Creative Dining Hall Ideas – Roommate Edition

Greetings to all! My name is Rachel and I am truly honored to be a guest writer on this fabulous blog that my roommate, Ashley, has so wonderfully put together.

So.  Let’s be honest.  The FIT dining hall is not the best – 5 star rating place to fill your stomachs, quench your thirst, grab some grub . . . whatever you wanna call it. So today, I wanna share some personal tips and tricks I have come up with while perusing the multiple stationed room for the past few months while on the meal plan to spark more of an interest to the cafeteria.

  1.  The Deli Delight (Hold the Deli)
    Do you ever go to the sandwich station and think, “This is pointless for me.  I don’t like more than HALF the things they put on a sub!” False.  Who ever said being simple is a bad thing? Here’s what I say. Ask for some pita, or whatever kind of bread you prefer, and ask them to toast it. While it’s getting to a perfect s’more golden brown, you get packets of peanut butter and a tasting cup (tasting cups by the ketchup from The Grill station) full of jelly, and BOOM. You got yourself a beautiful gourmet PB&J sandwich. Or, if you’re not about the PB&J life or maybe you’re just feelin’ a bit of a Middle Eastern flare on that day, ask for a side of hummus.  You can never go wrong with some pita and hummus.
  2.  Deli with your Own Twist
    Keeping with the same station, we don’t always see what we would prefer to be on our sandwich. So, here’s what you do. Go to the salad bar and pick out what you would actually like to have on your sandwich (in my case, mushrooms) and just ask to have the toppings put on the bread.  It’s as simple as that! Be creative while mixing and matching the stations!
  3. Sushi (Hold pretty much everything)
    Okay.  This one is might be a bit tricky to pull off.  If you like plain seaweed for a snack, like I do, kindly walk over to the sushi station and politely ask for just some seaweed.  Sometimes, they are generous and will get you some and sometimes, you just asked on a bad day. Definitely try it! Could be worth it.
  4. Yogurt Parfait
    This breakfast station is one of my personal favorites! This is a suggestion for those of you who can’t eat granola, don’t like it, etc . . . Go about your yogurt parfait like usual and if you still want that nice crunch to your yogurt, just substitute cereal in for granola! Rice chex is highly recommended.  😉
  5. H20 To Go
    This trick is just a reminder and not all of it goes along with your meal plan.  If you are stuck in a kitchenless dorm room and cannot boil water, no problem! Take a cup of hot water (from the coffee and tea station) and use it for your own, previously bought oatmeal, ramen, whatever you need to make that requires hot water… and remember! Water is FREE. Yep, that means you don’t even need to swipe your cards and use up a meal, folks.

Good luck & good eats!
Rachel