Navigating the Dining Halls as a Picky Eater

My diet during my first-year at Carleton was not great. I ate pizza most days of my first term at Carleton. I am gluten-intolerant (basically, gluten makes me feel sick), so I would eat everything but the crust. Gross, I know. I eventually graduated to the slightly healthier option of brown rice and cherry tomatoes, which I seasoned with salt.

Needless to say I am a somewhat picky eater. Luckily, I’ve found some ways to “hack” the dining halls and make food to my liking.

If you have allergies, check out the SimplyOASIS at the Language and Dining Center (LDC)

The Oasis offers food gluten-free as well as without the top nine allergens. It takes the guess-work out of food safety, but unfortunately is pretty small. There are usually around five different options, which always includes a protein, like chicken or legumes, and a carb, like rice. There’s also a gluten-free only station at both dining halls that has bread, spreads like jelly and peanut butter, and a dessert. One of my personal favorite desserts is a PB&J, so I frequent that station.

Get crafty (make sandwiches, make deviled eggs, make waffles, use salads, soups and rice)

There are lots of ways you can make your own food in the dining halls. The salad bar is full of different ingredients to add to foods or to use for salads. One of my friends even likes to microwave raw spinach! I usually make sandwiches using the deli bar and panini press, but my favorite thing to make are deviled eggs, which uses ingredients from both the deli bar and salad bar.

The dining halls also have waffle bars, so you can make your own waffle during any meal! Combining soup and rice is another way to make a full meal when nothing else in the dining hall sounds good.

Check the menus online

The best thing about have two dining halls (Burton and LDC) is the options! There are regular menus that rotate daily and there are different specials everyday. The dining halls do taste slightly different, so trying foods at both is a great way to discover new dishes that you enjoy. Plus, they often bring back some recipes throughout the term. Sometimes the menus have interesting dishes, like apple cinnamon pizza (not a bad dessert, tbh), but you won’t know if they are good without trying! You can always ask for a smaller serving to sample a food without wasting a ton if you don’t like it.

Take a trip to St. Olaf College

St. Olaf is just across town and our meal swipes work in their dining hall. It is a 7-ish minute bus ride using the express bus that is free for students. It’s also a quite nice and scenic 1.5 mile walk. They only have one dining hall, but their menu is usually different from ours. Sometimes it’s nice to get a change of scenery and a change of food.

As I have spent more time at Carleton, I have become less of a picky eater by pushing myself to try new things. I am proud to say that I regularly eat vegetables now and I actually enjoy them!

Ronnie (they/she/he) is a senior Biology major from Oak Park, IL. Outside of blogging, she is also an Admissions tour guide and a Student Ambassador for Alumni Relations. You can usually find them in Cowling Gymnasium with the Ballroom Dance Team, practicing for the next competition or chatting with teammates. They also have very strong opinions about food on campus (especially LDC eggs and Burton fried tofu). She is also the commodore of  Carleton’s sailing club and a DJ for KRLX, the student run radio station.