After a long day of completing grueling tasks and trekking innumerous miles of brick, one often makes their way to the grand mead hall for a hearty meal amongst their comrades. The soft lighting and the reverberation of hearty laughter elicits feelings of comfort and belonging. Wait, I forgot this isn’t my literary analysis of “Beowulf” — let me restart.
Out of the many experiences I’ve had during my first year of college, I must say that eating in the dining halls is at the top of my list. I get the pleasure of people-watching other diners, and I can’t help but feel connected to the Wolfpack community when surrounded by fellow students.
My impression of the dining halls wasn’t always positive since I started my freshman year early during the Summer Start program. Campus was essentially a ghost town, and eating in the empty dining halls felt isolating.
Once campus repopulated for the fall semester and lines began filing behind the food stations at Fountain and Case, I gained a new appreciation for the concept of a shared dining space.
People-watching in airports, malls and Walmart parking lots is one of my favorite pastimes. Now, I get the privilege of observing mundane activities once or twice a day when I sit down in one of the crowded dining rooms.
I love looking at the unique combinations of food on people’s plates or the balancing act of bringing a tower of soft-serve to one’s table. I find even more pleasure watching a large friend group sit shoulder-to-shoulder around a table. Seeing different social dynamics play out in real life fascinates me, almost like I’m watching an episode of “Friends.”
What I love most about eating in dining halls is how I seldom feel alone, regardless of whether I’m sitting with friends or by myself. I feel secluded when I eat alone in my tiny dorm room, so I try to eat in the dining halls as frequently as possible.
A study on university students in South Korea found that individuals who consistently ate by themselves reported higher levels of depression. Thus, choosing to eat in the dining hall over one’s dorm room or apartment — a decision that may seem trivial — could potentially prevent adverse mental health effects and improve social wellness.
As social beings, humans need to spend time in the presence of other humans, even if that means being surrounded by strangers in public. Some people might grow weary upon seeing a large crowd filling the dining rooms, but perhaps it could be seen as an opportunity to boost one’s socioemotional well-being.
Let us not forget the effort the dining hall staff puts into creating a positive dining experience through themed meals like the Lunar New Year meal or the upcoming Black History Month meal. It takes immense effort to curate menus and set up decorations for these events, all of which makes one’s trip to the dining hall more meaningful.
And the small interactions I have with the staff at Fountain, Clark and Case make me appreciate my time in the dining halls even more. My days start off on a good note when I receive a fist-bump from a staff member while I’m eating breakfast, and I melt a little when one of them calls me “sugar.”
I know that eating in dining halls may be the last thing that comes to mind when thinking of one’s favorite thing about college, but from my perspective, it’s a chance to absorb the NC State culture in its finest.
Something we can extract from “Beowulf” is that sharing meals strengthens the connection between the individual and their community, and what better way to apply that than by eating with the rest of the Pack in the dining halls.
