For those of you who haven’t seen it, the new pasta bar at the North Campus Diner is like an exclusive night club, both because of its inaccessibility and the dazzling array of sauce options. It features the longest line, and the people in it generally seem very excited (which seems weird, because I know I’m always stoked when I resign myself to a grilled chicken sandwich after realizing there is nothing I want from the diner). The whole scene almost seems to say, “Why are you here if it isn’t for the pasta?” Indeed, the pasta bar is the happening place when it comes to North Campus dining – it is definitely this spring’s fad.
Given the popularity, I think it is fair to ask why it is so attractive. Is the pasta significantly better than any other meal option? Does eating there enter you into a raffle to win a new iPad? Are all the cool kids doing it? While all of these are exceedingly valid potential reasons, I think the answer is something else: The pasta station is so popular simply because it is new.
As humans, we are naturally attracted to newer things. They are usually more advanced or better made – especially in the case of technology – or, at the most basic level, they represent more possibilities for the future. If you think about buying a new car, you imagine all the potential places the two of you will go together – but envision a pre-owned car, and you worry about the adventures it has already gone on with its old owner.
In every aspect of life, newer things usually seem better and replace older versions, even when they might not be superior. Take, for example, the legend of Sheriff Woody Pride, the famous Wild West cowboy. Woody was beloved in his town and was the undisputed leader. However, when a space ranger crashes nearby, Woody fears, and rightfully so, that his popularity and authority are being usurped. By any objective analysis, Woody is still a better leader: He knows the individual citizens much better and has always demonstrated fairness and courage in his decisions. He is also not a toy that thinks it is an actual sheriff or space ranger, which is a highly valued quality in most leaders. However, the spaceman becomes a fad, and everyone is infatuated with him, hanging on his every catchphrase. Eventually, the citizens of Andyville realize the sheriff is the best chief and revert back to following him. But they still initially swapped him for the newer option because, at first glance, the space ranger looked better and more exciting.
Though the reason behind the popularity of the pasta bar is apparent, so too is the fact that, like any fad, its attractiveness is temporary. Much like Korean barbeque, the lines will dwindle and the reviews will become less glamorous. Yet people are still willing to spend 20 minutes in line to get their food, which begs the question: Are we allotting our time to actual priorities in life or just to fads?
Rajarshi Chattopadhyay is a sophomore aerospace engineering major. He can be reached at chattopadhyay@umdbk.com.
