On The Go

Let’s be real. We’re in college. Who really has time to wait in line for a hot meal every time there hungry? Don’t get me wrong, a hot meal is treasured by any college goer deprived of tasty, wholesome home-cooked meals. But, to wait as your food is prepared just isn’t always feasible. Especially during peak eating times. There are those days when you have two tests, a paper due at three, and on top of that you’re printer stops working. Waiting in a line is the very last thing you have written on the list of things you’d like to do. However, how can you possible get your hands on that much needed food without waiting in line? Easy: the pre-prepared food freezer.

Upon first hearing about already-made food, appetizing and delicious might be the last two adjectives on your mind. You may picture pre-packaged sandwiches and potato salads sitting in the same freezer for days on end. However, that is not the case. In Mabee and Coates there are convenient, open freezer sections with a multitude of freshly made snack and light meals to choose from when you’re on the go. Ranging from small packages of sushi, to cups of fruit, this section is sure to hit the spot when you don’t have time for a full meal. I know that when I’m late to my first class in the mornings, I always grab a cup of cantaloupe from this section- it’s a life saver. So next time you have one hundred things to do, and you just need something fast and easy, check out this section. It’s sure to make your life easier.

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Trinity Italiano

As one makes the rounds around Mabee Dining Hall, one may find that they are not in the adventurous mood at all. Perhaps you’ve had enough sushi, health food, and sandwiches that you can stand and what you really want is something that you know and love. Well, have I got the line for you. The pasta line is the perfect solution to this problem. Far from being scary or foreign or new, the pasta line cooks warm pasta to order just like your mom used to. Warm and hardy, the pasta from the pasta line is the perfect comfort food at the end of a long day.

One of my favorite parts about this line is that you are able to customize you dish any way you like, similar to most lines in Mabee. You usually get a choice of three different noodle types, at least one being wheat, for those of us watching our figures. Then, you are able to add an array of spices ranging from pepper to crushed garlic. As you hand your plate off to the cook behind the counter, you get to choose from meats like meatballs, chicken, and pepperoni, as well as sauces like marinara, pesto, and alfredo. The combinations are endless. So, next time you’re craving Mom’s warm, homemade spaghetti, check out the pasta line. It’s sure to warm you up and hit the spot.

Fear of the Unknown

More than likely, as you have made your rounds about the Mabee Dining Hall, you have passed the Sushi Line once or twice, felt a tad bit daunted, and then turned the other way. Perhaps the idea of raw fish sliding down your throat had you slightly less than excited, or even slightly terrified. So you quickly ran to the safest food line you could find- the Home Zone perhaps with its lasagna or grilled chicken. However, next time before you bolt in the other direction, take a second glance at the Sushi line. There may be something more there than you think.
In fact, sushi is the least popular food item coming out of the Sushi line. Almost on a daily basis, this line serves up some sort of Asian meat entree with a side of white rice. In addition, you always have to option to add on as many eggrolls and crab rangoons as you would like. Meat entrées vary from Asian dishes as familiar as teriyaki chicken to dishes as foreign-sounding as “Yum-Yum” chicken. The best part is that you can watch it all being made by hand right behind the counter, so you know it’s fresh. On the day of my visit to the Sushi Line, they were serving up Sesame Chicken, sweet and tangy sauce-covered chicken on kabobs served over a bed of white rice and topped with sesame seeds. With the addition of one of my favorite egg roles, this dish sure did hit the spot. So next time you see the word Sushi and want to run in the other direction, give the good ‘ole Sushi Line a second chance. It may just be a little less scary than you think.

Finding Excitement in the Unexpected

The Sandwich Line. As we make our rounds about the dining hall, this line may seem slightly less than exciting at first glance. Thus, as we often times do, we may feel prompted to forgo this oh-so-familiar option for something more exciting- the Japanese style line, or the Bar-B-Q line perhaps. However, next time you’re making laps about the dining hall, look again. The Sandwich Line may have far more to offer than you’d expect.

The truth is, this line gives you so many options, you can make your meal as exciting as you want. The only problem you may encounter is having to deal with too many choices. The process starts out with your choice of bread, ranging from spinach and tomato tortilla wraps, to ciabatta bread or sourdough. Next you choose your meat and cheese, with options like simple sliced turkey as well as grilled chicken, and cheese as familiar as American to cheese that is completely foreign, such as feta. As I feel that I have perfected the perfect sandwich, I rarely drift away from my personal favorite. I start off with a spinach wrap, filled with grilled chicken and bacon, and topped with swiss and feta cheese. At this point, you have the option to toast your sandwich, which takes a bit longer, but I always highly recommend doing so. It can make the difference between an average sandwich a great sandwich. Once your meal comes out of the toaster, you can add a multitude of vegetables to it, like romaine and spinach, or corn and tomatoes. Personally I forgo this step, finding that vegetables rarely enhance the sandwich to my personal liking. And finally, you have a number of dressings to top you sandwich off with, my very favorite being the pesto mayonnaise. Regardless of the choices you make, you meal is sure to be anything but boring, leaving you far from being disappointed.

The Granary: To Eat Healthily or Not Healthily? That is the Question

Should I go for healthy or what tastes good? Do I want soup and a sandwhich for my lunch, or would I prefer the pizza with the delicious steam that somehow reaches my nostrils as soon as I enter Coates? These are the questions we ask ourselves on a daily basis here at Trinity as we frequent the Mabee Dining Hall as well as Coates for all our dining needs. It's becomes a daily struggle as we must choose between the many options that lie before us. Never before have we had such a variety of food available to us at one time, nor have we had the free will to choose exactly what it is we will end up eating. Long gone are the days in which Mom prepares and serves a perfectly balanced meal which we have no option but to eat. Upon our arrival at Trinity, we have been thrown into the real world, and as such is the case we must step up and make healthy decisions. However, healthy doesn't have to mean tasteless or unenjoyable. Sometimes adventurous eating habits can be all we need to eat healthy and satisfying meals.

We've all seen it: The Granary. We don't know very much about it, except that the only people who eat there are health freaks and dieters. The food looks relatively foreign and the concept confusing, so as we do a quick run down of our options before eating, we usually forgo this line. Most commonly in favor of something more familiar, like the pasta line. However, the Granary is nothing to be afraid of. The so-called strange kids to frequent the line have to be drawn back by something right? Right. The Granary is unique because it allows you to choose exactly what goes into your food. When approaching the line, there is a salad bar to the direct left, from which you choose from items like spinach leaves, carrots, red beans, and corn. To that you can add any type of grain they have available, my favorite being the couscous. You can also add any type of spice you like, ranging from curry to garlic. The server then throws it all together in a pan and cooks it up, fresh and to your liking. You can eat your meal assured that you know exactly what went into your food, and that its was customized for you. My favorite is a combination of carrots, tofu, curry, red beans, couscous, and feta cheese. And the best part is, the combinations are endless. You're sure never to get bored with health food again.