Food trucks give students unhealthy alternative to University Village

The University Village located on the Northern side of the USC campus was a flocking area for USC students and LAUSD/USC Cinematic Arts and Engineering Magnet (CAE) students. The village was Eden to many students who needed a break from school. The food court offered a variety of food options from Indian, Mongolian, Korean and Italian. Unfortunately that all came to an unexpected end. The recent tear down of the Village across the street from LAUSD/USC CAE Magnet School has left many students with a void in their stomach. The renovation brought in many local food trucks to the area in hopes that they would fulfill the void left by the University Village. But some ponder whether or not the food trucks are a healthy alternative.

To get a sense of what kind of food was being offered, we asked students what they purchase. USC CAE Senior Bryan Garcia visits the food trucks and says, “I visit the Kabob food truck almost every day. I get the same thing, which is either a plain burger or a burrito.” Junior Mariyah Plair has a similar taste in food but adds a few touches to her burger to make it more enjoyable, adding avocados and bacon. Senior Edwin Mejia has a more peculiar taste and enjoys the Chanchos Tacos food truck for their “delicious chicken quesadillas.” The old Village, unlike the food trucks, had more options to choose from whether it be a vegetarian sandwich or a fish entree. The food trucks in contrast sell greasy and fattening food that, while tasty, pose a threat to our health.

These three students all agree that the food trucks are not healthy, but with limited resources at their disposal they cannot complain. Bryan preferred the Village because it had a variety of healthy alternatives. Mariyah says that the food trucks are “McDonald’s on wheels, but I still like it.” Edwin Mejia then responded by saying “it is very convenient seeing that it’s right in front of our school and the food is pretty good but is very expensive.” Mariyah says otherwise and states that the food truck is very cheap and the quantity of food that is served is more than an average meal.

Overall the response we got about the food trucks was very positive with great food choices. But the answer was clear; the food trucks are not healthy. The long wait for the new remodeled village is certainly building up. With the expected finish of the Village to be in fall of 2017 the community is hopeful for their expectations to be exceeded.

Written and Photographed by Joshua Morales and Joshua Moreno