By Cassidy Shi, Summer Times Staff Writer
It has reached that time of the year where students gather from around the world onto the campus of Phillip Exeter. Put aside the library and museums, Exeter provides an excellent facility that satisfies our cravings — the dining hall.
Students get to fully utilize their privileges and enjoy their three meals within Exeter’s two large dining-halls: the Wetherell Dining Hall and Grainger Hall in the Phelps Science Center. Unfortunately, Elm Street Dining Hall is undergoing maintenance and will not be in service this summer.
The dining hall opens at 6:45 every morning and serves breakfast until 8:45. Lunch is from 11:00 to 12:00 and dinner is served from 17:00 to 19:00. Even better, the dining hall’s schedule is very flexible, meaning if you are thirsty, you can always hop in for a quick drink and snack. Every day, Exeter will have its menu changed, allowing a variety of food and drinks that satisfy students around the world. Some students wake up as early as 6:30 to be the first to go to the dining hall. The chief prepares the meals with authentic recipes from around the world with healthy ingredients. The food fits for all appetites, (vegetarians, vegans, students with allergies, etc); everyone can dine safely with no worries.
So what do students think of the food?
“I am happy that they have a wide variety of food that we can choose from,” said Wade Jiang. “Compared to what my school provides every day, this is way better! I will rate it 10 out of 10.”
Tobias Gray agreed. “The food here is like fine dining,” he said. “Although the restaurant may be crowded, it is definitely worth the wait. I like the fact that they serve different things every single day so I won’t get sick of eating the same things on and on and on.”
Mr. Shepard of the dining hall staff was happy to add his endorsement. “The dining-hall serves excellent food, it is great! ” he said. “They also serve a large variety of drinks.”
Of course, there are quibbles. “The food here is pretty nice, with a large variety of serving different every day,” said Roberto Cruz. “I don’t usually eat breakfast, but coming to Exeter changed this habit. Sometimes, the dining hall can get a little cramped, I guess it is not designed to fit 600 starving students!” (Actually the number is closer to 730.)
Francesco Donato also had reservations. “I feel like the food in the dining hall is great, but I believe they can be improved.,” he said. “The Italian noodles tasted watery and flavourless compared to what we have back home in Italy. I do like drinks since the canteen has a wide range of options for us to choose from, they even have their own ice cream machine!”
Alexandra Hoyt is a fan. “They have very unique food I guess, I get to try out different stuff every day,” she said. “The food here is way better than what my school serves, it changes every day. During some days, they will have their ice cream machine hooked up, which fits for a pretty good dessert after the meal. Oh and also, the school provides a vast variety of drinks, I love it!”
Ditto Alex Yang. “I love the food here, and I love the experience of enjoying them with my friend, he said.