I received an email the other day from my son. In it was a link to an article published in the New York Times Dining & Wine section on April 9, 2008. The article was a discussion of college dining hall food - what's wrong with that picture? Apparently students today base part of their school choice decision on what is being served in the dining halls. In the New York Times article, the list of foods being served in college dining halls would fit right in on the menu of a five star restaurant.
At the risk of sounding my age, my college dining hall's idea of haute cuisine was liver and fried onions night. A good night was being able to skip the liver, skip the onions, and get a plate full of bacon. When I went on college tours with my kids, I was more excited than they were to discover a soft-serve ice cream machine in the dining hall.
Today's student has perhaps been exposed to a much wider range of foods in childhood, and so has greater expectations for variety in the dining hall as well as for food quality. Also, more parents seem to be bringing children to restaurants at much younger ages. This may be why students are looking for restaurant-style atmosphere in their dining halls. Food and eating are a big part of a student's social life now. Dining halls have much longer hours and meal tickets can be used in campus restaurants and coffee bars.
The deciding factor, however, may still be money. Expensive colleges with expensive meal plans are not for everyone. Many students will be heading for state universities with tuitions and meal plans which they can afford. With college costs rising and low-cost loans drying up, isn't a good affordable education worth more than a five-star dining hall meal anyway?
The library is a good source of information about food and nutrition for teens and parents. This list includes only some of the books at the library which would be good reading for teens and parents who want to learn more about healthy eating and cooking.
Feed Your Family Right!
Eating on the Run
Diet Information for Teens
Teens Cook
Vegetarianism and Teens
Being a Vegetarian
Foods and Recipes of the World