I know what happens when the topic of food is mixed with education. Almost immediately one can smell the stench of gross, over processed food. Horrible childhood thoughts of lunchroom cruelty come hovering back into your mind. Your belly aches as it yearns for larger portions. And if you're a SNL fan like myself, a resounding chorus of "sloppy joe, slop, slop-py joe" can almost be heard.
Luckily, I'm here to tell you it gets better in college. I'm here to say that I really cannot complain about my dining experiences here at Capital. Parkhurst Dining Services do a marvelous job of filling my college belly- and I'm not just saying that.
I shall point out to you 5 of my favorite things about the MDR. (A brief history: "MDR" stands for Main Dining Room. For whatever reason, they changed within the past couple of years the name. Technically, The Capital Court is where I eat. The MDR is what I call it. Why? Because everyone else does. I would hate to go against the student body. Us college kids and our abbreviations...hmmm) Ok- on with my five points. I shall "bullet" them because I simply am a fan of lists. 1. Mongo Bongos- There are five different food stations in the MDR. Mongo Bongos is my favorite because it is a mongolian barbeque. While I'm not a huge fan of stir-fry, you can make yourself one mean burrito with the mexican veggies available. Chipotle who? I get MY enormous burritos from Mongo Bongo!
2. Beverages Galore!- Something so simple as pop. After reluctantly sipping on Coke at my summer job, I am glad to be back in a Pepsi atmosphere. This means I can create my own version of my favorite pop- DMDCR (Diet Mountain Dew Code Red- again with the abbreviations...). 3/4 Diet Mtn. Dew, 1/4 Fruit Punch- ahhhh- good stuff. I'm also a fan of water- and they recently made lemons available- yay!!
3. Socializing!- Much the way the lunchroom was the meca of all things high school- I love the MDR atmosphere. It is here you get to see old friends and meet new ones. I am constantly amazed at the relationships I have formed over food. Sounds funny- but its true. I can be found hanging out long after I'm done eating..shooting the breeze and having fun!
4. Pineapple- It's kinda ridiculous- but I think I have had pineapple at every meal since I've been here. It's just a nice "after meal" refresher. I can always head to the salad bar to get my pineapple, peaches and other marvelous veggies and salads.
5. Last but not least. ICE CREAM! Some wish we had soft-served- to those people I say "Are you Nuts??" I really enjoy our hard-pack gallons of variety and taste. Gimme a bowl or cone full of Strawberry Cheesecake or Oreo Cookie Treasure- and you'll have yourself one happy first-year! Freshman 15? blahhh- that Ice Cream is well worth it!
The picture I leave with you today is of me and my fellow First-year blogger Amanda. She's great. We were both equally excited as our Parkhurst chefs offered made-to-order pasta today! Ok- so pesto pasta with clam, onions and cheese is not readily available EVERY day...but it sure is a treat when they surprise us with new cuisine options!