I recently was rereading a thread where the food at UMass came up. In rereading this, it made me understand why so many people talk about it! And before the thread ended, UMass had been ranked #1 in the country for a sixth year in a row (don’t know if it has continued its run since then).
UMass’s dining has been ranked #1 in the country for the past five years by The Princeton Review. I’ve always been like, great, it’s good college food. But what exactly does that look like? Well, not every university has a tandoor…
Roots Cafe, located in the honors residential complex, serves made-from-scratch food including artisan pizzas and house-roasted meats (source ).
They have guest chefs and special themed dining options, like the food of Haiti, Crete, and western Africa (source ).
There are places around campus for 100% grass-fed beef burgers, steak poutine, organic salads, hot paninis, freshly-made smoothies and pastries, gelato, various places with teas, espresso, and coffee (including Peet’s and Starbucks coffee), etc. (source ). And that doesn’t even touch the four main dining facilities which have sushi bars, food halls, and other temptations.
The dining services’ guiding principles of Healthy Eating, Sustainability, World Flavors, and Community, “through serving minimally processed foods and more plant-based items at peak season, less red meat, more sustainable seafood and healthier oils, fats, and beverages,” sounds like an absolute dream (source ). Forget the freshmen fifteen. It sounds like there are delicious, healthy options ready for you at your convenience, along with the less healthy items whenever you wish to indulge. Frankly, I’m feeling jealous that UMass’s dining options aren’t available to me.