<p>Do we pay for the food at the dining halls with our Cal1 card? Or can we use our normal credit cards? </p>
<p>We can eat at any of the dining commons right? Doesn't have to be with our housing assignment? </p>
<p>Are most of the people at dining commons new students?</p>
<p>It looks like if you use cash or visa, a meal in the residence hall is $2.25 more than if you pay for it with you meal plan card. See the bottom of this page:</p>
<p>Cal</a> Dining - Residential Dining - Residential Meal Plans 08-09</p>
<p>Last year, we used our Cal ID cards. The prices depended on the meal (with breakfast being the cheapest and dinner being the most expensive). I hear the prices changed this year. You can dine at all of the dining commons (Crossroads, Cafe 3, Foothill, CKC). From what I saw, most of the people eating at the DCs were freshmen and athletes (breakfast, usually). I loved the omelette bar in the mornings at Crossroads-- though there was usually a long line. You can also use your mealpoints at the Den (they have Peet's!), GBC, Pat Brown's Cafe, Bear Market, Ramona's and that one cafe on top of Bechtel Engineering building (I forget the name of it).</p>
<p>Are there a lot of freshmen who eat by themselves the first few days? I've never liked introducing myself to a large group of people who already know each other from high school or something - the people who I know going to berk all have different dining schedules from me.</p>
<p>I find a majority of the food at the dining halls to be a bit dodgy (except for the breakfasts). You can also use your cards at some of the local eateries (blondies pizza, chipotle, etc.)</p>
<p>smileysoccergal - I've noticed most people actually eat with people on their floor during the first few days or so.</p>
<p>Smileysoccergal, make a good effort your first couple days to meet people on your floor. You may not like introducing yourself, but it goes a long ways. All you really have to do is hang out in the hallway or your floor's lounge, and people will introduce themselves. Then you can eat with them.</p>
<p>Maybe in the first couple weeks there are a lot of people eating alone, but generally I would have to say no: floors or other groups usually all go together.</p>
<p>
[quote]
I find a majority of the food at the dining halls to be a bit dodgy (except for the breakfasts). You can also use your cards at some of the local eateries (blondies pizza, chipotle, etc.)
[/quote]
a -bit- dodgy? I barely found most of it edible. the pizza is okay except for the vegan stuff, and the cajun pizza was actually good. indian or asian stuff is intermittently okay; some sausages are okay. everything else is pretty much revolting. the one time I tried fish at crossroads, it was well past dodgy and stretching the boundaries of disgusting.</p>
<p>also, chipotle's etc don't take mealpoints, they take money off your associated debit account -- so you can't use them to get out of eating dorm food.</p>
<p>The food wasn't that bad. The curry and kung pao chicken at Crossroads were really good.
I recall them serving cheesecake for the first few weeks of the year and then stopped. Too expensive for their budget, I guess. :</p>
<p>soccergirl--i'll eat dinner with you if you swipe me in</p>
<p>i'm nice and TOTALLY (not) CUTE and i'll tell you interesting/funny anecdotes, and i promise to act interested when you talk!</p>
<p>about meeting people--one time in second grade they made us sing this song about how to meet people and it went "DONT BE SHY! just look em in the eye and say HI!!" and the moron next to me thought he was a total genius because he would always say "dont be shy! PUNCH em in the eye and say HI!!" see get it?? like you can look somebody in the eye, but you can also PUNCH somebody in the eye! its funny because its true!</p>