When Bon Appétit replaced longtime University food service provider Aramark last year, it came with a promise to “create food that is alive with flavor and nutrition, prepared-from-scratch using authentic ingredients.” So, with a school year of meals behind them, how do students feel about the food?
“MoCon sucked,” said Jesse Coburn ’09 in between bites of a salad. “The food at MoCon was terrible. So I guess it’s better, right?”
Eric Sherman ’10, along with most students questioned, agreed.
“I like the food, in general,” he said. “I do think it’s better.”
Noa Wotton ’10 had a more pragmatic view.
“The longer you eat cafeteria food from any one provider, the grosser it gets,” he said. “So I think I’m fortunate to get a new one halfway through college.”
Olivia Postell ’10 admitted at dinner on Thursday night that it was only the second time she had eaten at Usdan since spring break, and she was only there because she ran into some friends.
“I got so sick of it after first semester,” she said. “There’s less variety than there was last year. Luckily, I have a kitchen at home.”
Jonah Blumstein ’09 is a fan of the food, but like most students, missed at least some elements of MoCon.
“The food is definitely better, it seems fresher, like it’s not coming out of cans,” he said. “I wish they still had the big round tables like MoCon had, though.”
“In MoCon, they had grilled cheese all the time, and bean sprouts,” said Nicole Contaxis ’10. “Where are the sandwiches?”
“Three words: Asian flank steak,” said Henry Kaplan ’10. “They had that at MoCon. Entrees at MoCon were really good sometimes. On the average, the food here is better, but they don’t have those really great nights with really great meals. It’s always the same stuff.”
Syd Berkman ’10 also noted a lack of variety.
“It is better having dinner with everyone else in one place,” he said. “But they definitely serve the same six dishes here, over and over, week after week.”
“This place is great,” said Nelson Norsworthy ’10. “Except for the burritos, they’re terrible. They don’t make them like they used to in the old campus center.”
Andrea Neustein ’09 recognized Bon Appétit’s willingness to listen to student input.
“I think Bon Appétit has some things going for it“they’ve responded to quite a few student requests, and stir-fry is good,” she said. “I think the administration’s decision to consolidate all of the dining facilities into an unwelcoming airport terminal is the bigger problem.”
Many students had less to say about the food than they did about Usdan itself.
“The food is better, but replacing MoCon with Usdan is like tearing down College Row and replacing it with new buildings that have no character,” said Brad Litchfield ’09. “It’s not the same.”
“MoCon had an old school flavor,” said Ben Weisgall ’10. “It was grungy.”
Elissa Gross ’08 had a unique view of Usdan: she ate there for the first time ever this week.
“While I was fascinated by the multitude of food stations”classics, fresco, kosher, grill, fire, ice, water, wind“I cannot help but mourn the loss of homier establishments, such as the Vegan Café, and even MoCon,” she said.
Charles Witherspoon ’08 had a more gastrological take on the fare.
“I poop a lot less frequently afterwards than I did after MoCon,” he said.
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