This may be the most commonly-used phrase in college, but I. LOVE. Food. Now lucky for me, my mother was a chef and I grew up with all the pasta and lasagna I could eat. Then, something happened- I got accepted in to college. Would I eat enough? Would I find the time to eat? Would my mom worry about whether or not I’m eating my vegetables? The answer to all of these questions is yes! Though the transition to college was scary, the one thing I could count on was Bolton Dining Hall. Nothing could compare to Mom’s cooking, but I was determined to make the most out of UGA’s highest acclaimed dining hall. Without further ado, here are 5 ways to get the most out of your dining hall experience!
1. Although I love pasta, sometimes the line is just way too long for a girl to handle…
Here’s my trick to beating the line! Beside the line is a pasta quick stop, which offers both white and wheat pasta, and two types of sauces. Although having pasta made for you is easier, and the topping options are pretty much endless, I’m pretty simple and only add chicken and tomatoes into my order. If I’m ever in a time crunch, I’ll grab the noodles and marinara at the pasta station, and then head over the to Taqueria, the taco line! This way, I can get tomatoes, seasoned (and warm!) chicken, and cheese in under a minute!
2. A salad can be healthy, but…
Am I the only one that loves to pile warm bacon onto my salad? The only downside is that salad bacon usually consists of bacon bits, which can be cold, tough, and not quite as tasty. Bacon bits definitely aren’t a bad way to go, but they definitely aren’t the only way to go! After piecing together your salad, head upstairs to The Tanyard Grill, or burger line for those of you unfamiliar to UGA. Take a little plate with you, and ask politely for a few pieces of bacon, and there you have it! Fresh, crispy bacon for a loaded salad!
3. I won’t turn down dessert…
But sometimes I just can’t decide between cookies or ice cream! This may be the oldest trick in the book, but if you can’t decide on the dessert of the day, or simply want to feel like a chef yourself, grab a few cookies and two scoops of ice cream, and BAM! Ice cream sandwich for the win!
4. A solid dessert trick, that’s not solid!
One more dessert hack for all of the sweet toothed college kids out there: root beer floats. Go back to the Baxter Street Bakery, but with a plastic cup this time. Ask for two scoops of ice cream (in the cup), run to the nearest drink fountain, and fill the cup 2/3 of the way with root beer. Be careful with that step, you don’t want it to overflow! Then, a little slower, run to the milkshake station and ask for a little whipped cream! Root-beer float in under 5 minutes, and a must have during football season!
P.S. You can also use this trick to make ice cream parfaits! Bring a plastic cup to the bakery, then go to the salad bar for fruit, then to the milkshake station for whipped cream!
5. Last but not least, how to make a classic!
Although I love the Tanyard Deli, one of the sandwiches they don’t serve is the classic peanut butter and honey sandwich! Downstairs, there is a bagel and bread station; grab any two pieces of bread, and get to work! Right next to the bread is the peanut butter (fun tip- put peanut butter on both sides of the bread to stop the honey from dripping, and get a higher peanut butter ratio). Once you have the peanut butter where you want it, walk over to the coffee and tea section. Next to the tea should be honey, the last step to this wonderful classic!
Photos courtesy of Her Campus UGA’s staff photographer, Maggie Dunn.