I love dining hall food; not like, not tolerate, but love. You can call me crazy or accuse me of having poor taste buds, but I love the dining hall. Before you ask, I’m not talking about the endless supply of pizza, hot dogs, hamburgers and fries; I actually try to stay away from those if at all possible for health reasons. What I love is the ever-changing selection and variety of good, nutritious food.

I don’t know what most people were accustomed to eating before they came to N.C . State, but since my parents split when I was 10, I’ve been accustomed to eating whatever my mom had time to make. Now my mom is a great cook, and I love what she makes, but between my unwillingness to try new things without the guarantee of a back-up dinner and her busy schedule we ate a lot of pasta and baked chicken.

We didn’t have time for side dishes; it took us until I was a junior in high school to figure out that we both liked steamed broccoli and that it was fast. So when I got my unlimited meal plan as a freshman I was super-excited to try new things and eat as many of the fruits and vegetables I love as possible. Instead of the Freshman Fifteen, I actually lost about 10 pounds my first year. I’m a junior now and even though I live in Wolf Village I still have an unlimited meal plan, because I know I’ll eat much healthier there than if I tried to cook something between my 19 credit hours.

As a frequenter of Fountain Dining Hall I have been very impressed with some of the changes they’ve made over the past two years. More obvious ones include the Gluten-Free selections and the additions of new themed bars, such as the Macaroni and Cheese bar. Other noticeable, if more subtle changes, include an increased use of local and organic foods, ever expanding efforts to improve nutrition and promote good eating habits, new lighting, and even a new antenna for the TV so it doesn’t lose signal every five-minutes anymore.

The dining hall staff is also always friendly and helpful. It’s always appreciated when they take the time to herd us to different lines to ease congestion and make getting food faster and easier. Thank you University Dining, I definitely notice and appreciate all of your efforts.

So next time you’re in the dining hall instead of complaining about the food take the time to appreciate the efforts of the staff and realize that if left to your own devices you would probably be eating the traditional college diet of fast food and cup ramen.