<p>Seems like we have a lot of pro-cooks on here… </p>
<p>I do the dining hall thing for dinner, so I just want to tell you parents how it works out for me.</p>
<p>I am a sophomore varsity athlete here at MIT. I am in the dining plan and eat at Baker dining hall ~6 days a week (go out to boston once/week for 2.50 burgers!). This is my usual schedule in season for after class:
class-4:30 chill, do work if needed, tour guide some days (my on-campus job)
4:30-7:30 PT, practice, shower
7:30-8/8:30 dinner
8/8:30 - 12/1am work</p>
<p>I get everything done, and get at least 7 hours of sleep, if not closer to 8. As you can see, eating in the dining halls keeps my meal time to like a half hour, and this includes some talk with friends after dinner. There are plenty of filling options and I don’t really get bored. Baker D, as an example of dining hall food, has stir-fry station (choice of chicken/beef/tofu/shrimp/scallops + choice of rice/pasta/rice noodles/more pasta + heaping bowl of veggies + choice from like 15 sauces), grill (burgers, chix sandwiches, quesadilla, wraps, chix fingers, steak sandwiches), panini station, then a vegetarian and meat homecooked option, pizza station, soup, salad bar (lots of people get a big salad + a grilled chicken or a grilled salmon on top), and lots of fresh fruit. On the house dining plan, I rarely spend over $5 on a big portioned dinner + a fruit.</p>
<p>It’s a really awesome option for athletes, who need food relatively soon after practice in order to replenish and recover and may not have time to cook or are not fast at cooking.</p>
<p>Hope that helps, fogfog.</p>