Rendezvous features foods high in sodium and calories
By Sean Greene
Nov. 19, 2009 10:27 p.m.
Jack cheese and marinated chicken are sandwiched between a toasted flour tortilla, with refried beans and cilantro rice on the side.
Behold the chicken quesadilla, a menu item at Rendezvous that contains 96 percent of the fat, 115 percent of the saturated fat and 108 percent of the sodium a person is recommended to consume per day.
Many of the meals at Rendezvous, a fast food restaurant on the Hill, have too much sodium, according to adjunct professor of health services William McCarthy.
Rendezvous meals often have twice as much sodium as McCarthy suggested should be consumed. Students should ensure the milligrams of sodium they take in does not exceed a one-to-one ratio with the number of calories they eat, he said.
While the federal recommendation for sodium consumption is less than 2,300 milligrams per day, Americans take in closer to 3,300 milligrams on average, McCarthy said.
“It’s typical of almost all fast food that you’re going to have high levels of sodium,” he said. “Sodium is a cheap way to make food taste better. Chefs like to hear people say what they cook is tasty, so the easy way to do that is toss in more sodium.”
Jessica Tang, a second-year economics and music history student, said she eats at Rendezvous due to its convenient proximity to the Rieber dorms, despite her nutritional concerns.
“The combo meal is really oily,” Tang said. “Rendezvous is more like a fast food place to go to. To me, if I need a quick meal, I’ll go here, especially after nine.”
Rendezvous is one of two residential restaurants on the Hill, including Bruin Cafe, as well as the many dining halls on campus that offer students many dietary options, said Joanne McGill, an assistant director of UCLA Dining Services. The upcoming Cafe 1919 will expand those options as well, replacing Puzzles Cafe.
The restaurant’s menu and recipes were decided on by food service managers years ago, but student opinion was consulted at the time, McGill said.
McGill said Rendezvous has a diverse menu that includes some healthy options.
“You could easily choose the fish tacos and the rice … (as opposed to) the nachos fully loaded,” she said.
People should strive for a balanced diet, said Ritamarie Little, a registered dietician for the UCLA Center for Human Nutrition in the Department of Medicine.
“I think the key to remember is to pick a meal that is complementary,” Little said. “If you are going to pick a meal that is high in fat, calories and sodium, you have to balance that with what you eat for the rest of the day.”
Luke Eisenhardt, a second-year environmental science student, said he enjoys the food at Rendezvous, even if it is unhealthy.
“It’s probably not the healthiest, but once or twice a week is fine,” he said. “At the dining halls I try to eat some fruits and vegetables and make sure I get enough protein and not too much fat.”
Overall, Eisenhardt said he is not too concerned with nutrition.
“(Rendezvous) has a lot of calories, so it’s good,” he said. “Some of the other places, I feel like they rip you off. They give you a lot of food.”
Little added that while some items are not high in nutritional value, the menu options allow him to make good choices. The Chinese chicken salad, with 19.6 grams of fat, 391 calories and 357 milligrams of sodium, is a relatively healthy choice, she said.
Much of the sodium and calories come from dressings and sauces used in the food, Little said.
“I think the important thing is that (Rendezvous is) providing you with the nutritional information so you can make an informed decision,” she said.
Daryl Ansel, Dining Services’s food and beverage director, said students have many ways of seeking nutritional information and advice, which are provided at dining tables, online and at the Arthur Ashe Student Health and Wellness Center.
Dining Services takes the nutritional value of its meals into account when considering student needs, Ansel said.
“We’ve done a whole lot in the last few years to improve (nutrition), especially through our vegetarian options,” he said.
Another goal is to offer students the food they want.
“Rendezvous fulfills the need for Asian food and Mexican food, two of the most popular ethnic cuisines … and students really love that,” Ansel said.
Evan Tang, a first-year biology student, said he likes Rendezvous, but it has room to improve.
“It’d be nice for the sides if they included a vegetable option,” he said. “(Meals are) a little high in carbs with the rice and noodles.”
Dining Services holds quarterly customer surveys regarding food options on campus.
“Students are always welcome to approach a manager and provide feedback,” McGill said.
