Dining Hall Qualms

I am the biggest advocate for midnight runs to McDonald’s and 5 pm trips to the gym. Honestly, if it will allow me to consume more food, I’m in. However, we’re in college. Money is tight, and let’s be real here… we cannot afford to spend $8 on meals every night. I don’t care what you do for a living, if you’re in college, you should not be able to afford that kind of luxury.

Here at Loyola, we’re on an all-access meal plan if you’re a freshman or a sophomore. While the dining halls do get repetitive and boring, there is a way to make the best out of it. We are afforded three dining halls, and unlimited swipes to them throughout the day, as long as they are within thirty minutes of each other. There are several make your own options: pizza, pasta, sandwiches/wraps, and omelets in the morning time.

While going to dining halls constantly does get boring, even with the three options for a change of scenery, there is something that I discovered that is really more common sense than anything, but makes a difference: take the food to go. Most of us college kids have mini fridges and microwaves in our rooms, and if not, available to us in our lounges. While I cannot guarantee you’re going to be in the mood for whatever the dining hall is serving us that day, I can almost guarantee that if you open your fridge, see a cute little wrap waiting for you that appears to be custom made and expensive looking (okay okay, more expensive looking than if it’s just slapped onto a plate) it is going to make your meal experience ten times more fun.

While Loyola really doesn’t make a statement of whether you are allowed to take food out of the dining halls, many students do it regardless. Find a tupperware container, go have one of the employees make yourself a custom wrap (try a spinach or tomato tortilla with turkey, freshly sliced tomatoes and lettuce, pickles, and a bit of mayo/honey mustard!), thank them, and take it back to your room and put it in your fridge for that perfect on-the-go pre dinner snack.

Eating dining hall food doesn’t have to be the awful experience that it sometimes is chalked up to be. Besides, where else can you get unlimited soft serve? Don’t knock it before you try all of your options.