Pinky Up, Dear

What Your CSL Etiquette Says About Your Character and Self-Esteem

The CSL is a very important place, the social hub of Augustana's campus. Even if you don't have a meal plan or don't eat at the CSL on a regular basis, you still know what the CSL is if you go to Augustana College. The CSL's importance stems from the power food has in bringing people together. Everybody loves food, and even if you don't particularly enjoy all of the food the CSL provides, you probably enjoy some of the foods and have gone enough to learn the "ins and outs" of dining at the CSL. The following scenarios present the ways in which a person's CSL etiquette defines that person's character and self-esteem.


Scenario 1: Neglecting to put tops back on the soup containers

In this first scenario, Nicole neglected to replace the tops on the soup containers after she dished up some tomato basil soup. This really does not seem to be a significant problem, but this actually speaks loudly of her character. Nicole's negligence shows a degree of apathy. She has not considered that the CSL worker now has to take extra time to replace the lids on the soup containers. She is letting heat out and making the soup colder for everyone else. Her inability to do even the most simple polite gestures makes one fear how she might address the needs of others in a broader context.



Scenario 2: Putting silverware on the conveyor belt

 In this second scenario, Nicole is consciously deciding to put her silverware on the conveyor belt, even though there is a sign asking those who dine to throw their silverware down the shoot. Nicole is once again being apathetic. She does not care that the CSL dish-washers have to take extra time to put her silverware with everyone else's silverware. Nicole is being extremely lazy. All she has to do is pick up the silverware from her plate and throw it down a shoot located directly in front of her, but instead she chooses to put it on the conveyor belt. She feels no guilt, or if she does, it soon disappears.

Scenario 3: Eating too many cookie bars and brownies

In this third scenario, Nicole is eating two cookie bars and a brownie in one sitting. Our society would call this "too many" cookie bars and brownies. From society's standpoint, we can analyze this situation in multiple ways. Nicole is possibly eating so many sweets because she is upset about something, and she's just eating her problems away. Or perhaps, Nicole is confident enough to disregard  what society labels as "too many" sweets and eats whatever she wants to eat in whatever quantity.





Scenario 4: Eating alone at a large table

In this fourth scenario, Nicole is enjoying her multiple desserts alone at one of the large round tables. This particular scenario says quite a bit about the type of person Nicole is. First, Nicole may be very lonely. She is unable to find anyone to eat with at lunch and must resort to eating alone. Perhaps she likes eating alone, but in many cases, people do not prefer to eat alone. Perhaps Nicole struggles to make friends and must suffer the humiliation of sitting alone because she could not find anyone who wanted to sit with her. Second, Nicole is again being very rude. There are multiple smaller tables in the CSL that Nicole could have chosen to sit at when enjoying her desserts, but instead she chose to sit at a 6-8 person table by herself, an action that personally bothers me when I am looking for a table in the CSL. If the CSL is very full, a large group will not be able to sit together because she has taken the entire table for herself. Was it truly necessary that Nicole sit at this table?


Scenario 5: Stealing those delicious cookie bars and brownies

In this final scenario, Nicole has gotten over the fact that she had to eat alone and has moved on to much bigger and better things: stealing sweets and hiding them in her backpack. It is extremely common for students to take extra sweets or fruits and stash them away in their backpacks before leaving the CSL. The CSL provides many quick foods to grab and save for later, but these foods are not intended to be taken in large quantities. Students take them and hide them in their backpacks because they know what they are doing is wrong. Nicole is showing a clear disregard for rules by putting away more desserts in her backpack.




While many of these scenarios may seem silly or insignificant, I believe they actually say a lot about a person's character and self-esteem. We all see these various scenarios played out in the CSL on a daily basis. However, they may have more meaning than it seems. The ways in which people conduct themselves in public say a lot about them. A person who sits alone in the CSL may experience a low self-esteem or insecurity. Does this seem to be true? And does a person who refuses to replace a lid on a soup bowl or put silverware down the silverware shoot not care about how it affects other people?

I think the ways in which we handle the little things say a lot about how we handle the big things. I argue that if we cannot handle easy tasks like putting a lid back on a container, we cannot handle dealing with more significant public issues in our careers and adult lives. Next time you visit the CSL, take the time to consider how your actions affect others. The little things speak wonders about the big things.

*Thank you to Nicole Chase for being my model. I do not believe you are apathetic, rude or insecure. You are great.*