“You having?” is a question that Pauline, from the north end of Café Mac, has been asking Macalester students since time many of our first years were still eating pureed produce from a jar. For 18 years Pauline has been helping to satisfy the nutritional requirements of Mac’s budding pseudo (and actual) intellectuals. Pauline has survived the many changes that have come to Macalester food service. “I’ve seen many students and workers come and go. I’ve seen a lot of people get fired, but I always seem to stay around,” she says. The most significant change she has seen has been the gradual evolution of food quality. When she worked at “old Kagin” her job consisted of serving canned food to students skilled in the art of wearing acid-washed jeans. Under Bon Appetit, her job has changed to serving food that is prepared on site by men and women trained in the art of wearing hats that a small child could drown in, as well as an extra set of buttons that could go to actual use in a developing country.

After years of service, her signature “You having?” and the wearing of her heart on her sleeve, Pauline has become one of the more outstanding figures in the cafeteria. “Sometimes I’m a little witch when I’m not in a good mood,” Pauline confessed. “I am going to work on being nicer for the new-year.” And in turn all she expects is that the students maintain their clean image while in her presence, and remain her “little lambs.”

Pauline’s parents took advantage of the boom factor during the Baby Boom era, as she is but 1/9 of her parents’ total output. Pauline had much practice asking, “you having?” at the eleven-strong family dinner table. Those large family dinners are recreated every day at Macalester. Pauline considers Macalester to have a family-like atmosphere. (Pauline has this image of Macalester because she goes home before the ruckus begins. Let’s try and keep our clean image in front of her-no more drunken getting it on with the milk machines).

Before joining the Macalester fight against anemia (the joke here is that the north line, where Pauline works, often serves red meat … which contains iron … anemia is a condition that results from a deficiency in iron … ha ha ha … that’s a good one), she served food at the historic Montgomery Ward’s Lunch Counter (MWLC) in downtown Minneapolis. (Montgomery Ward’s made it possible to buy socks, tires, and fried fish in one stop.) Do not get jealous, faithful Pauline followers; she enjoys her time here at Macalester much more than she did her stint at Montgomery Ward’s. She has much love in her heart for the tuition payers; however, she does not like the fact that cheap college students are not willing to tip like her costumers did at the lunch counter.

The North End is Pauline’s favorite region of the cafeteria. She hates when the management exercises its power and switches her post, moving her to the more extreme climate of the South or to a position serving up dead carcass at the Grillé. If you see her outside of the North End, confront the Café Mac Man and demand that she be returned to where she works her magic best. Do not let the management use her as a pawn in their little game of oppression. She has saved your life on more occasions than you are aware. Return the favor.

Pauline, unlike the rest of us, whose lives revolve around the shiny new dining hall, has a life outside Café Mac. One could imagine she wrestles alligators and saves kittens from trees. It’s good to be a hero. Pauline refused to share her endeavors with us, so we are forced to speculate that all of the above and more are true. She saves lives everyday…we are sure of it. How could she not? Why would you doubt? Who made you the authority? Was it The Man?

This article fails to do Pauline justice. We failed. We were unable reveal the many layers of Pauline. We are unable to paint a 3-D picture with words. The Readers’ Digest would be ashamed. The mission is now yours. When you’re on the North line, do not let the discourse consist only of “You having?” Followed by “.” Ask questions. Get to know the woman who saves your life on a semi-regular basis.