LETTER: Blimpie turned its back on poor students

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by Nate Blair

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To the editor:

Here at Rice there are a lot of traditions. From the college system to bad CK food, some things remain constants.

They are traditions that, for better or worse, deserve respect because they help to define the true character of Rice. They certainly should not be removed without a great deal of time and consideration of the consequences.

Yet that is exactly what has happened to one of Rice's younger traditions, one that came into existence my freshman year and found instant support and popularity.

The tradition to which I am referring: 99-cent Blimpie sandwiches on Sundays. The end of this tradition was certainly a shock for this Rice student.

I had eaten a wonderful Easter brunch earlier in the day when around 6 p.m. my stomach began to crave sustenance. So I hopped in my car and drove down Kirby to my Sunday dinner stand-by, Blimpie. The parking lot was unusually empty, and I had expected to see an "out of bread" sign on the door as I had in past weeks.

Instead, I found out the Rice special was gone. Apparently, Blimpie has come under new ownership, and the new owner has decided to cancel the deal which allowed so many Rice students a chance to eat a somewhat healthy, satisfying meal without putting too big a dent in our wallets.

Why, you ask? Well, he was not there to comment.

Without the Rice special, we at Rice have to consider our alternatives. There is the budget option, where we sacrifice our health to keep costs down and turn to the 99-cent Whoppers and the even cheaper, unhealthier, Taco Hell.

Or we can fork over the five or six bucks and get a quality deli sandwich like Blimpie provided.

To those of you who are willing to consume the fat and calories of fast food, that is your choice. I am more concerned with those who choose to spend the extra dollars and continue to have sandwiches for Sunday dinner.

I urge you to not go to Blimpie. There is quality deli at Houston Bread Co., Kahn's and Jason's Deli for a similar price that is both better- tasting and closer to campus.

Perhaps a campus-wide boycott of the Blimpie on Kirby will show the owner the error of his ways. It is no surprise to me that instead of the typical crowd that congregates every Sunday at Blimpie, the place was completely empty.

How hard would it have been to continue the special for the few weeks that remain of this semester and simply not start again next year?

Oh sure, there's still the Silver Saver discount, but it's not nearly the deal the Rice special was.

Blimpie once provided a service to the impoverished college students of Rice University. Now it has turned its back on us.

Let us, the Rice student body, respond by turning our backs on it; and let this cry be heard across campus: "Blimpie is skimpy! Boycott the Blimp!"

Nate Blair

Jones '98

This item appeared in the Opinion section of the April 19, 1996 issue.

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