For those of us who are upperclassmen, we went through a major change in the last academic year; we had to say goodbye to our beloved Sodexo and welcome AVI into our newly named dining hall. With that, some of us lost our favorite Sodexo employees, and if that wasn’t hard enough, we had to become accustomed to our new dining service. With the change, many of us were skeptical, but Starbucks on campus and actual chicken being grilled before our eyes were worth it. Not everything has been as great as our newly found coffee and poultry, but it is still possible for us to make the best of our new dining situation.
Notoriously, I am a bit of a food snob and have a very hard time adjusting to anything that isn’t my mom’s amazing cooking, but even I am ready to give AVI a chance. I have to admit I have had my reservations, but if even I can find enjoyable items on the menu, anyone can. I think one of the best things about AVI is the ability to use food swipes just about any time and anywhere. I’m usually grabbing food on the way somewhere and don’t always have time to sit down and eat. With the addition of the meal swipe option in places like Casey’s and Flatz (located in the C-Store in Snyder Hall,) I’ve used my meal plan much more. I’ve gotten accustomed to using my meal swipe for breakfast in Casey’s to pick up a bacon egg and cheese and a coffee.
It’s great that you can get a piece of fruit or a fruit bar as well which really do help when you only have a few minutes to eat between classes. While the bacon egg and cheese is definitely not the best one I’ve ever had, it makes me feel a little more at home with this option that reminds me of Saturday mornings at the deli back on my beloved Long Island. I’ve also recently become obsessed with the new smoothie and shake options. The brain freeze is pretty awesome and has become my go to drink as of late. Last year, my friends and I started going to Roots Café and it became a sort of tradition for us always meeting in Snyder during free period on Wednesdays. The thing that I love about Roots is not only the quality of the food and unique dishes but the fact that it makes me feel so at home. To be able to sit down with my friends and enjoy a meal with salad and dessert on most occasions really is something I value and look forward to every week.
At first, I was very skeptical about the options but it allowed me to look at vegetarian options in a new light, and I am so glad that with AVI we were able to keep Roots going. Another new favorite of mine is the turkey bacon club from Casey’s. I’m always skeptical of cold cuts that aren’t Boar’s Head (my personal favorite), but the sandwich surprised me and is something I would definitely recommend trying.
AVI is providing us with options that are health conscious like the grain bar in saga, and still provide us with some of our guilty pleasures like Ben and Jerry’s. The good news is, if you’re completely uninterested in everything they have, there’s always pizza available! The pizza in Massry Commons isn’t half bad and there’s always the personal pies late nights in Saga! There are options out there, we all just need to look a little harder and make the best of what is being provided for us!