Whether you love it or not, dining on campus is a part of your Miami experience. Students living on campus are required to purchase a student meal plan – unless you’re one of the lucky few living in Heritage Commons. Since you’ve already paid the bill, you might as well find a way to make it work for you. Otherwise, you’ll easily gain the freshman 15 from multiple trips to the pasta station per day. (not that I know this from experience. <cough>.). Here’s how I made the dining hall work for me.
Use swipes without actually going to the dining hall
There are a handful of locations across campus where you can use a swipe in exchange for breakfast on-the-go (Bell Tower Market, Emporium, Garden Market and King Cafe). Last semester I’d use a swipe to get a bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich with coffee on the way to my 10:05am class. Using swipes has never been so easy! If you’re a late riser and aren’t up before this ends at 10:30am then you can exchange a swipe during lunch/dinner hours at Maplestreet Commons Express instead. During this time you get a salad, dessert, fruit, soda, and choice of three hot items in a to-go box.
Try somewhere new!
As you may have begun to notice, not every dining hall serves the same items every day. If you aren’t in the mood for the Reuben sandwich at Garden today, you might find something tastier at Western. Don’t go to the same spots every day.
Pro tip: you can check what each dining hall is serving ahead of time and nutritional information by visiting the Miami Dining website
Get Crafty
I may not have always liked the options presented to me at the dining hall, but it wasn’t too difficult to make something I’d enjoy out of the food provided. Avocado toast, pizza bagels, buffalo chicken dip, and loaded nachos were just a few of my favorite concoctions. Students have also recommended making DIY breakfast sandwiches out of the English muffins near the toaster, scrambled eggs, bacon, and cheese from the salad bar. I’m sure if you and your friends put your minds together, you’ll think of something delicious too!
Don’t Forget About the Dietary Section
The dietary section was my go-to station. I like that they serve you the food rather than everyone self-serving and sharing the same spoon. Especially during flu season. Western was my favorite dietary location because they had a plethora of options, including a meat carving station that often had fresh, juicy turkey. If Western is too far of a hike, not to worry: you can make special requests at any dining hall dietary station. Personal pizzas were my personal favorite request!
Take it from me: you’ll definitely miss having swipes when you’re living off-campus and come home from a day of exams to a fridge with nothing more than a carton of rotten milk and 1-week old mac-n-cheese. So next time your Heritage Commons friends brag about how nice it is not having a meal plan, send them a picture of your delicious and easy dining hall meal.
Hannah Frier | Marketing
