Quick. Ten seconds. What’s the best thing to come out of the university’s dining halls?

One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six. Seven. Eight. Nine. Ten.

Time’s up. You probably said it’s the buffalo chicken sandwich.

But hot on the heels of the buffalo chicken are the Sushi Days.

Two lunches. Two diners. Four days.

In previous semesters, Dining Services has had students going crazy over the days it serves sushi.

Instead of a 10-second wait, students usually stand in line for close to an hour, chopsticks in hand, hoping to make it to the counter before the sushi runs out.

This semester, the servings will be on Sept. 29 and Dec. 13 (at the North Campus Diner) and Sept. 22 and Nov. 3 (at the South Campus Dining Hall).

Sophomore marketing major Allie Armitage remembers last year’s Sushi Night on North Campus as somewhat of a confused craze.

“I saw the sushi line and got excited that it was so short,” she says. “It turns out the line didn’t open for another 40 minutes. I guess people were really excited to get that sushi.”

To handle the sushi extravaganzas, the university employes the services of Sushi Co., a company run by university alumni, that arrives on the campus every day around 6 a.m. to prepare packages fresh for the campus convenience stores.

The company will prepare 600 pieces for the upcoming Sushi Night, compared to 500 last year, because of increasing popularity and student involvement, according to dining official Sebastien Wappeau. “Six hundred orders is the most [Sushi Co.] can produce; it is very labor intensive,” says Dining Services Director Pat Higgins.

Demand, however, exceeds the supply. In fact, you can find over 50 customers continuously waiting in line on Sushi Night, hoping there is still some sushi left when it’s their turn to order. Nearly half of the customers place six to seven orders, forcing dining employees to walk through the line and take pre-orders to alleviate some of the crowding.

Higgins says the idea for bringing sushi to the campus was first proposed after interviewing students and finding new preferences.

“Its all about making the students happy,” she says, explaining the university makes very minimal profit from Sushi Night.

For students who miss out on the rare Sushi Nights, they can find packaged versions at the campus’ convenience shops.

“I like to buy it from the campus shops because its something really quick, especially if the Diner doesn’t have anything good,” says sophomore journalism major Erin Ruberry. “I think it’s what I use all my Terp Bucks on.”

A package of six rolls at the campus convenience shops tends to cost about $4, while a combination of rolls with salmon and shrimp fillets can cost about $7.

Even though this sushi is prepared fresh daily, some students are hesitant to eat anything raw from the campus dining facilities.

“I tried sushi once at this really awesome place in New York and loved it,” says junior public relations major Olivia Willard. “I see all these kids eating it from packages on campus, though. I would never do that – I mean, where does it come from?”

A happy compromise can be reached for the Diner-wary at a restaurant located a few miles north of Ikea on Route 1, Gah-Rham Restaurant – a small Japanese eatery where for a measly nine dollars one can get all sorts of tasty Oriental treats. A little closer to home, Seven Seas Restaurant, also located on Route 1, provides a full stocked sushi bar for its patrons.

Not all students have caught sushi fever, though. Sophomore engineering major Alex Orkin describes it as “seaweed with a hint of raw awful.”

But for those who do love that salty, healthy snack (150 to 200 calories per serving), it seems Dining Services is now catering to students with sushi needs. Whether it’s avocado or cucumber, shrimp or crab, salmon or white fish, there’s no need to travel to the Far East (or the Far Route 1). Just be sure to show up early – food this raw has the tendency to slip away quickly.

Contact reporter Megan Hartley at diversions@dbk.umd.edu