Lids are a humble object, but they’re essential for any college student who travels all day — between classes, practices, dorm rooms and wherever life might take them. Most takeout food served at St. Olaf comes with a covering, with one exception — the to-go cups at Stav Hall. They’re loveable, with their paper-like material and nostalgic stripes along the side, but they’re not exactly travelers. Technically, they are portable, but there’s a good chance it could spill if you’re not paying attention. Lids are the clear and simple answer.
I’ve used the paper cups exactly once, when I was a naive first year scrambling for lunch. Disaster struck — it ended up spilling by the backpack shelf, inches away from ruining dozens of student’s days. Ever since then, I’ve been thinking of more and more reasons to add lids. Our drinks would be less open to wasps, less likely to spill, and most importantly they’d look cooler. People in the Mess office literally cheered when I brought it up. Even Carleton has upgraded to providing lids with their drinks.
There is a temporary solution to the lack of lids. For a desperate student on the move, it gets the job done— the soup containers are great for drinks. They hold more and have a better weight distribution to stack on the box so it won’t spill. Sure, it takes a bit more effort to dispense the ice and some condensation escapes, but the paper cups have that too. Most importantly, it has a lid! Unfortunately, I’m still forced to sacrifice my soup cup for a beverage. Maybe one day, when lids are provided for the Caf cups, I can have both soda and soup — but for now I’ll just have soda soup.
Reagan Weeks is from Shakopee, Minn.
