Associate editor's note: I hope it's obvious, but I write this column when our page is desperate for original content. As always, feel free to send letters on your topic of choice to posteditorial@ohiou.edu.
For better or worse, Subway has redefined what five American dollars are worth these days.
It's not fair the restaurant most known only a few years ago as Happy Gilmore's sandwich maker of choice plays such a large role in the consumerism of this country. Despite the billions spent on advertising each year, that jingle sits safely above any Flomax ad and those commercials where they pretend men drink Mike's Hard Lemonade.
That magic number, $5, represents one foot of delicious hoagie, and thanks to a campaign more recognizable than Wilford Brimley's anti-diabetes crusade, every potential consumer knows that.
This puts my favorite restaurant in a bit of a jam. It's a local joint that mostly focuses on takeout and sits on the same Court Street block as Subway. Nestled underneath FedEx Kinko's, this establishment proudly displays its salted wares for hungry college students to select, one entrée at a time.
Of course, I refer to $4.50 Chinese. It's otherwise known as Peking Express, if we're nitpicking.
At the risk of throwing away my journalistic objectivity, Peking Express is a fantastic Chinese food restaurant. There are made-to-order meals pictured on the wall, but the main draw for most is the special of three entrees plus rice or lo mein for $4.50. It's a fair share of the expected Chinese courses, including General Tso's chicken, pork with mushrooms and hibachi chicken.
The problem with this is located right in the (nick)name of the place. That price has, relatively, skyrocketed in a short amount of time. Three years ago the special cost $3.75, two years past it was $3.95 and last year the price reached $4.50, where it stands now. No, there has not been a noticeable impact in terms of quality.
Which brings us back to the $5 sum. There is a mental acceptance (I got a C in Psych 101, so add your grains of salt) to paying one bill for an item of food. That $5 deal at Subway makes sense because it is simple transaction of one for one. If Peking Express continues to raise its price, say, a dollar more, I fear it's the end of our uniquely Athens restaurant.
Times are tough, I hear. The economy chart is, you know, going down. Jobs are following an eerily similar pattern. It's almost enough to make a broke college student quit Peking Express.
But the truth is, after a long day of endlessly shouting into the ol' echo chamber and penning ignorant editorials, nothing warms my bones better than $4.50 Chinese.
I stopped by that fine establishment this past week and was once again filled with the geeky joy that comes from cheap Chinese food. Everything one could ask for is there. The smell of salty air hits the lungs at once, not unlike a fine trip to the beach.
The people there are often kind and continue to stack all that ambiguous meat together in the Styrofoam container until it blurs together. Considering the interactions between the sauces of various entrees, selecting the best combo is a multi-layered strategy in itself.
Right now, the special isn't exactly a steal at twice the price, but it's a fine deal for those willing to embrace the inevitable hangover. Perfect, I'd argue, for Athens. I just ask the powers that be not to bump the price past $5.
Ryan Dunn is a junior studying journalism and associate editor of The Post. Send him your entrée combinations at rd207206@ohiou.edu.
4 Opinion
Ryan Dunn
