TempleCampus has an abundance of food available in immediate walking distance. At Tulane, most of the food served on campus was courtesy of Sodexho Marriott, and it rated low on my patented Scale of Deliciousness. On Temple Campus, there are food kiosks everywhere, and each street has at least a couple of food trucks. We also can step right off campus to a number of convenient fast-casual establishments.

I occasionally patronize these places, particularly the restaurants on Broad, south of Cecil B. Moore. I like to eat at The Noshery, an unusual sandwich shop. My only qualm about eating there is that they seem to have a small ventilation problem. On multiple occasions, I have entered the store and noticed that there is smoke creating a light haze in the room. I assume it is from their sandwich grill press (the Sandwich Scorcher 7000), but I do not know for sure. I have no problem walking through a smoky haze to get my sandwich, but I do think that it might be a hazard for those with breathing difficulties, such as asthmatics. The Noshery staff seems either oblivious or in denial about the state of affairs. They just amble about, carrying out their sandwich construction duties with nary a concern.

A particular experience leads me to believe they are in denial. In the mood for a sandwich filled with , I stepped into the Noshery one day and noticed the smoky haze was thicker than in the past. Just after I entered the store, the fire alarm for the building began to scream, and lights were flashing. At the counter, one of the sandwich-smiths tried to calm everyone down. He announced that nothing was actually wrong and that some kids must have pulled the fire alarm. Was this guy serious? There was smoke everywhere. Still, like an idiot, I ordered a sandwich and waited for it outside. The firetrucks arrived just as I was leaving, and I wondered, would the counter attendant now explain that the firemen on the street were just figments of our collective imagination?

Talk about denial. I am not trying to go after the Noshery, because I really like eating there, but could someone please have an intervention with the staff about their problem and install a better ventilation system? That’s all I want.