Eat, drink, and be merry in the dining halls

Yale University Dining Halls (YUDH) makes dining an experience to remember. Too timid to order those Tempe burgers at your favorite restaurant? Taken Spanish, but never encountered soylada? A big fan of cheese, but never tried a big fried brick of mozzarella? Well, YUDH can help.

Never forget that when you come to Yale, you leave home behind, and that includes mom's great homecooking. Prepare yourself for the cuisine of Yale's 12 college dining halls, but don't get overly excited; chances are it will only let you down. Many students complain about the cafeteria-style food prepared in a way that seems to place quantity above quality.

Though menus have recently improved, get ready for new staples to replace the old meat and potatoes. Chicken and pasta appear nearly every day. Continental breakfast is available in the residential colleges. Eggs and pancakes make an appearance along with Belgian waffles at brunch on weekends.

Recycled food is yet another characteristic of the Yale dining hall experience; you may see tonight's baked chicken as tomorrow's glazed chicken and the next day's Chicken Acropolis. The age factor becomes crucial with certain foods such as Jell-O or pudding. No topping usually means it's been made the same day, whipped topping if it's a few days old. If the topping has sprinkles, beware!

But one thing about YUDH is that it does try. The dining halls do their best to accommodate the tastes of its customers, making vegan options available at every meal and consistently maintaining a great variety of foods. A salad and sandwich bar can sub in those times you just don't feel like chicken tenderbites. And an enormous stock of cereals and freshly baked bread and bagels always treats the palate, especially when topped off with the ice cream available at every meal.

Furthermore, even if the chefs' creativity in menu preparation isn't always appreciated, they pull out all the stops on occasional theme nights. In recent years, Branford has turned its hall into a '50s diner, complete with a jukebox and milk shakes. JE's Italian night comes complete with non-alcoholic wine and a romantic atmosphere.

And though Yalies may complain about the food, many eventually realize their benefiets. They're a great place to meet friends and stay in contact with the outside world. So what if the food is bad? At least the company isn't. It's easy to transfer meals to other residential colleges, and Yale's Flex Dollar program allows participants to get goodies at local restaurants.

Commons, open for breakfast and lunch, is a cavernous building that offers a bit more variety than the other dining halls and also provides an uncommonly good opportunity to find a better meal. Freshmen especially tend to dine here.

Students can also transfer their meals to several graduate and professional schools. The School of Management (SOM), the Law School, and Kline Biology Tower (KBT) are popular options and often offer better food than the college dining halls--escpecially with the recent addition of Sara Lee Sandwich Shoppes. For students who keep kosher or want a change of pace, the Kosher Kitchen, located at the Slifka Center for Jewish Life on Wall Street, serves traditional Jewish food and becomes packed almost every Friday night for Shabbat.

So if you're expecting gastronomic satisfaction, think again. As you stare down that tofu-kabob, remember: there really is no place like home.

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