Learning to eat well

ualbany dining hallWe've joked that we're going to embark on a dining tour of local college campuses, but we're starting to think that we should actually do just that.

First there was Skidmore's renovated dining palace ("hall" doesn't seem to quite cover it) that made the cover of NYT. And now this about UAlbany's recently re-modeled dining hall:

Students enjoy healthy food options at the newly-renovated Indian Quad Dining Hall, including locally-grown fruits, vegetables and grass-fed beef. Students are also encouraged to create their own meals, interact with staff to produce personalized meals and enjoy meals prepared in exhibition cooking displays.

It sounds like eating on the set of a Food Network show.

According to UAlbany's Facebook page, all of the school's dining halls are also now "trayless" -- which is apparently all the rage on eco-conscious campuses these days. Trayless cafeterias reportedly reduce food waste and save water and energy.

photo: Mark Schmidt/UAlbany

Comments

If you go, may I come ... please :)

At least they renovated that place. Their dining halls used to be reminiscent of a prison cafeteria. And the food was bad. Really bad.

Where was this when I lived on Indian Quad? Only a few years ago did the staff think vegetarians ate only spaghetti and vegans ate only iceberg salads.

I wonder how this upgrade upgraded the cost of freshman year room and board.....

Trayless wouldn't have flown in my days there; you needed the tray to carry the plate with three grilled cheese sandwiches (I never could figure out how the could all consistently have one crisp side and one soggy side), the plate with a slice of pizza or two, another plate for your waffle, and the two bowls of cereal - often the most palatable options for your meal.

I really don't get this trayless thing. When I go to a counter service restaurant and there are no trays, I end up making several trips back and forth to the table. This seems like a nightmare in a large cafeteria. Maybe the cups and plates are bigger than when I was in college. I remember most of us had three of those small glasses on our tray every day to make up one serving of water, milk, or whatever. And this is in an all-women's college. I can't even imagine how much food big 20 year old men eat at a meal.

Say Something!

We'd really like you to take part in the conversation here at All Over Albany. But we do have a few rules here. Don't worry, they're easy. The first: be kind. The second: treat everyone else with the same respect you'd like to see in return. Cool? Great, post away. Comments are moderated so it might take a little while for your comment to show up. Thanks for being patient.

What's All Over Albany?

All Over Albany is for interested and interesting people in New York's Capital Region. In other words, it's for you. It's kind of like having a smart, savvy friend who can help you find out what's up. Oh, and our friends call us AOA.

Search

Recently on All Over Albany

Thank you!

When we started AOA a decade ago we had no idea what was going to happen. And it turned out better than we could have... (more)

Let's stay in touch

This all feels like the last day of camp or something. And we're going to miss you all so much. But we'd like to stay... (more)

A few things I think about this place

Working on AOA over the past decade has been a life-changing experience for me and it's shaped the way I think about so many things.... (more)

Albany tightened its rules for shoveling snowy sidewalks last winter -- so how'd that work out?

If winter ever gets its act together and drops more snow on us, there will be sidewalks to shovel. And shortly after that, Albany will... (more)

Tea with Jack McEneny

Last week we were fortunate enough to spend a few minutes with Jack McEneny -- former state Assemblyman, unofficial Albany historian, and genuinely nice guy.... (more)

Recent Comments

My three year old son absolutely loving riding the train around Huck Finn's (Hoffman's) Playland this summer.

Thank you!

...has 27 comments, most recently from Ashley

Let's stay in touch

...has 4 comments, most recently from mg

A look inside 2 Judson Street

...has 3 comments, most recently from Diane (Agans) Boyle

Everything changes: Alicia Lea

...has 2 comments, most recently from Chaz Boyark

A few things I think about this place

...has 13 comments, most recently from Katherine