Hi everyone! I'm Tess, and I live 30 minutes outside of London. I love everything Dartmouth, including the sunsets, the traditions, the classes, and the merch. I'm super excited to experience everything I read about in this blog over the next four years. Come along with me as I explore the ins and outs of life in the woods.
The beginning of this blog post started with choices of what to write about, having had so many wonderful experiences so far. And so, I settled on a topic with even more choices—the food selection at Dartmouth College. For reference, our main buffet-style dining hall isClass of 1953 Commons (called "Foco"- short for food court). As part of the Ivy Unlimited dining planthat first-year students are automatically placed on, we have unlimited entries into Foco.
Firstly, let me just establish that I am a Foco fan. There are six main meal stations. This includes A9, which is a station that is free of the nine most common allergens, a pizza station (cooked in a brick oven!), a vegetarian station, a fried station (think burgers, grilled cheese, French fries), a stir fry station, and then the main meal station.
So, which is my favorite? Well, it really depends on my mood. As I don't eat meat, I love the vegetarian station, but I also frequently like to mix it up by going to the other meal stations. The food here ranges from mac and cheese to stuffed cod. As it is getting colder outside, I am making more frequent visits to the soup station—three-bean chili is my go-to. The stir fry station is also delicious. You customize what and how much of everything you want, and then they fry it up right in front of you! For breakfast, this turns into an omelet station.
Part of the dessert station in Foco
What sets Foco apart is the fruits and vegetables. There is always a huge variety of greens, which I love. A combination of yogurt, cut melon, and pineapple is a breakfast favorite for me, and I always get a banana to go. That is the other thing about Foco—students have the option to eat in or out. With "Green2Go box" students can get a to-go container and eat their food outside of the dining hall. At their next period, they can exchange the used-container for a green carabiner (wow, Dartmouth really likes the color green!). When we want another meal out, we just trade our carabiner for a clean to-go container.
Here are some of my Foco hacks; use them if you are ever on campus (you can eat at Dartmouth dining locations when you visit campus)!
1.Try the chocolate milk here. It genuinely is unlike anything you probably have ever had.
2.For breakfast, get oatmeal from the main meal counter, go to the waffle station and get brown sugar and cinnamon, cranberries and almonds chunks from the fruit station, granola, and top it off with chia seeds from the '53 easons Station. Yes, there are actually 53 seasonings!
3.Make the long-term investment of purchasing a Thermos—I already use it every day for my to-go mint tea.
4.Foco cookie (lovingly known as "fookie") + soft serve ice cream.
If Foco isn't for you, don't worry. There are so many other food destinations—maybe another time. I should be a food reviewer… Dartmouth Dining Services (DDS), hire me?
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On a quiet spring Saturday in Hanover, I traded the usual campus buzz for Monet in the morning and archery in the afternoon—a reminder that Dartmouth weekends can be just as meaningful when they're slow, reflective, and a little unexpected.
During my sophomore spring quarter, I took on the challenge of four STEM courses, and while it has been intense, the unexpected connections across subjects and the joy of learning have made it one of my most rewarding academic experiences yet.
Read about the Sophomore Summer Soiree and how I got to witness the beginning of something that hopefully grows into a long-standing Dartmouth tradition!
Here is my list of the restaurants in Hanover within walking distance of Dartmouth. Whether you're touring campus for the first time or are a Dartmouth student in need of a new place to eat, feel free to reference this list!
As I approach the end of my first year at Dartmouth, I would like to reflect on some of the experiences and lessons I've learned throughout this school year.
