college food?

<p>My college(College of the Atlantic) has a weekday meal plan for Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner. While we have to cook our own foods on the weekend(everyone gets fully equipped kitchens), the campus food is rated some of the best in the Princeton Review, and was voted the best cafeteria by PETA some years ago(all meals have vegan options).</p>

<p>School food is tolerable. Had a meal plan freshman year, no longer on one. Why pay a comparable amount to eat school food when you're in NYC? ;)</p>

<p>were you forced to have a meal plan? If not that was a bad move since NYC(born and raised there) has some of the best food in the world.</p>

<p>At my school we get stones topped with grass. Crunchy yet earthy.</p>

<p>I was forced to, which blew.</p>

<p>that seriously sucks.</p>

<p>We have to buy a meal plan as long as we're on campus. There's plenty of healthy options though (every weekday grilled to order fresh salmon, for instance). However, it's a REAL pain in the ass for those of us with food allergies. I'm allergic to dairy (NOT lactose intolerant) and was just tentatively diagnosed with celiac disease which means I can't have gluten- essentially no wheat products. That SHOULDN'T be that bad except that many seasonings, marinades, and soy sauce all have gluten in them. My school nutritionist told me I basically could just have salad. Yeah. Didn't pay $2000 for a meal plan where I can only eat salad dry with no dressing or meat.</p>

<p>Celiac diet includes way more than salad. Is the issue that the grill has contamination from condiments? I find it hard to believe you are compelled to keep the dining program if you are so restricted.....i'd be making an appeal. You cannot have enough grams of protein if you eat only salads.....unless you are supplementing with soybeans and such. What is your plan to achieve total grams?</p>

<p>Well, I'm a pescatorian (only meat I eat is fish) so that's a problem. The salmon isn't seasoned but it's grilled with seasoned chicken and it's not like they can wipe the grill down every time- especially because they're all cooked at the same time. Plus the same spatula is used. I am developing a sensitivity to soybeans so I avoid that. I've been eating taco salads, just without the taco shell but now there's some speculation that there might be gluten in the beans.. but the nutritionist "wasn't sure". </p>

<p>And there's no way out of the meal plan. My roommate last year had gastric bypass surgery and they still made her keep a meal plan of which she couldn't eat really anything from.</p>

<p>Im starting stay away from my dining hall and venturing out to other places simply for the fact that my stomach hasnt been right ever since ive been on campus..............</p>

<p>My D has a choice of three levels of plans or none at all. She chose the second level. There is not a dining hall but a food court and series of restaurants in the student union building. She doesn't like it because of the "fast food" nature of the meals. She has taken time to scope out some of the other choices and has found a way to eat healthier.</p>