Hmm…flashback time

So, the Smith College Alum blog posted about Smith’s dining services, and asks what are some of your favorite Smith dining memories and meals?

I was one of those alums whose head exploded when I found out about the changes to Smith’s dining. But let me backup and explain the Smith dining system; and to do that first a little about the living arrangements. Smith does not have dorms, rather it has houses.  And for the most part each house has its own kitchen and dinning room; making the experience feel more family like. Since I graduated the dining was consolidated; meaning more than one house for each dining area.  To me that just ruins the whole experience.  

However, while I was at Smith and living in Morrow House the dining system had not yet been butchered, and our dining staff rocked.  One of my favorite meals was on Thursday nights because that was candle light dinner. It was kinda fancy with table cloths, candles, and everyone serving each other family style instead of at the buffet. These nights the main dish often was baked zitti. Gotta love the cheesy goodness.  Also no meal in Morrow House was complete without the jute box. (I have fond memories of that jute box, but that’s a whole separate post.)  My other favorite meal was Friday Tea. This happened every Friday at 4:30 (or was it 4:00) and included fruit, cookies, brownies, and other chocolate goodies.  Oh and tea. Lots and lots of tea.  God I miss Friday tea!

However, I do have one memory about Smith dining that isn’t memorable because of my fondness for the food, indeed it is quite the opposite. The one meal in which I would go to extremes to avoid: Chinese night. That particular night the food was an abomination. It insulted every fiber of my Chinese heritage.  On these nights N and I would make trips to Bread and Circus where I would purchase whole meals (my go to was steak and mashed potatoes).  

In order to avoid this utterly, and not blow all of my money on take out I equipped my room.  After my first experience with Chinese night I promptly bought a George Foreman grill and a hot pot.  The grill made excellent steak, and the hot pot not only worked for that college staple ramen noodles but also boiled potatoes really well (it also steamed broccoli quite nicely as well).  N called my room “The Restaurant.”  

Because that is how far I would go to avoid the Chinese food at Smith. Blech.