No dog in this hunt, but I thought that some might find this article worth reading:
https://www.bostonglobe.com/lifestyle/names/2016/07/15/bowdoin-college-responds-angrily-malcolm-gladwell-podcast/AjHi0E8ugoPgOd4OvbL3eI/story.html
I think that Bowdoin being accused of spending too much on its food (for students) might attract prospective students, as opposed to discouraging them.
It appears that Gladwell had already reached his unfounded conclusions before even visiting Bowdoin and was just looking for a school of which to make an example… Why bother to even talk to the college president and financial aid officers at Bowdoin like he did at Vassar? Why would the listener to his podcast have any interest in Bowdoin’s arguments about locally sourcing food, minding their carbon foot print, etc- their moral choices about eating? Or their no-loans financial aid (Vassar is loans & grants for financial aid). Gladwells response doesn’t even make logical sense, he can’t really be considered a serious journalist. If your interested in Bowdoin, go visit- the food is great but you will find that’s not why people to choose to attend it.
Chickpeas, avocado, & pesto sandwiches don’t sound excessive to me. But I think Gladwell is a hack anyway – he is all about cherry picked anecdotes, as if they prove something.
@doonerak – Au contraire. We know kids for whom the excellent food at Bowdoin was a consideration. And why not? First of all, as a parent I worry about how well my kid’s going to eat while he’s away at school. Secondly, one can argue that providing such good food shows a genuine desire to provide a high quality of life for one’s students that is likely manifest in other ways.
P.S. Again, I don’t have a kid at Bowdoin (have a house nearby), so no dog in this hunt.