The Boys Pantry

Earlier in this publication we dissected what was in the pantry of an average Brigham Young University student. That analysis was done on the pantry in Hill's House College Ave. Apartments, approved women's housing at BYU-Idaho. This week I went to Nauvoo House, approved men's housing at BYU-Idaho to see what the boys were keeping in their cupboards.
Like Hill's House, Nauvoo has the Ramen Noodles and the Hamburger Helper. What they don't have is as much of the "healthy foods" Hills House girls seem to thrive on.
"I think it's really weird how girls will eat carrots and other veggies as snack food," says BYU-Idaho Sophomore Allan Richmond, a resident of Nauvoo House. "If I have the munchies I'm reaching for chips, preferably Doritos."
This is the attitude of many of the boys in Nauvoo House. When they are hungry, they want junk food. Doritos, the nacho-cheese flavored corn chip, are a surplus item, as well as Chikin Biskit crackers, Cheeze-Its, and various flavors of cookies. When the boys want to eat they are more likely to throw something in the microwave rather than on the stove.
Not all Men's approved housing on and off campus have the same attitude. In a Sommerset apartment, another BYU-Idaho boy's approved housing complex off campus, there are men who feel the exact opposite. Patrick Brown prefers to eat at Subway, certainly a healthier choice than some of the other options offered in town.
"I feel better knowing that what I'm putting in my body is better for me. I feel good knowing that I'm not loading up on calories and junk," says Patrick.
It seems certain gender boundaries extend even to food choices. Here in Rexburg, Idaho guys and girls make it apparent how different they really are.

Text Message Clubs in Rexburg

Text message clubs are becoming a widespread trend in Rexburg Idaho. Many of the restaurants in Rexburg send out weekly text messages advertising deals and including coupons to entice in new customers and to keep their following loyal. When you walk in to certain restaurants in Rexburg you'll see numbers to send in via text message and in a few minutes you will receive you're first deal, usually a larger coupon than every other week. A few places offering "Txt Clubs" are Dominos, Craigos Pizza Parlor, and Horkleys.
Craigos Pizza Parlor sends out their coupons every week. Kirsten Buckmaster, Assistant Manager at Craigos, says they have over 1,000 members of their text message club in Rexburg alone. "We can get anywhere from 100-150 people here every week with text message coupons, maybe more depending on the special." These numbers are surprising considering the small population of Rexburg. The largest number of Text Message Club members is students attending Brigham Young Utah Idaho. "Of course the majority is students. They are the most eager for deals," says Kirsten. "We make an average of 20- 25,000 dollars a week off of our buffet alone and almost all the patrons are students."
Over the past few weeks Craigos has sent out text messages including deals like "2 for $10.99 All Day! Drinks included w/ all the pizza you can eat! Who knew we were so cool!" and "Bring in your sweetie for a sweet deal today. 2 for $11.99 all-u-can eat pizza, pasta, and salad buffet. includes drinks!" the week of Valentines. An average Craigos meal, their buffet including a drink and all you can eat pizza, pasta and salad is $8.46. To get 2 of those for $10.99 means your paying about $5.49 per person.
Craigos is not the only restaurant in Rexburg to offer coupons through text messages. Dominos offers deals like "Get a free Chocolate Crunch Lava Cake when you buy any large 2 topping pizza." The deals are easy to find as long as you have a phone and as long as your not too shy to send a text.