Five De Anza College Students reacted to a survey showing people’s eating out behaviors in the United States.
The survey was performed by The Statics Portal on statista.com, showing which meals consumers like to eat at quick-service restaurants. Lunch was the meal with the highest vote of 72 percent over other meals such as breakfast, dinner, snacks between meals, and people who simply do not eat out at all.
The eating out behaviors and opinions were gathered on Monday, March 4 in the De Anza College campus cafeteria.
Julie Won, 19, a computer science major said, “I bring my own lunch to school, but I tend to eat out at lot for dinner.”
De Anza College showed mixed patterns of eating out behavior. Three out of four students said they consistently eat in the cafeteria while two students said they bring their own lunch to school.
Chris Martinez, 23, a communication studies major said that he often chooses the food provided by the campus cafeteria. Martinez said that he admits it is not not the healthiest, but that time is his biggest battle.
Martinez said, “5 percent of the time I’ll bring leftovers or food from home if I have the time to prepare it.”
Other students like Danica Holland, 20, an economics major, said that she makes the time.
“I meal prep all of my meals at home for the week,” said Holland. “It saves me more money in the long-term and it is healthier in my opinion.”
Holland said she confirmed that she would still rather eat her own meals than the food provided even if it was shown to be healthier.
“I just like to know what I’m putting into my body,” Holland said. “It’s important to me.”
Simone Solar, 20, a business administration major, who said she lives at home with her parents said, “Occasionally I’ll bring leftovers, but I usually eat food here on campus.”
Solar also said that she’s lucky to live with her mom who cooks her dinner almost every night. “I would probably eat out every night if she didn’t,” Solar said.
Javier Rodriguez, 21, an administration justice major, said that time is not the only issue for him.
“I’m just not a good cook,” Rodriguez said. “It’s easier for me to grab food in the cafeteria or even food from a local quick-service restaurant.”
Martinez said he often lean towards Una Mas or Noodle Pho Bar while on campus, while Rodriguez and Solar said they tend to grab pizza, pasta or a burger.
Rodriguez said he has to eat in order to have energy for his classes.
“To be honest, it’s not the best food,” said Rodriguez. “But it does the job.”