Believe it or not, when I was choosing which college to attend, food was a deciding factor. Coming from a home where my mom cooks most meals, I know how important good food is. All these years I’ve become accustomed to homemade dishes like salmon quiche, meatballs with couscous, grilled chicken with sautéed mushrooms, and peppered steak.
When it came time for college, giving up these delicious meals in exchange for dining hall food didn’t sound too exciting.
Thankfully, going to a college like Muhlenberg that has nationally-ranked dining, my adjustment has been made easy. There are a variety of food stations which each have their own specialty. Here are examples of some to give you a taste of what the food is like:
1. Chef’s Table
Photo courtesy of @ericakornbluh on Instagram
Chefs Table offers many unique options such as mahi mahi tacos, vegetable pasta, and fish and chips. It is mainly known for its brick oven pizza and wok-abilities, a create your own stir fry. These are meals no Muhlenberg student can resist and this is obvious by the immense lines that form for these foods.
2. Wildfire Grill
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This fast food station has just about anything you can find at chain restaurants such as McDonald’s or In-N-Out. This includes crunchy burgers, crispy fries, and some good old fried chicken.
3. Mangia Mangia
Photo by Rachel Williamson
There’s no need to study abroad all the way in Italia to get delicious pizza and pasta, with this station conveniently located in the heart of Muhlenberg’s dining hall you’re all covered. “Mangia Mangia” has not just one pizza option but many such as: vegetable, pepperoni, and margarita pizza. Additionally, there are a variety of sauces to add flavor to your pasta.
4. Noshery (North and South)
Photo by Juliet Paterek
The Noshery consists of two individual stations, both of which are Kosher. One of these stations serves dairy foods and the other serves meats. At the dairy station, you are guaranteed a taste of Israel when eating falafel and pita and every Sunday you can be sure to find any American Jew’s favorite breakfast: bagels and lox. The meat section is mainly known for its matzoh ball soup, grilled chicken, and curly fries.
5. Dessert Bar
Photo courtesy of @naomisitruk on Instagram
Last but most definitely not least, everyone’s favorite part of the meal – desserts. Desserts are a big deal here at Muhlenberg given the fact that it offers just about any dessert you can possibly imagine. Seriously though, the desserts range from cookies to cannoli’s to ice cream to doughnuts to cupcakes and the list doesn’t even end here. The best part is desserts are available all throughout the day – even during breakfast.
Despite all the tasty food at school, something about coming back to mom’s home cooked meals is really special. Each time I go home for breaks I find myself asking the typical, “what’s for dinner tonight?” question. This shows how much happiness food from home can bring. In the moment, it’s something that is taken for granted but when it is not nearly an everyday thing its value becomes that much greater. Another reason home cooked meals are so special is because they remind you of memories that happened around a table or they make you think of your favorite family traditions. All of these factors show that no matter how amazing the food at school is, there really is no place like home and no food like mom’s.
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