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Cafeteria “cuisine”
By Ann | August 14, 2008
Bonjour mes amis and profuse apologies for the loooonnng absence! As it turns out, learning French, full-time, in immersion, is much more time-consuming (not to mention energy-sucking) then I ever imagined. Don’t get me wrong — I loved my program at Middlebury College and, now that it’s over, even kind of miss the three hours of homework per night (or maybe that’s the Stockholm Syndrome talking); I also loved (and miss) my clever and witty classmates (fyi — the 19-year-olds were much smarter and wiser than me) and, while I absolutely do not miss my dorm room, or sharing a bathroom with a floor of 20 women, I have to say, in the end, it was not that bad. But let’s cut to the chase and dish on what you really want to know about: the cafeteria food.
We ate at Procter, a worn cafeteria with an unfortunate (and burgeoning) fly problem. The above photo was from a particularly dismal lunch. The mac-n-cheese, combined with the corn, made for a rather yellow meal. Note the barley “medley” at left. The idea of a barley-and-veg-mix had potential but unfortunately tasted blander than all get out. Apparently, others shared this opinion, as the unpopular barley made another appearance at dinner the same day.
Highlights of the caf included lots of fresh fruit, a sandwich bar complete with panini press (Dieu merci for grilled cheese) and a salad bar that offered a fair selection, but could have could have used more variety.
Faves at the salad bar (photo above) included shredded carrots, quinoa, chick peas, kidney beans and cherry tomatoes. Low points were the range of salad dressings–especially the balsamic vinegar, which I now know is one ingredient never to skimp on. Cheap balsamic vinegar = yuck.
Of course, there was Mexican day (photo above) — yet surprisingly this classic cafeteria meal was offered only once during the entire seven weeks…
Mexican day even featured nachos with real fake cheese!
Naturally, there was the obligatory pasta meal.
In the end, the best meal of the summer was not cooked by the regular staff, but rather by one of our teaching assistants, a Moroccan French woman who prepared a most delicious and unusual repast for the entire French school in the cafeteria (I heard it took her two days). She made couscous, two types of meat, and two different soups (see above for a snap of my plate — but the picture hardly does it justice). I particularly enjoyed the tagine of lamb and prunes (upper right corner) , a hearty, flavorful combination of tender meat and supple fruit.
Topics: Dining Out and About |
One Response to “Cafeteria “cuisine””
Comments
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August 18th, 2008 at 9:21 pm
“Will I be able to adjust to eating dinner at 5.30pm? Will I have friends born in the late ’80s?”
I guess you got your questions answered. We love and miss you too.
oh, and mexican day was a joy. A joy.