College Food

So, I'll admit it. I'm terrible at keeping up with this blog. I am happy to say though that for the past (almost) month, I've had a very good excuse. College. I am now in my freshman year and I do not have a kitchen at my disposal. This is very sad. I actually went to my boyfriend's  house and baked cupcakes last week. This was slightly unexpected and I still had a lot of homework to finish, so that explains why I did not update my blog.

On my way back from the dining hall today, I had an idea of what I could write on here. Although I cannot bake or cook, I can eat! And eat, I do. I have heard so many complaints about the dining halls here. Usually the complaint has something to do with there always being the same things brought out at each meal. This is not entirely true. The dining hall closest to my dorm has a sandwich station (YES. A sandwich station! This may not sound amazing, but someone makes the sandwich for you. All you have to do is say "I want blah blah blah," and presto! there it is.) At this station, you have the option between wraps and bread. The combined totals of options there equal about fifteen to twenty. You can get ciabatta bread, pita bread, white panini, wheat panini, italian... You name it, they probably have it. Then the meat options - roast beef, corned beef, bacon, turkey, ham...and more. You can choose between the vegetables, cheese,  and condiments that are usually available at Subway. To top it all off, you have the option of having your sandwich/wrap put into a panini press! I feel like I've been rambling on about the food at the dining hall forever and I've only covered the sandwich station. Can you believe people complain about this place?

Next is the salad bar. There isn't much variety to really be had in a salad bar, but the one here is (in my personal opinion) pretty awesome. The options for "leafy greens" include lettuce, spinach, and a spring mix. They have tomatoes, red peppers, carrots, cucumbers...the usual. That's only one half of the bar, though. The other half is frequently changed. Yesterday, they offered pitas and hummus in addition to hard boiled eggs, tuna salad, and a few other items I didn't stop to read up on. On top of this fantastic salad bar are options for dressings and croutons. Dressings tally in at at least ten a day - and those are changed too! So, let me see...so far I have covered the sandwich station and salad bar. Still not done.

Brick oven pizza. Need I say more? Today, I walked in and my jaw nearly hit the floor. Ten different types of pizzas were just sitting in front of me and more were coming straight out of the oven. It was a beautiful sight.

Now for the items that are "always the same." Healthy options, with the nutrition chart, are available everyday. These are grouped with the "hot meals" served in a buffet setup. I can't really go into detail about everything they offer, because it changes so much. This is how it works - two or three types of meat are available (sometimes they will be in the form of sweet and sour chicken, etc.) at least one cooked vegetable, usually two types of rice/grain, and they always have pasta with alfredo/marinara.

Next station! Soup. There are always two different types of soup available, complete with special soup spoons and bowls.

Drinks. Two types of Icees, three types of juices, plenty of soda, lemonade, iced black tea (sweetened and unsweetened) sweetened iced green tea, water, coffee, hot chocolate, cappuccino, hot water for tea are ALL just sitting there, waiting for you to drink them.

Desserts. The holy land. Chocolate, vanilla, and mixed frozen yogurt in your choice of a kid cone or sugar cone. Top it off with three different topping options. Sugar free desserts appear everyday along with four other types of desserts that range from cookies to brownies to cake to pie. And yes, those are different everyday, if not every meal.

I forgot to mention this - they have a massive jar of Nutella sitting in the dessert section, waiting for you to dig in.

Breakfast! I'll make this section quick because I have homework to do. The cereal bar includes varieties from Raisin Bran to Lucky Charms. Milk includes chocolate, skim, and 2%. The salad bar is turned into a fruit bar with fresh fruit, including strawberries, melon, and blueberries. Yogurt and granola are also available. The basics are always there too. Eggs, sausage, bagels, donuts, toast, english muffins, and BELGIAN WAFFLES can be eaten at will. The waffles even have their own topping station! It makes me drool just thinking about it. Mmmmm.....

Well, back to my main point. Can you believe people complain about this place? I've been going there all year, for nearly every meal and I haven't run out of options. There are at least six more places on campus to go eat, too. If they're not happy, they must be very picky.

I actually wanted to write this so I could follow it up with other posts about great options for college food. The great thing about all the options is that you can get creative when you want to! Today at breakfast, my friend made herself a waffle, then covered it in peanut butter, bananas, and peanuts. I was so envious. Now for homework! I'll try to write again within the next week!