General Tso’s Chicken has been a staple meal in the Regattas dining hall at Christopher Newport University. It is served every Thursday, for lunch and dinner. Every Thursday, I eagerly wait for its sweet, tender taste, but for the past four weeks, I have been devastated by the lack of General Tso’s for dinner. Each week I check the CNU Dining website to verify that Thursday night’s dinner will be serving the beloved meal. Every Thursday dinner, with the exception of the Halloween theme meal, the website has listed Thursday as “GENERAL TSO’S THURSDAY”. I have been incredibly disappointed each Thursday afternoon, when my friends break the news to me that my favorite meal served by CNU Dining has been replaced by a different meal, such as double-cooked pork or bourbon chicken.

On the bright side, dining services will still serve General Tso’s at Regattas during lunch time. Since I regularly eat lunch at Commons, which does not serve General Tso’s, I always look forward to the evening for a delightful serving of General Tso’s. This means that many more students, including myself, will be heading to Regs for Thursday lunches.

Upon further investigation, this week’s Thursday night meal is labeled as Bourbon Chicken. This is terrible news to the many Tso’s enjoyers, who build up a line that wraps completely around the pasta station; a line that trumps any other meal. As unfortunate as this is, it is important to understand the limitations of the dining hall staff. There are obviously many factors that can go wrong, and at least this week’s absence of Tso’s is noted beforehand.

I can only hope that General Tso’s Thursday will make a full return, but in the meantime we will have to be patient with the hard working staff. Luckily The Mongolian Grill in Regattas, where you can select from noodles, vegetables, meats, and spices, is home to a selection of sauces. This includes General Tso’s sauce, which you can douse your dinner in. The sauce is an option that I have been very thankful for as a result of the disappearance of Thursday night Tso’s.

It is uncertain when General Tso’s Thursday will return in the dinner rotation. In the meantime, students can enjoy Regattas’ Thursday lunch until the prized meal makes its potential return in time. And to those who haven’t tried the lovely meal, I urge you to try something new. General Tso’s is truly my most treasured weekly indulgence.