meliness

Hey guys, this is a question for current/past students:

So I visited Brown at ADOCH and loved it, but honestly the food seemed kind of gross. I ate at the Ratty and didn't get a great first impression, but the Blue Room seemed pretty cool. I'm currently deciding between Tufts and Brown and I love both schools so much that it's coming down to things like food and location, and Tufts has Brown beat in both those aspects (I live about 20 minutes from Providence already and the city is pretty cool but not as exciting as Boston). I'm having a REALLY difficult time deciding because both schools are amazing and have so many things to offer.

Anyway, how much does the lackluster food at Brown affect your life? Tufts's food is REALLY good, and I'm kind of confused as to why an ivy league school with infinite resources doesn't have dining services that are comparable.

Thanks for any input about the food and about my decision.

wolfmanjack

I didn't like the food much my first semester here, but now I don't mind it at all. I just check the menu to make sure there's something I like being served and if not I'll go to a different cafeteria or just go to Thayer and eat. If the ratty isn't looking good you can go to the vdub, jo's, the gate, the ivy room, or the blue room...most of which are better than the ratty.

I will say the desserts here are always good.

dcircle

the Ratty isn't really that bad, some days the food is better than others. If you don't like what they have out, you can always make a sandwich for lunch at the deli bar and then there are many alternative options at night (the gate, jo's, ivy room, etc.)

wolfmanjack

the gate is open for lunch on weekdays

shaqdaddy

yea, dude, go to tufts. food is probably the most important thing in a college education.

meliness

You'd be surprised how much things like food can affect your quality of life... eating healthy is really important to your overall happiness. People underestimate the living and social aspects of college-- I mean, if you're going to be living somewhere for four years and spending less than half the day in classes, I would think that all the "other stuff" should play an important role in the decision. Of course academics are MOST important and Brown is amazing in that respect... but then again, so is Tufts.

Thanks for your opinions

wolfmanjack

Except Brown is better than Tufts...

weasleyisourking

i only stayed on the meal plan for freshman year (it was compulsory), and even living in a dorm without a stove (2 years in a row) has not deterred me from not being on the meal plan. food is important, but it doesn't have to come from the dining halls.

not being on the meal plan has not affected my social life either, my friends are more than happy to guest credit me when they want to eat with me, or they eat on thayer with me. thayer is pretty awesome for the variety of choices for food. and eastside marketplace and wholefoods are within walking distance (and taking a bus there is free too) to stock up if you would rather cook.

and sometimes, the vdub and ratty is somewhat decent to tide you through your freshman year!

negru

Ratty would be great if only they stopped making weird food.

Like coconut fish. ***.

Kristina

Hmm, I was pretty impressed with food in the Ratty when I ate there. I didn't try the pasta though-- how is that?

dcircle

dining hall food everywhere gets old pretty quick. i'm at harvard right now, the wealthiest school in the world by far, and the dining hall food is still not that great--particularly when compared to home-cooked food, eating out...basically anything else. at the end of the day, when food is mass-produced it tastes like it was mass-produced.

dining services at brown at least gets credit for trying, always soliciting feedback for new recipes, inviting guest chefs, etc.
Brown Dining Services (BDS)

negru

OK big question, nobody seems to know.

When do the 3 daily meal credits reset? Midnight? Or when?

i_wanna_be_Brown

2am, when the light night eateries close

elpope

except the difference between brown and most schools is we don't have it catered. that means our meal plan is slightly cheaper than most schools, but at the same time we often end up with really weird dishes as someone said above, or dishes where they pretty clearly got lazy and just threw something together. the ratty gets old fast after freshman year (especially for me as i now live on wriston and actually eat in the dining hall more than freshman year just because it's so close), so take advantage of your flex points and go to the blue room or ivy room for lunch sometimes

Hippo724

Also, isn't Tuft's known to be really stingy when it comes to money? At Brown, I don't think that'll be a problem though. Plus, housing is guaranteed all four years at Brown, but not at Tufts.

There are things other than food to be concerned about.