The Dining Hall...

Last night was my first entry into the dining hall. Unlike at Frank where you can take as much food whenever you want, they have limits here. For lunch you are allowed either a starter and a main dish or a main dish and dessert. For dinner you are allowed all three. But of course nothing can ever be quite that simple. We didn't know what counted as starter and what as main meal. Did the vegetables I wanted with my lasagna count as a starter? What about the potatoes? And did the apple I really wanted to eat count as a dessert? We must have looked very lost, because a very nice woman came out from behind the counter to explain to us what we could eat.

As it turns out, the vegetables were included as part of the main dish, and you can have one piece of fruit with every meal. I guess they are trying to encourage healthy eating. But I was happy with dinner last night, it was definitely edible.

Lunch today was rather interesting. It was advertised that there would be paninis. As I very excitedly entered the dining hall, I discovered that my conception of a "panini" was not a universal. We could choose between plain cheese or cheese and pepperoni in a baguette. It was warmed, but not exactly what I picture when I think of a panini. Nonetheless, it was edible, and that is all that really matters.

Unlike at Colgate where we have Frank and the Coop and everyone can eat wherever they choose, you have to eat at the dining facility in your residence hall. This means that our group is all split up at meal times, and I am very thankful that another Colgate student is in my dorm. (Yay Lauren!) This also means that I have a long walk down the hill for lunches. (Just for future record, there is a hill here. While it is not quite as large as Colgate's, I still have to walk up it to get to classes and the town. So I will continue the use of the phrases "up/down the hill" to represent coming back to the dorm or leaving.) Anyway, I am hoping to figure out the procedure for asking for a bagged lunch, because I don't think I want to walk back here every day - especially if I have class right after.

I am thankful that the dining halls have served edible food so far!