Dig Magazine

Issue date: 11/3/09 Section: Cover Story

Media Credit: Alex Voge Chicken ceasar salad

Media Credit: Alex Voge Make your own omellette

"It's definitely not mom's home cooking," said a first year student when asked for her opinion on the dorm's dining halls and after hearing several opinions it became clear that this student is not along with her dissatisfaction of the food offered in our residence halls.

By now most students surviving on the dormitory meal-plan are well accustomed to its predictability and repetitive daily selections. Everyday it seems as though students stand in line for the same things, whether it be the salad bar, Asian noodle bar, or the absolutely necessary cereal dispensers. No matter your experience, whether you're a freshman or senior, you have probably been less than satisfied with one or several of the meals available on any given day.

Don't worry though, there is hope in surviving this boring flavor depression. Students agree that the food is at best, inconsistent. When asked about the food, Will Phelps, a first year student, said, "It has its good days and bad days." Similarly, one veteran student described the food as being "tolerable" and even went so far as to say, "It tastes like budget cuts!"

Consequently, students have adapted to the food selection, and have come up with some helpful ideas to achieve variety through creativity. Of course, there are no guarantees these ideas will make the food taste any better, but it will hopefully add some new things to your personal menu.
Tampering with the main courses can be tricky, and could potentially make the food taste worse than how it was served originally. But, simple tips, like utilizing the sauces, dips, and dressings can make a positive difference. Caesar, thousand island, Italian, pesto, ranch, and several others are all available dressings that can be paired as dips and toppings with other items. The same goes for the provided sauces. Usually resting atop the salad bar are bottles of Tapatio hot sauce, Tabasco, A1 steak sauce, soy sauce, and a few others. Remember, the aim is to achieve variety, so don't be afraid to get creative and try something new.

Making use of the separate prep tables can also help fill you up. These are the separate islands that regularly contain the cottage cheese, peanut butter, jellies, miscellaneous fruits, breads, bagels, and cream cheese. They remain relatively unused so you shouldn't have a problem making your peanut-butter and jelly sandwich for dinner, or any other random necessity.

If these ideas are not enough to satisfy your hunger and enhance the enjoyment of your meal, there are some others that will require some culinary craftsmanship. Rather than waiting in line for your weekend omelette, you can make your own. Many of the omelette choices are available around the Latin Fiesta bar and the salad bar. Simply use the standard eggs and add chives, tomatoes, mushrooms, cheese, beef, or whatever you please.

Additionally, the cafeteria provides some "fresh-to-order" options, but whether or not they are fresh is a big question. Available for order are grilled chicken breasts, cheese quesadillas, and grilled cheese sandwiches. Some choose to construct a chicken Caesar salad using the romaine lettuce, grilled chicken breast, tomatoes, shredded parmesan, and Caesar dressing. Others get creative by adding lunch meats from the sandwich bar to their grilled cheese.

For dessert surprisingly few students seem to take advantage of some great options like root beer floats or ice cream cookie sandwiches. They are simple, but can definitely give you something to look forward to when it's meal time, and many of the ice cream options are packaged, making for a consistently good treat.

In the end, you may never think it's "mom's home cooking," but there are these tips, and many others waiting to be taste tested, that can add some variety, and hopefully make the cafeteria meals a little better

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