Although it has been fully operational since freshman move-in, the newly renovated Hampshire Dining Commons had its official re-opening on September 10, in which a ceremonial ribbon was cut by Chancellor Kumble Subbaswamy. This ribbon-cutting signaled a new chapter in the history of Hampshire Dining Commons, from being one that was admittedly in the shadow of its newer counterpart Berkshire, to becoming the new kid in town with a flashy new interior and design.
Hampshire Dining Commons was built in 1966 and remained in that incarnation until late 2012. Hampshire was built to accommodate the large student population living in the dorms in the Southwest area of campus. Its architecture was very different than any of the other dining commons on campus, with brick archways leading to serving halls where students could get in one of many lines to grab their food, as opposed to the more open and/or circular layouts of Franklin, Worcester, and Berkshire Dining Commons. Its featured items were an Asian section often offering noodle bowls, and a burrito bar, frequented by many a Southwest-dwelling college student in its day. However, due to the renovation of Berkshire Dining Commons in 2006, it mostly played second fiddle thereafter. After serving droves of hungry collegiates and collegiettes™ for its 46-year history, its equipment, utilities, and the building had undergone so much wear and disrepair that it was put up for renovation. Construction happened all through the Spring 2013 semester, and it reopened on August 28, 2013 to a crowd of freshman and scores of hungry bandos from the UMass Minuteman Marching Band when they were allowed in on their lunch break during band camp.
An underwhelming opening to be sure, but the new Dining Commons was nothing to scoff at. Gone were the archways reminiscent of Liverpool’s Cavern Club, very 1960s turquoise and orange trim, and Formica paneling, and in were new brushed-steel trim, an open floor plan all built on a circular food station, and thoroughly modern architecture that is more reminiscient aesthetically of a Chipotle than your average dining hall. The food-service area there is a ring of stations that are each set up with a different sort of item, which is mostly self-contained, doing away with outboard salad bars, pastas, or sushi stations. You can still find all of those things, but they are contained in a subset of the ring. As soon as you go into the station, you have a Pan-Asian section, with a stir-fry station and a Pho noodle bowl station close by. Then there are main dishes, vegetarian stations, Mexican options, gluten-free options, desserts, sushi, and a salad bar, often among other featured things, all in the ring. There are outboard bars for gelato (sometimes) and fresh-squeezed juice.
One of the criticisms about the new Hampshire, or “Hamp” to students, is that the new drink stations don’t have soda machines. They have plenty of other drink options; water, tea, coffee (hot and iced), and many sorts of juice, but some still want their fizzy fix. Because Hampshire has been on track to be one of the healthiest dining halls in the country, consumption of soda was a main issue because of all the empty calories, and most students just accept that there’s no soda and move on. Senior Sam Ingemie said of it, “I thought it was a political move, but I like it because it in a way forces people to think about their consumption of soda… and it’s a really good way to start that conversation.” One of the other contentious issues at the new Hampshire was the lack of burritos, which were a staple in the old dining hall. Director of Residential Dining Services Garrett DiStephano argued that the reason for not having the burritos every day was an issue of both health and of cultural mislabeling. He said that while burritos could have been served in the Latin section, as a Tex-Mex dish burritos shouldn’t have a dedicated place in the Latin section, which offers up more authentic fare like braised chicken, enchiladas, plantains, beans, and masa patty tostadas. Due to its legacy with students that knew the old Hampshire, and a trial run on Sept. 7 that went extremely well, DiStephano said of returning burritos, “We will do it. I promise we will do it.” While burritos probably won’t be served every day and may be made with healthier ingredients (which was a big point in the decision to take burritos out of heavy rotation at Hampshire), they’ll be back sporadically throughout the upcoming weeks. Naturally, if one is really jonesing for a burrito, they can be found at many other eateries on campus, such as the Hatch, Pita Pit, and sporadically at the other Dining Commons.
One of the main bonuses, however, of Hampshire is that they embrace local foods and farming and put it in their food, which goes along with their goal to make it a very healthy dining commons. According to DiStephano, 82-85% of students, when polled, wanted more local ingredients, and 85% wanted to have more whole grains. Given the fact that the Pioneer Valley is a verdant and bountiful land and it benefits the whole community to buy local, it was a no-brainer to choose to use Valley produce and meats in the food.
Hampshire, long a fixture of the UMass Amherst dining pantheon, has reopened substantially changed and better than before. While there may be some complaints due to some of its past staples being conspicuously absent from everyday rotation, it has received good reviews, and if you are on the UMass campus and feel a bit peckish, do not hesistate to trek down to Hamp for a new sort of UMass dining experience.
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