One of the most noticeable changes on college campuses over the past generation has been the availability and quality of foods served in dormitory dining halls and cafeterias. Back in the day, dorm food was very institutional and very boring. Meat from who-knows-where, canned vegetables, with lots of sauces to compensate for the blandness.
Now, there are lots of choices at most college cafeterias, including UNL. Sure, you can still get your chips, fries, gravies, and cookies. But now fresh fruits and vegetable are always on the menu, there are salad bars and pasta bars, with plenty of options for vegetarians.
Many college dining halls have also developed menus and foods for students who have food allergies (a topic we will discuss in a few weeks). At the UNL Dining Services website, students can use the NetNutrition tool to plan their meals based on dietary restrictions. This is a terrific website, allowing users to identify foods that contain allergens, but also that are local, Halal, or vegan.
UNL even has a separate gluten-free café called Moxies, located in the Selleck Food Court. Moxie’s is entirely gluten-free with an entirely gluten-free menu
Not only do about 15% of students have such a preference, but according to this article in in today’s New York Times, these preferences can be rather extreme. Allergens, for sure, top the list, and dining halls are generally able to accommodate those requests.
But the article noted that a student at one university put in a request for fish heads, organ meats, and bone broth. Another wanted only grass-fed meat and organic produce.
When I was in college and eating in the dorms, all I wanted was something that was edible.