Friday, October 10, 2014

Cafeteria food

I'm sure many of you don't have fond memories of college cafeteria food, but Maggie has been enjoying the food at her college. The topic came up in our group chat, originally set up for everyone to see photos of baby Annabel, and where Kathryn also shared photos of Mia and Christopher from time to time.

A photo of Mia eating garlic bread prompted us to start chatting about what we ate. Maggie chimed in with a description of “melt-in-your-mouth delicious” grilled swordfish at her high-ranking school cafeteria* and “another notable meal: described as a chicken salad sandwich with cranberries and almonds, and Greek style orzo pasta salad” before Susanna suggested she take photos of these notable meals so we could better visualize. Maggie retorted that she’s no food blogger and that she wouldn’t know if it was worth documenting until she takes a bite. Then, if it was good, she’d find it bothersome to stop and take a picture because she’d be too busy enjoying the food, but she finally agreed to try…

Speaking of cranberries reminded me of an old favorite sandwich: turkey and cranberries with pesto mayo to which Maggie responded that pesto mayo is the signature condiment at the sandwich counter. Also avocado in everything – or available to add, like to an “amazing grilled ham and cheese.” Since the majority of the avocado market is grown in CA, it’s not surprising they’re so readily available.

The first photo popped up on 9/24 of steak with Thai noodle salad – the beef tasted like that from a family favorite restaurant, Mandarin Deli. That was followed by a Fosselman’s chocolate milkshake later in the evening prompting conversation about the quality of food Maggie was eating and how some of us haven’t had a milkshake in a while.
A brunch post popped up on 9/28 of chicken pecan salad plus green salad of crispy lettuce with honey Dijon dressing, a bite of juicy red grapefruit (from the self-serve salad bar) and a freshly baked croissant worthy of a Parisian cafĂ©” prompted Joel to comment on what a responsible meal Maggie was eating compared to his strawberry velvet (chocolate) pancake topped with whipped cream.
10/1 clam chowder and salad for lunch, open-faced burrito
10/2 a wrap (sandwich) tomatoes, avocado
10/6 chicken mushroom turnover with spinach salad and finally a mediocre meal – “meatless Monday” Indian style (only because the Indian in HK is so yummy)
10/7 wood-fired oven plate sized pizza (looked like chicken with a white sauce)
10/8 a “small” serving of coffee and cookie ice cream – looked like a pint!
The descriptions petered out proving Maggie was indeed not a food blogger, but there you have it - notable college food from the past two weeks!


8. Occidental College, Los Angeles, CA
The dining services at Occidental work with a student-led Cooking and Gardening course to educate students on good composting practices as well as proper food handling. Some of the events on campus include Food Justice Month, Public Health Week, and Earth Week, and on top of that there are a huge array of themed meals that work in tandem with student-run organizations and clubs. And let’s not forget about the Chef’s Showcase, where on-campus chef’s prepare their personal favorites, and of course, there’s Oxy Iron Chef, an in-house student culinary face-off. Clearly Occidental’s goal is to focus on community building and community learning, and we think that it is a noble goal. But it’s not just the events that impress us. Their menu sounds more like that of a five-star restaurant than the menu of a college dining program. Meals have included balsamic-glazed chicken, butternut risotto, and braised beef

No comments: