The reaction among students and faculty has been mixed. As someone who normally goes for a bacon, egg, and cheese in the morning, Rachel Lebel (’17) finds the shortage annoying. She thinks it’s “weird that there are no eggs at the Grill, but there are scrambled [at Comforts], and eggs at the Muddy.” When asked if she knew why the egg shortage was happening, she said ” I think the eggs had the flu, at least that’s what the sign said.”
Other staff and students appear unaffected. When asked about the subject, Officer Joseph Woods of Campus Safety admitted, “I never really eat in the caf. I only get coffee.”
Connor Barr (’19) was similarly unfazed, as he poured syrup on his pancakes. He explained, “I’m a freshman, so I never had the eggs in the first place.”
Adelino “Ace” Cruz, a member of the Muddy River staff, was able to describe the situation in greater detail. He claimed that the disease plaguing the chickens is affecting the college’s ability to get orders in. “We’re trying to make it fair and distribute the eggs we get on both sides,” he says. “But the companies are limiting orders to a certain number per school.” Put simply, “We definitely need some more eggs.”
This isn’t just a localized issue. All around the country, egg prices have been increasing. According to an article in USA Today, the price of wholesale chicken eggs has spiked drastically due to the more than 49 million chickens and turkeys that have died or been euthanized since the flu spread from Pacific Northwest to Midwest farms.
When will this issue be resolved and how soon can students and staff expect to once again see the Grill serving fried eggs? Only time will tell.
Images provided by Robin Fortado, General Manager of Bon Appetit Dining Services
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