My Days in Food: A Guide to Carleton’s Dining

If you are like me, you would agree that eating is essential. The good news is at Carleton, there are many ways you can get food! To give you the essence of what I usually eat and what dining at Carleton is like, below are a few random days in meals. 

Quick Dining Logistics:

There are five places on campus where you can get your sustenance: LDC, Burton, Sayles, Schulze Cafe, and Weitz Cafe. LDC and Burton are the two main dining halls where you can use a meal swipe, and I get most of my food there. Schulze, Sayles, and Weitz Cafe do not take meal swipes unless you are doing a meal swap. At the cafes, you need to pay with either Schillers, dining dollars, or with card/cash. To a prospective student, the way dining works here may seem complicated, but trust me– you get adjusted fast!

A Random Day (in food)

Breakfast:

Today I ate my usual breakfast at LDC: eggs, potatoes, a stack of fruits, and veggie sausages. Even though I usually get the same thing, the menus at each dining hall change every day. Veggie/non-veggie sausages, eggs, cereal, waffles, GF/non-GF bread/bagels, yogurt, oatmeal, and fruits are usually the consistent breakfast items offered every day. But, sometimes there are biscuits and gravy, french toast, and more. 

Lunch:

Today I had a pretty hefty workload, so I decided to check out a Green2Go box and head to a study room at the library. Today LDC had steamed rice and Thai chicken (under that stack of lettuce, shredded carrots, and quinoa). 

Dinner:

I had an early dinner, so I ate pretty light with some veggies, rice, and rice noodles with tofu. I really appreciate how some things always stay consistent at the dining halls, like proteins, veggies, pizza, etc. but the entrees usually change every day for some variety. No matter what the options are, it’s always usually easy for me to find something good to eat.

Another Random Day (in food)

Breakfast:

Today I in fact had my regular at LDC. I have absolutely no idea how I am not tired of eating the same meal for breakfast every day. But if you would (reasonably) become tired of this, there are other options for what you can eat! You can see the menus on the Bon Appétit website (our food provider), and also get them emailed to you every morning! 

To not bore you with a picture of the same meal, here are some insights into what the dining halls look like during breakfast:

Lunch:

It was around 12 pm and I got a text from my friend saying that there was just a random Asian Invasion food truck on campus… giving out free meals. Instead of getting a Green2Go at LDC, I got shrimp tempura with rice and it was definitely a highlight of the week.

Also, since it’s fall season, there was a booth outside of the library giving away free apple cider and hot chocolate. Only at Carleton.

Dinner:

I wasn’t able to get to the dining halls in time for dinner, so I ended up going to Sayles to order from their late-night menu. I got a chicken quesadilla and pastry from the bakery for under $10 using dining dollars (that I may have forgotten to take a photo of, but just know that it was really good).

The Final Random Day (in food)

Breakfast:

Again, as usual, I got my usual. But again, not to bore you, below is a picture of the pastry selection that changes every day! My favorites include the coffee cake, pumpkin bars, and (my all-time favorite) chocolate chip cappuccino muffins! 

Lunch:

Today for lunch, I got the chance to sit down with some friends and had the usual salad bowl with some potatoes and parmesan cheese. I thought my friends had some plates that were more interesting than mine, so I decided to attach photos of their food as well.

Dinner:

For dinner, I had a bowl of chicken and fried rice at LDC. And then maybe a brownie or two. The dessert selections during dinnertime are always a good part of the night.

FYI… I am someone who does not have any allergies or sensitivities to food (that I know of…), but a lot of my friends do, and they say that Carleton does a good job at providing alternatives. There are always gluten-free, vegan, dairy-free, etc. options available, and they are usually labeled on the menus.

Emma (she/her) is a first-year student from South Florida. She is interested in Cognitive Science, Psychology, and Gender, Women’s, and Sexuality Studies. Em is a member of TRIO and also works as an Event Manager at the Weitz. When not in class, she enjoys going to the Rec, riding her bike around campus, and drinking coffee.