The best satisfaction after a long and hard day of classes, work, or sleeping through these things is a rich, nutritious meal. As a River Campus resident, I often find myself at Douglass or Danforth to indulge my unquenchable appetite.
Recently, I have found these locales to provide an improved variety of nourishment. As frequent Campus Times readers may know, I was quite critical of the food offered by the dining centers last semester. In the past, I viewed these centers as unappetizing places where your only choice of food is whatever color of processed frozen vegetables they decided to thaw that day. Although the dining centers are still not the greatest in terms of food quality, there does seem to be an improvement in the food overall. I have personally noticed a wider selection of entrees and an addition of some constant dishes like pasta – there is now always something for everybody’s palette. Instead of being left starving and depressed, I now find that the dining halls can provide ample sustenance. Maybe it’s only my improved mood while there, but even the dining staff seems more upbeat and sociable.
These improvement, while great, pale in comparison to the promised land of dining. I am of course referring to the cafeteria at the Medical Center. For those of you who are uniformed, the Med Center cafeteria is located on the far side of campus inside Strong Hospital. Although the distance poses a threat to anyone who wishes to eat there, the rewards of making the journey are great. The meal this cafeteria offers is supreme compared to anything else on campus. With frequent visits to this center, you’ll see the selection of delicious meals that is offered. Full chicken rotisserie roast, a pasta bar, and freshly made cakes are often on the menu. Tonight’s menu, for example, included pasta from the pasta bar, chicken curry with brown rice, Mediterranean tuna sandwich, a gourmet mushroom swiss burger, a grilled BLT, corn, asparagus, and several soup selections. A diverse menu like this is a daily occurrence in the cafeteria, leading to an amazing meal every time I visit.
With the addition of College Town and the movement of the bookstore, the University has announced the expansion of Douglass Dining Center. This expansion includes the promise of a whole new floor dedicated to improving the campus dining experience. As UR moves forward, I envision this new dining center to be modeled after the success of the Med Center Cafeteria. I hope the University will be able to follow through on its promises for the new center of food.
On a more serious note, one persistent desire I have that, if satisfied, would improve my personal living experience is for UR to include mozzarella sticks on the menu somewhere. All I truly desire is the feeling of the gentle warmth of fresh mozzarella sticks in all their doughy glory. The sensation of the hot gooey cheese bursting over my taste buds is the only thing I truly want. With the addition of these fried rods of cheese and dough to campus, I would be willing to say that the food here isn’t bad, even going so far as to say it’s alright.
Schum is a member of
the class of 2017.
