Hey everyone. This year, friends and admirers have deemed me the appropriate person to share with you, readers, my thoughts and advice about our dear dining hall, Peirce. Over the past three years, my scrupulous manipulation of the dining experience has earned me a bit of a reputation. We are so lucky to have an amazing facility and AVI’s wonderful service. It truly is a goldmine in there. The raw materials are provided – it’s what you do with them that really make meals in Peirce worth having. Let’s face it: no one wants to wander around, contemplating whether it’s worth it to wait in lines for something that could be good. I figure this actually will be a good outlet for my emotions about Peirce, considering my comment cards literally NEVER get published (actually though…what is up with that?). In this column, I shall generously bestow my creativity upon you, lucky reader, so you can learn to eat in Peirce like a pro.
For now I will just get you started with a really simple trick I’ve been using for a while: utilize the condiment area. Any salad can be instantly amplified with the right dressing, but I’m not always down to use the prepared ones…I just like to know exactly what I’m eating, you know? This is just a super simple vinaigrette that I often find fresher and more satisfying than all of the heavy dressings provided. So grab a bowl, and at the salad bar, mix one part balsamic vinegar and one part oil. Then, at the sandwich bar, add about a spoonful or two of Dijon mustard (don’t wait in the line – there will almost certainly be a lull where you can just grab a squirt while someone else is loading up on chipotle mayo). Here’s the kicker: at the spices area, add some dried garlic if it’s there, and sage or basil, then pepper to taste. If your salad is going in a more Asian direction, add a little soy sauce for salt. Otherwise, go for the Worcestershire sauce, and mix all of it together with a fork. As Ina Garten would say, “how easy is that?!” See, guys? Peirce isn’t that bad after all.