Last year, Blue Demon Dining in the Lincoln Park Student Center introduced a new and exciting meal option — a restaurant called Absurd Bird. As the DePaul Dining website describes it, “Absurd Bird serves a delectable array of chicken dishes crafted with passion and flavor that will leave your taste buds dancing.” 

I didn’t think Absurd Bird was all that, but it was enough to satisfy the chicken-lover in me. I no longer needed to run to Red Light Chicken or DoorDash McDonald’s for a fix.

I will eat chicken in almost any form: fried, rotisserie, grilled, with rice, in a tamale or in soup, just to name a few. There is just something about chicken that heals me after a day full of classes and work. Before Absurd Bird came along, chicken would serve as my end-of-the-week treat. Waiting for Friday was torture.

Once, my cravings got so intense that I dreamt of eating a McChicken for two nights in a row.

Absurd Bird put chicken right at my fingertips. All I had to do was stroll over to the second floor of “the Stu” (that’s the Student Center for you newbies) and place my order. Using my meal exchange, I nearly always ordered the same thing: chicken tenders with fries and a biscuit.

In the Stu, the meal exchange gives meal plan holders the option to use a meal swipe at select dining locations instead of the dining hall. The meal exchange option at Absurd Bird always came in handy when I didn’t want to use my limited Blue Bucks or if the dining hall was closed. Things were perfect — until they weren’t.

Imagine my despair when I discovered that a change was implemented. This year, my usual order was replaced with vegan tenders, chips and a beverage. Who would do such a heinous thing, and why?

Madison Blackmore, a junior, said she also looked forward to getting the chicken tender meal exchange after a long day of work.

“I’m livid,” Blackmore said. “It’s heartbreaking to see Absurd Bird fall the way it has.”

If she could, Blackmore would change it back “in a heartbeat.” She said her friends feel the same way.

“They feel like it was a mistake. Now they just don’t have any interest in eating there anymore,” Blackmore said.

I have heard the same sentiment echo among upperclassmen who watched Absurd Bird launch a year ago. However, this feeling is not limited to them.

Ben Pluta, a freshman, said there should be an option to pick between chicken or vegan tenders when using the meal exchange.

“I think that (having a) choice might be a bit more fair, but it seems that they’re trying to be inclusive (of dietary needs),” Pluta said.

Changes to meal exchange options are influenced by different factors, such as “consumer sales data, feedback, product availability, and operational needs,” said Amber Reading, the Director of Marketing for Blue Demon Dining. “These elements help us ensure that our offerings are both practical and aligned with student preferences.”

My brain says to applaud Blue Demon Dining on their possible attempt to give more meal options to vegan and vegetarian students, but my heart will not allow me to do so. This is madness.

I must admit I did not always feel this way about chicken. When I was a freshman in high school, I went vegetarian. Becoming vegetarian made me realize how carnivorous the people around me were. My food options were limited at school and home, and I didn’t know how to cook.

One day my mother brought home a box of frozen vegetarian tenders that were supposed to taste like chicken. It was, in a word, abominable. To this day, the thought of fake meat makes me nauseous. I finally returned to my original eating habits my senior year. The first dish I ate? Chicken dumplings.

I know my dislike for meat replacements is not universal. Shayla Garcia, a DePaul junior and vegetarian, said she strongly believes that everyone should give the vegan tenders at Absurd Bird a try.

“I actually really like the change. As a vegetarian, I get this constantly and it’s one of my favorites,” Garcia said. But she hinted that there is always room for improvement.

“I know many are probably bothered by this change, but I think the real hot topic is fries not being a part of the meal exchange,” Garcia said.

Reading said that the switch from fries to chips was due to a decision made to “better align with offerings across both campuses.”

I support the introduction of more vegan and vegetarian-friendly meal options for DePaul students, but this switch is just devastating. Blue Demon Dining should understand that no one, especially me, wants to fork over $11.58 in Blue Bucks for chicken tenders, a biscuit, some fries and barbeque sauce when it used to only cost a meal swipe. 

DePaul, please bring back the bird!

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