What will APU students do without their beloved avocados?
With all of the chaos in the world, there is one underlying tragedy occurring that APU cannot ignore: There has been a shortage of avocados on campus. Some people might not think this is a serious issue, but to students, it is. What is the source of this avocado shortage?
Avocados are obviously in popular demand. The average price for avocados in America has increased 125 percent since the beginning of the year, according to CNN Money.
Think of all the avocado toast post on Snapchat, Twitter and Instagram. Recall your answer to the infamous line at Chipotle: “Guac is extra, is that okay?” Of course it is okay. Students are willing to go that extra mile when it comes to anything avocado-related.
If you think about it, how far would you go when it comes to avocados? Despite the deep commitment you may have, the supply on campus has been cut due to the price of avocados. Umai student employee and senior psychology major, Kaylee Rhoads said, “We used to be able to get 48 avocados for $30, now the price has quadrupled and it is $130 for one box.”
Umai, the sushi spot located on West Campus, is just one of the campus dining spots that is being affected by the avocado shortage. The typical sushi roll is expected to have fish, rice, seaweed and yes, avocados. Now that the avocados have been used sparingly, or scrapped entirely from the rolls, customers are left disappointed.
“We get constant complaints and questions as to why the avocados are gone,” junior kinesiology major and Umai student employee, Angelo Mollo said. “We also have to serve more fish to replace avocado on certain items.”
With the amount of comments the employees at Umai have received, they printed a memo that lets the customers know beforehand that they are out of avocados. However, this does not keep the students away. It may have taken some adjustment and adaptability, but it hasn’t deterred students from eating at the sushi stop.
Luckily, there are plenty of eateries on campus where the shortage does not affect production at all, like Heritage, the Den or Paws N Go. An employee at The Market on West campus, senior communications major Caleb Holley said, “I heard about the shortage of avocados from some of my friends at here work, but this shortage does not affect our business here at The Market. We predominantly sell quick to-go items.” The market does have a salad bar, but no avocados are present.
Holley continued, “Since I am not from California, I find the shortage to be interesting. I never understood all the hype that is associated with avocados.”
While most people might not think this is a bigger issue than taking the “California” out of the “California roll” at Umai, the lack of avocados is a worldwide affair. And this is not even a brand new issue; this avocado deficit has happened on campus before. Last year, the shortage lasted for at least two months. As for this year, the shortage is looking to last until the end of the year. Rhoads also said, “Since the market for avocados is high, people have been thinking about genetically modifying avocados since they are becoming scarce and barely grow.”
At the end of the day, the students at Azusa Pacific are shockingly not devastated and starving due to the avocado scarcity. Just like any other aspect in life, the students have learned to adapt and learn to live without avocados for the time being. Only time can tell what the future holds for the avocados.