There is a certain genre of article that I sometimes read in newspapers and magazines, and I can’t help but think that I could have written it. “Our Favorite Bedside Lamps?” “Five Science Fiction Movies to Stream Now?” “The Best Robes?” Is investigative journalism so easy? Could I write something in that style for a blog post?
If you need to eat, food is a great option. Though I tried to explore alternatives by eating dirt when I was younger, I later learned that I had to eat food with some degree of nutritious value in order to feel sated. However, eating food can be much more than just an activity for survival; some foods even allow you to enjoy eating them. But not all food is made equal.
Good food keeps you full; great food transports you to the garden where it was grown or the kitchen where it was forged. However, bad food is made of lies, the veneer of good taste dissolving into sand and grit in your mouth. As such, the quality of food at a college may be a big factor for some prospective students. But fear not; your trusty writer is here to detangle the webs of mystery surrounding Swarthmore dining with a stay-at-home travelogue, where I document everything I eat at our dining hall, the Dining and Community Commons (DCC), for a week. This is a list, given with minimal commentary, to let you decide what is right for your needs.
A few notes on the list below:
Note 1: Breakfast is always continental and I always have the same thing, so it has been omitted for brevity. I always eat grapefruit, cantaloupe, and some hash browns; as the day allows, I will also have french toast sticks, bagels, muffins, bacon, or pastries.
Note 2: There are eight different stations in the DCC, each offering up a different menu. It is all-you-can-eat; a diner goes between restaurants to get as many different foods as they want. I like to mix and match; as such, the list below may lack thematic cohesion at some points. Every day, there were many more options that I did not document; I simply ate what seemed most appealing to me.
Note 3: I am partnered with the dining hall; if you apply to Swarthmore using my affiliate link, I may earn the right to ask for certain flavors of sherbet.
Note 4: As hard as I tried, my food photography skills are not quite up to par. You will have to use your imagination.
Note 5: My mother reads these blog posts sometimes. Mom, if you’re reading, I promise I only eat a reasonable amount of ice cream each time.
MONDAY:
LUNCH: Doro wat (an Ethiopian curry,) naan bread, marinated pork in bao buns (a fluffy and sweet Chinese bun in which you put any kind of filling,) sausage and pepper pizza, raspberry Italian ice.
DINNER: Thai chili tofu, tomato bisque (grilled cheese was also offered,) buttered egg noodles, coffee ice cream.
TUESDAY:
LUNCH: Cauliflower puree soup (which I spilled all over myself; shame, as it was quite good soup,) sweet chili chicken wings, beef tacos (barbacoa, rice, salsas, guacamole,) gochujang tofu.
DINNER: Gnocchi with tomato basil sauce (personal favorite,) garlicky green beans, zucchini pizza (interesting experiment, but I’m not doing it again,) fudge brownie.
WEDNESDAY:
LUNCH: Egg noodles, green beans, red beans and rice (sort of like a paella except with no fish; I actually really enjoyed it,) pepperoni pizza.
DINNER: Spicy sweet potatoes (I was the only one of my friends who was able to handle them,) rotini with marinara sauce, black cherry ice cream.
THURSDAY:
LUNCH: Falafel, pita, curry rice (falafel days are always good days; the line at the restaurant is always long,) orange sherbet.
DINNER: Pasta with pesto (they used cavatelli; very dignified choice,) black beans and corn salad, wilted greens.
FRIDAY:
LUNCH: Honey chicken drums (really excellent), collard greens, burger with guacamole, Valentine’s Day dessert bowl (this was essentially a ice-cream-bar type situation; you would get a bowl, put in strawberries or pineapple or pretzels, then get chocolate drizzled over it.)
DINNER: Honey Korean pork tacos, green beans, some of that leftover chicken from lunch, raspberry sorbet.
Spencer Kennedy is an independent food critic who has been eating food for almost two decades, so you can trust him.
