College dining courts are usually where dreams of comforting homemade meals die. I think we got pretty lucky at Purdue- we have five amazing dining courts to choose from that all have their own unique feel to them. If you were around campus at all last year, you know from all the signs how proud Purdue was to be ranked 17th by Business Insider for Best College Dining Hall.
But, as my dad would say, we didn’t come this far to lay up. The attitude of settling for only 17th best didn’t land 22 Purdue graduates on the moon. Here are some suggested additions to Purdue dining courts that would certainly move us up on the list.
Avocados
Photo by Christina Chu
In a world full of millennials eating avocado toast for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, we need constant access to this amazing fruit. The occasional frozen guacamole in the burrito line just doesn’t cut it.
Tea Variety
Photo by Dyan Khor
Do you like your black tea caffeinated or decaffeinated? Teas can be remedies to many common health issues, so a better variety might just improve student health.
Frozen Yogurt
Photo courtesy of wheretogoh.com
The dining courts serve every kind of dessert you could possibly imagine, with the exception of froyo. It’s technically healthy so students could feel way less guilty about a froyo sandwich made with two of Purdue’s famous freshly baked, ooey gooey chocolate chip cookies.
Almond Milk and Almond Butter
Photo by Tarika Narain
Two big trends that have yet to be introduced. Almond substitutes are so accommodating for those with allergies or intolerances, it’d be a mistake to overlook the value they could add to our bowls of cereal and childhood-esque sandwiches.
Made To Order Eggs
Photo by Caty Schnack
Hard boiled and scrambled eggs get so tiring after a while, and there are only so many omelet combinations to make at Hillenbrunch. Being able to have a dippy egg with toast would bring back childhood memories for all.
Better Hours
Photo by Lucia Perasso
If you have a meeting that runs late and are halfway across campus at 8:30pm, you’re pretty much SOL for food at Purdue. We don’t need 24/7 service, but we’d sure appreciate having access to food for those late nights and midnight munchies.
Smoothie or Juice Bar
Photo by Christin Urso
College students are obsessed with green smoothies and juice cleanses so this addition would be well received. It’d be a perfect detox option to have after the yearly Thanksgiving feast.
Steamed Seafood
Photo by Tomer Elkayam
The East Coast is crawling with dining courts that feature seafood boils with clams, mussels, shrimp, corn, and potatoes as a special treat. Most of those places are the ones that top Purdue for the best dining courts in America. Just because we’re in the Midwest doesn’t mean we have to give up on having amazing seafood available to us. We shouldn’t have to settle for mystery seafood mixes stuffed into sad fillets.
Nutella Fountain
Gif courtesy of giphy.com
Purdue’s dining courts already have so many meal selections. On any given day you could probably find any kind of meal you wanted, from home-style to international to vegan-friendly and every other cuisine in between. There’s really only one addition to make that would skyrocket the quality of our dining courts – a Nutella fountain. They owe it to us, since there’s nothing like drowning your sorrows in Nutella after a horrendous physics exam.