Initial College Dining

I remember the time when I made the long trip down to Bryn Mawr College to visit my sister during her junior year. After many vigorous activities (including attending the most boring neuroscience class ever), my sister brought me to her dining hall for dinner. Never before had I experienced college dining options and it is without question that the first experience is always the most memorable. I remember globs of overly greasy, fried, dog food looking meals that I couldn’t fathom eating let alone watching my sister eat. I therefore headed straight to the cereal section of the hall (luckily breakfast is always an option at Bryn Mawr) and filled my bowl with a combination of Coco Puffs, Cheerios, and Life with a splash of vanilla soy milk. My sister was a little disappointed and confused by my selection and warned me that, “I had better get used to eating this stuff…” for in 3 years time I would too have to succumb to eating “undistinguishable crap”.

Well those three years past quickly by and two weeks ago I too found myself faced with the same disappointing food selection. The endless lines of the ubiquitous college food (pizza, hot dogs, hamburgers, French fries) was particularly dominant, with little emphasis or selection at the salad bar. To add insult to injury, the dessert table was laden with only chocolate chip cookies and dry brownies. My initial acquaintances labeled me a “food snob” and laughed much the same way my sister did when I brought a bowl of cereal (without my beloved soy milk) to the dining table.

I left two days later for a pre-orientation program in the Adirondack Mountains and this time was forced to eat milk and cereal for the lack of dining options was somewhat limited by lack of stove. Coming back to campus with my newly bought jeans slipping beyond my waist, I headed to the dining hall again, expecting to see more pizza, hamburgers, and mozzarella blobs.
This is the point in the story when I would hope to write of a revelation/epiphany of sorts. However, though I cannot write that the food was Le Bernadine style quality (yes, I do know that that style of quality cannot be expected from a college facility), I can safely say that the food improved by tenfold. The appearance of the upperclassmen jolted the dining hall awake and upon my arrival I was greeted by an array of freshly-made hummus, local green beans, barley tomato salad, and a hearty slice of wheat bread. The next day brought sushi (though the shrimp and salmon were cooked), the next Chinese stir-fry, and the next a make-your-own omelet bar.
I believe that two weeks of college dining has given me back some of the weight I initially lost on my long hike through mountainous trails. For the moment I am content and also rather pleased to report that Bon Appetit (the service that runs Hamilton’s dining services) uses as much produce from local, organic farmers as possible to feed a community of 1700.

My only qualm as of late is why the dining service decided to remove the chocolate soy milk from the dispensers in the dining hall. COME ON! WHO DOESN’T WANT A BOOST OF CALCIUM, FORTIDIED VITAMIN D, AND GREAT FLAVOR DURING MEAL TIMES!