Student to Test Limits of Regenstein’s “Snacks but No Meals” Policy

REGENSTEIN LIBRARY—Since third-year Julia Hainault arrived at the University of Chicago, she’s had one dream: to find out exactly which foods are and are not permitted in the Regenstein Library.

“The picture on the sign explaining the food and drink policy says that pretzels are okay but hamburgers are not,” Hainault says. “But what about one of those really big pretzels you get at a bowling alley? Are those okay? And what if I bring in a hamburger bun and a patty but eat them separately? Is that a meal or a snack?”

Hainault started her project last year, gradually increasing the size of the pretzels she brought in until the librarians reprimanded her. “The exact dividing line between ‘meal’ and ‘snack’ in terms of pretzels is a footlong pretzel,” Hainault reveals. Testing burgers, her project this year, has proven trickier. “It’s like, does the snack become a meal if I eat too many snacks at once? How many burger components can I bring separately before it becomes a burger? And what would Aristotle say?”

The library’s Director of Community Engagement, Danielle McConnell, says there is a simple answer to Hainault’s questions. “If you have to ask if your snack is a meal, it’s a meal.” 

McConnell’s advice? “Just go to A Level, where chaos reigns.”