By: Natalia Wurst ‘21

Even though dining hall food is currently the most unappreciated aspect of my college experience, I know it will quickly turn into the metaphorical “one that got away” the minute I have to cook anything more complicated than pasta. Multiple sources have confirmed this fact. That being said, if you’re a freshman, or even a sophomore/junior/(senior?) with a meal plan, it’s perfectly valid to be sick of months or even years of the same old, same old. No one is denying that this a first world problem, but the struggle is a struggle nonetheless.

By: Terry Nguyen, ‘20

As a dorm-residing freshman, it is easy to complain about the culinary scene of the dining halls: The food is too bland, they serve the same options weekly, the cooked meat sometimes looks suspicious, they added cheese into your omelette again — you get the point — the list can go on and on. Nevertheless, as your days at the dining halls are coming to an end, you realize that you have developed some clever food hacks over the past months dining at EVK, Parkside, or McCarthy. It is an acquired skill, and dining hall food is also an acquired taste, especially after months and months of the same salad bar with the same offered options of condiments. You learn to look past EVK’s strange-looking edamame, and un-avocado-like “avocado” sandwich spread. The period of super salty kale and sauteed greens are also fading into the memories of first semester. As a soon-to-be sophomore, here are a few easy food hacks to make the most of your time at a dining hall before that all-you-can-eat privilege is replaced by an apartment meal plan — or, no meal plan at all.