While doing some research on the “magic berry,” I read an article in The New York Times called the “The Tiny Fruit that Tricks the Tongue.” The authors Patrick Farrel and Kassie Bracken stated that one woman claimed Tabasco sauce tasted just like doughnut glaze after eating the small fruit. Excited about this remarkable story, I went to the “Flavor Tripping” event anticipating an eccentric night of wild taste testing. I was anxious to experience the effects of this berry for myself, hoping to walk away with a novel taste-altering experience I could boast about to my friends and family back home. Yet, to my utter disappointment, I must sadly admit that there can be no boasting over this berry.

About a year and a half ago, on Nov. 27, 2007, I wrote a column entitled “This Space is for Rent,” pleading with Cornell to help revitalize Collegetown and explaining that Harvard had just helped a new business to open in the area near its Cambridge campus. I said that the new Harvard business was reminiscent of exactly what Collegetown needed.

The description of the new establishment in Cambridge was as follows: “The store … will serve deli sandwiches with a seating area, … high-end grocery items, … and convenience items, like 7-11. [The store] will also have a produce section, a salad bar and a large prepared-food buffet section, similar to Whole Foods.”

­It’s time to decide whether that mountain of Mongo-wokked goodness you overzealously loaded onto your tray is still worth eating. You might reason that anything remaining on your top-heavy tray is a sunk cost and place it on the conveyor belt, sending your food, tray and worries into the kitchen.

For some students, however, the worry and guilt associated with wasted food does not disappear so easily

“It’s a shame to see people waste so much food. I’m straight up livid. The University bears a cost and the environment bears the cost of having to wash extra plates and cutlery,” Josh Neifeld ’11 said.

Although excessive waste is undesirable, it is nonetheless unavoidable, according to Doug Lockwood, office manager for Cornell Dining.