When first-year student arrive at UW-Eau Claire for the first time, they often are told of things they have to do and see while here. From floating down the river to seeing the marching band perform at football games in Carson Park, there is so much that makes up the Eau Claire experience.

Among these things are the food offerings from various campus locations. The Caf (also known as the Riverview Cafe in the Hilltop Center) is one, as well as the wide variety provided by the many choices in the Davies Student Center Marketplace.

One of these staples is the famous chicken teriyaki bowl, found at Sushi Do in Davies. Students rave about the bowls and flock to get them at lunch time, often causing ridiculously long lines that run out of the door and past the Marketplace.

The bowl is well known for its consistency in taste and appearance. In a black plastic bowl, the tender cuts of chicken rest on a steaming pile of sticky white rice, with a few little broccoli trees grouped on the side. It’s all blanketed in spicy mayo and teriyaki sauce, and covered with a clear circular lid that never quite fits the bowl just right.

However, if you were to walk into Sushi Do right now and pick up one of these little delights, you wouldn’t be able to find them — if you were looking for a circular bowl, at least.

The teriyaki bowl now resides in a new container. A plastic, rectangular container.

What is the meaning behind this rebranding? Has the world run out of black plastic circles? Why would Sushi Do do this to us?

In light of this new look, students have been trying to find a new name for the block meal previously known as a teriyaki bowl. Among the suggestions have been “teriyaki box”, “teriyaki rectangle”, and my personal favorite, “the teriyaki ‘block’ meal”.

Other students were unbothered by the change. It’s important to point out that while the container is a different shape, it is also larger than the original circular one. Can we really complain about the shape if we’re getting more food for the same price?

While the reason behind the appearance change is still unknown, it’s reassuring to hear some students accepting the new look.

The transition wasn’t completely smooth, though. While eating one of these new teriyaki meals, I was asked what it was. Another student commented that my food made them hungry for a teriyaki bowl, further proving that the new look was initially unrecognizable as the beloved block meal.

The change in the trademark container leaves me wondering if this is the first step in the complete rebranding of the university. The teriyaki bowl has been a constant in my three years here, but if even that is changing, I’m not sure there’s hope for the rest of campus. With so much construction, it was only a matter of time before other things began changing as well. I’m just sorry to see that it had to be the chicken teriyaki bowls.