Food at Amherst these days?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Amherst College
1

<p>I think Amherst is a great school, obviously, but one thing that has really sort of shaken me up is reading the threads on the dining options. It seems that some students have issues with the food not being great, others with the service not being great, others having issues with the ability to adequately feed crowds who are maybe pressed into limited available hours.</p>

<p>There was one poster who commented about missing entire meals because he or she could get through a line in between classes in time to get something, and someone else who said that at least they were good about letting kids take food away from the cafeteria if they came in late.</p>

<p>I have eaten there and it seemed fine to me so I wondered if since there has been some light brought to bear on the issues with student dining if there has been any improvement.</p>

<p>It kind of put me off to hear that U Mass Amherst down the road is supposed to have excellent food. I would love to be corrected because I like Amherst a lot but a guy has to eat.</p>

2

<p>The food’s not amazing, but it’s not horrible either. Everyone has their favorites, and their least favorites. The staff at Val works hard to provide a variety of options to the students. I’ve never seen Val run out of food before, so I’m not sure where that comes from. There’s also Stir fry options on the weekdays for dinner, several panini grills, waffle makers, sandwich bar, pasta, pizza, and salad bar served daily. Every once in awhile, the workers will do something special, like a Mardi Gras event. There are usually ways to avoid the food too, with plenty of events by student organizations that provide. Resident Counselors also buy wings and pizza occasionally. I think the downside is redundancy, but it doesn’t hurt to spend a couple bucks in town if you’re not feeling Val. The meals repeat each month. There’s also Schwemm’s where you can buy food with AC dollars or cash. Also each year, the food’s been getting better from what I’ve heard.</p>

<p>As long as you schedule classes around the hours of Val (7AM-2PM), you should be fine. Grab N’ Go, if they continue it, stays open until 2:30 for those that are unable to do that. But just know your class schedule and make sure you take time to eat within it. That’s something most advisers don’t mention, but it is important.</p>

<p>It is sad that UMass’s food is better, but you can’t have everything.</p>

3

<p>The food issue at Amherst remains puzzling. Year in and year out, Amherst gets incredibly high marks in virtually every meaningful category except food. You would think a school with these resources could and WOULD do something about it. It’s not as if they haven’t heard the consistent complaint over the years. </p>

<p>Not sure what’s going on.</p>

4

<p>As a California native, I’ve visited the dining halls of colleges with some of the ostensibly “best” food in the nation (i.e. UCLA, the Claremont Colleges). Believe it or not, Amherst food actually isn’t much worse. </p>

<p>As a current Amherst student, the food has had good days, and it’s had bad days. Overall, it’s usually pretty good. The main problem is lack of variety, since we only have 1 dining hall that cycles the same menu every month, while most schools tend to have multiple halls with more options in the long run.</p>

<p>The food here won’t blow your mind, but it’s not nearly as bad as anyone says. There’s always something you can eat-- worst case scenario, get a slice of pepperoni pizza and call it a day.</p>

5

<p>my HS senior just came back from a 3 day program at Amherst expecting the food to be terrible and she thought it was actually good - even better than Williams although she said Bowdoin kicks them all to the curb. She is a foodie so she gave me a detailed description of the food including a make your own smoothie thing for breakfast, and other really healthy yummy breakfast options (she’s an athlete and likes a BIG hearty breakfast lol) also for dinner some unusual dishes like a quinoa stew and there was some kind of fall festival on campus were they put out tables full of seasonal baked goods (vegan pumpkin bread is impressive!) and local produce etc. Maybe it was because her expectations were low but she was really happy with the food. Of course that was only 3 days…</p>

6

<p>I would not describe myself as a picky eater, in that I enjoy all kinds of food, but I am somewhat picky when it comes to quality. In my first 3-4 weeks at Amherst, I lost 18lbs. I have a sensitive stomach, so I do not take diet changes easily, good food or not. I ended up living exclusively on the salad bar, which lowered my caloric intake by more than half. I gained most of it back by the end of the semester.</p>

<p>Not all the food as inedible. The selection changes at each meal, which makes the search for edible entree options vary in difficulty. Salad bar aside, I find it’s difficult to get edible, healthy options. Unfortunately, this sometimes results in eating too many cookies. On the other hand, dessert usually is not good, so it has a trimming effect as well. </p>

<p>What bothers me most is the administration’s disinterested response. I have heard some say that the poor food is a positive because it brings the students together in the face of adversity. The last President, Tony Marx, said he did not care if it was deterring students from attending Amherst, because we don’t want students who choose a college for its food. Now that is a fair point, but that should not mean we shouldn’t do anything about it. </p>

<p>Another problem is how much the meal plan costs, which is $2,790 per semester this year. Assuming you arrive the moment campus opens (five days before classes start), eat three meals every day at Val, stay during each break (fall, Thanksgiving, etc.), till the College closes for the winter break, you will be eating 252 meals, making each cost $11.
To make matters worse, it is virtually impossible to get off the meal plan. You need a nutritionist and the U.S. Surgeon General to sign off on it being a medical necessity. </p>

<p>For me it wouldn’t be a problem if the meal plan was a choice. Like I said, you can eat there. But paying $11 for something you don’t want really takes the cake.</p>

7

<p>Oh please, I have had multiple meals in val and have not found a lack of selection. My d who is a grad of amherst is a foodie…she found the food redundent but good. For you to say the admin at amherst is offensive…they are extremely helpfull. Reach out to Biddy, she is very hands on. I hope you find the rest of your years at amherst great…go jeffs</p>

8

<p>Meant to say that if you find th admin unresponsive or unsuportive is silly. Not true</p>

9

<p>One thing that never changes is Amherst students complaining about Val. Although I actually thought the food was pretty good when I attended during the 70’s, that was a minority opinion. It probably had a lot to with the food that I grew up with. If Val served now what they did back then, however, students would be screaming bloody murder! In other words, the food has improved immeasurably. It may not beat Bowdoin, but there are plenty of options, such that everyone should be able to find something they like. My son, who is currently a sophomore, thinks it is fine…not great, but perfectly fine. And really, who does choose a college because of the food?</p>

10

<p>I hope my son is accepted ED so he has an opportunity to despise the food! It’s about the great college that Amherst is—the food, not so much. And you can always go into Amherst or Northampton and get a bite to eat…</p>

11

<p>If the administration was responsive in this regard, I think the food would be pretty good by now. But otherwise, the administration is great. The administration and Biddy are both reasons I decided attend Amherst.</p>