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Green letters on a white background that say "My Experience of Dartmouth Dining". There is a logo of the Dartmouth pine with a fork and a knife to its left and write. There are also 2D renderings of cookies, a burger and fries, a bowl of soup and a pizza.

Although we're a relatively small college, Dartmouth has many places around campus to get food. Whether you want a morning coffee, a quick sandwich or a hot slice of pizza, Dartmouth Dining is the easiest solution. This week, I'm sharing some of my favorite foods of last week, mostly from our main dining hall, The Class of 1953 Commons, more commonly referred to as Foco. As a first-year, I am on the Ivy Unlimited meal plan, which means I get unlimited meal swipes at Foco and other locations, as well as $325 dining dollars a term. You'd think that sounds like more than enough, but I run through it so quickly! Before I start, I'll preface this with the fact that I have no allergies, so I usually don't have to watch out for any ingredients. There are many stations that cater to people with certain allergens and dietary restrictions, so there's still something for everyone. 

Breakfast: Scrambled Eggs, Pancakes & Sausages 

I'm not much of a morning person, and my course schedule for the term makes it difficult for me to have a leisurely, seated breakfast. Admittedly, I don't often come here for breakfast due to my aforementioned schedule, but when I can, I try to. I did, however, manage to get this one and it was really simple yet delicious. It was the perfect start to my morning. I even went back for seconds! 

A plate of two pancakes with syrup, two beef sausages and scrambled eggs. There's a banana on the side of the plate as well.
Breakfast, served hot and tasty!

Soup: Lobster Bisque

Foco has a soup station consisting of four soups that rotate daily. This one is my all time favorite. This lobster bisque is super smooth and creamy. It tastes even better in the winter, as it warms you up after you've walked in the cold for a while. Whenever I see this in the dining hall, I make a beeline for it. The soup station also has fresh bread next to it. One of my favorites (which my friend Reece introduced me to) is the sourdough loaf. 

A white bowl filled with a creamy-looking soup and a spoon. There's also a napkin on the side.
My first serving of lobster bisque. I usually have at least two, because why not?!

Dessert: Snickerdoodle 

Whilst I love most of the food stations at Foco, the dessert one really stands out as one of the fan favorites. The dessert station has a single constant: the Fookie (Foco cookies). Filled with semi-sweet chocolate, basking under the heat lamps, they're always warm. The other desserts are always on rotation. There's usually at least five different desserts from day to day, from cannolis to tres leches cake to strawberry shortcake. This, however, is an amazing dessert. The snickerdoodle is simply heavenly, full of cinnamon and sugar.  

A silver tray full of snickerdoodle cookies coated in cinnamon sugar.
The tray of snickerdoodles, replaced as soon as they run out!

Dinner: Grilled Chicken Sandwich & Fries

This meal, unlike the others, isn't from Foco. It's from the Courtyard Cafe, more often known as "the Hop"' ;it's called this because it's located in the Hopkins Center for the Arts building. There's always a large amount of people there, and for good reason. There's great food and they are open every day. This dinner was great! The fries were crispy and the burger was fresh and very tasty. You can usually get other things from the Hop like crisps, drinks and fruit cups. I usually get a cup of strawberries (to cancel out the calories, of course!). 

A paper plate with a burger and fries.
Dinner from the Hop!

Altogether, I like the variety of food I can find at Dartmouth Dining Services. On weekdays, all the locations are open and getting something to eat is very easy. At the weekend, however, with some of them closed and some of them working shorter hours, options are a bit more limited. Nevertheless, I'd say it's definitely worth it and I really do love the food here!

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