On-Campus Eats: Getting Creative

One of the major complaints I hear from students about on-campus food is how repetitive the meals can be. While this has some validity to it, the fault can not be entirely placed on Dining Services. Even though breakfast at the Lower Commons Dining Hall is almost always the same (scrambled eggs, sausage or bacon, tator tots), there are alternatives to simply piling it all on your plate and digging in. Likewise, the typical dinner of a chicken patty on a roll with lettuce, tomato and mayo can be much improved with some creativity. The key is simply realizing that not every dish has to be eaten the way it is usually served. There are ingredients all around you in that buffet setting, and they can all be used in a variety of ways.

A great example of this is what I like to call the Chartwell's Breakfast Sandwich. This masterpiece of a morning meal can be put together easily, and the ingredients are always available. A toasted bagel, scrambled eggs and either bacon or sausage can be combined into a delicious sandwich, much like the ones that people shell out cash for at the Dunkin Donuts or Burger King on campus. To add more taste to this creation, season it with salt and pepper, or add ketchup or hot sauce to your eggs. You can also try using a Cinnamon Raisin or Onion bagel instead of a Plain.

As far as the typical Chartwell's chicken patty sandwich goes, there are multiple ways to alter and improve this staple of the Salem State dining halls. One thing I've noticed in my time as a Hungry Viking is that people go crazy for buffalo chicken. Whenver Chartwell's prepares boneless buffalo chicken people devour it, begging for more. What these people don't realize is that this buffalo chicken taste can be replicated every night at the dining hall by asking for hot sauce from the employees behind the serving stations. They always have some delicious buffalo flavored hot sauce back there, and by either dripping some on a chicken patty or completely smothering it, you can make a pretty dynamite buffalo chicken sandwich.

The other key creation that features the chicken patty is the Chicken Parm Dish. Chartwell's serves trays of pasta every night with large batches of marinara sauce on the side. This typical dish can be transformed by taking a plate of pasta, topping it with a chicken patty, covering the patty in american cheese from the sandwich station and then covering the whole dish in piping hot marinara sauce. The result is an Italian classic that can be prepared on most nights in the Dining Hall.

Methods like this can really help to make the Chartwell's experience more interesting. One of the best feelings you'll ever get in a Dining Hall is when you realize that you can combine two dishes that are typically served seperately to create a much better meal than they would constitute on their own. Experiment, Vikings, and see what you can create in the Dining Hall. Comment on this post with any new ideas or creations that you come up with and help expand the Alternative Menu that is so key to enjoying life as an eater on campus.