<p>It’s definitely improving. And while we students might constantly complain about the sad state of Val (the dining hall), to be quite honest it isn’t that bad.</p>
<p>The dining here definitely isn’t one of the better schools. If you’re a vegetarian, there is usually at least one type of tofu, two servings of vegetables, and sometimes something else. There’s also fish (though some vegetarians choose to eat, some don’t). Dinner also always comes with a pasta bar (which is kind of just three types of pastas, and three sauces), a sandwich bar, and a salad bar (the latter of two which also are here at lunch) so worst comes to worst you can go there. It tends not to vary, and a lot of my vegetarian friends do get tired of it, but it’s definitely more than a piece of bread and they don’t find it horrible. Just a bit repetitive and with few options if you don’t like what they cook.</p>
<p>20-minute lines are grossly exaggerated. Typically, if you go during rush time (which is pretty short, and it’s easy to predict. Actually, the cafeteria even posts a graph of the times), you’ll have to wait maybe 10 minutes. I never go during rush time, so I never wait more than 5 minutes, if that at all. On special days (foreign cuisine, whatever), yes, sometimes the line to get food will reach 20 minutes or slightly more. However, on those days there’s always other options that don’t require waiting in the serving line - which can be pasta, again, or you can make your own sandwich. We tend to want to wait just because the food is better on these days.</p>
<p>Just recently we’ve added a stir-fry station, which is honestly a really nice addition.</p>
<p>You can check the website, because the weekly menu is actually open to everyone. Just go to the school website, click on “My Amherst” on the top right, and it’ll be on that page. You can look at previous weeks and future weeks to get a sense of the menu.</p>
<p>Also, regarding food rush - if you have a tight schedule and proof of it, you can get bagged lunches. Again, just sandwiches, some fruit, chips or something else, and drink - but it’s great on days where you absolutely can’t make it. I have a couple of friends who have 10 minute breaks sometimes, so rather than wait in line they grab a bag lunch.</p>
<p>It’s usually athletes that can’t always make dinners or other meals, because of the early closing hours. Unfortunately, there’s no getting around that, and it really sucks for them. Depends on the team and season, and I think it’s only dinner they miss…that’s something that will hopefully be changed soon. It’s definitely not all the sports, though. Just a few.</p>
<p>Hope this helps some. :)</p>
