Opinion & Editorial Editor
I have to say I am truly impressed. After visiting my friend at Middlebury, I was prepared to come back from Winter break and talk about how jealous I am of the gluten-free selection at her school. I am nothing but appreciative for all the work KIVO does to ensure gluten-free students have delicious daily options, but I still feel we are lacking, to some extent, the seamless expansiveness of other colleges. That is to say, gluten-free food is effortlessly worked into the menu at Middlebury in all sections of the dining hall and I felt a little bit envious.
Surveying the dining hall at Middlebury, I was taken aback by the abundance of gluten-free food in addition to the fact the ingredients of every single food were listed; there was absolutely no guesswork to be done. Without care, I chomped on the gluten-free bagels and downed the gluten-free potatoes, both of which were being enjoyed by gluten-free and non-gluten-free students alike.
However, returning from break and trying out the new gluten-free section, I was truly floored. It was quick, easy, and included lots of options that unfortunately KIVO cannot always offer (as much as I love KIVO, sometimes I need a bit of bacon every now and then).
Those who know me know that, try as I may, I sometimes lapse while trying to stick to my diet. While I convince myself that a stomachache and the nausea are sometimes worth the attempt to stomach a regular slice of pizza, accessibility is everything. That is, if I have the option of something gluten-free that is just as quick and easy (and hopefully delicious) as something not gluten-free, I will always stick to my diet.
The addition of the gluten-free section in D-Hall is extremely helpful because of the wealth of options and the fact it is always available and accessible. The fact that the dining services are making efforts to ensure the safety of food-restricted students is impressive all around.
I will always be grateful for all the help of everyone in KIVO to ensure I was always eating fully while I was living in the dorms and remaining as a regular at D-Hall. But I definitely want to congratulate the dining services on continuing this trend by creating a plentiful section, rich with numerous options I can’t wait to try.
While I am, as I said, very impressed and pleased with this change, I still think there are certain features of other schools’ dining that we can adopt. Listing all ingredients in displayed foods would be a step forward and I think it would be an appreciated addition to the trend of attention to food restrictions. I am excited to see the new directions the dining hall is taking to continue to please students and want to thank everyone involved (especially KIVO) for their continuous help in ensuring we are all well fed.
Questions? Email Sara at sblank@fandm.edu.