WADDUP ’19s. It is crazy to think that a newfreshmen class will soon inherit the Dartmouth campus. I remember this trying time of having nothing to do but repeatedly stalk my roommate on Facebook, ponder a physical trip to Bed Bath and Beyond for the dorm essentials and occasionally flipping through the pages of our summer reading assignment. And I remember thinking a lot about food. What kinds of meals am I going to miss most when I am no longer at home? What snacks and/or baked goods — but let’s be honest, any treats I would receive from my mother would be store-bought — would I want my family to send me in my first few care packages? But more importantly, what the heck am I going to do about the food at Dartmouth??!!!!
For those of you struggling with these very questions, have no fear — I am here to assuage all of your concerns, sweeping them under the metaphorical rugs in your dorms. (Unless you’re bringing one of your own to school—in which case, good for you!) I am FoCo Joe, a name bestowed upon me by myself due to the frequency of which I eat and write about food in FoCo. FoCo, the College's largest dining facility,is short for Food Court, given the buffet of choices across many kinds of cuisine, but technically FoCo is really an abbreviation for “The Class of 1953 Commons,” which, of course, is what most students never call it. Once a week I make some kind of desser t, healthy or other wise (usually the latter), with the sweet ingredients FoCo has to of fer — and then I write about it for The D’s online blog, Dartbeat. My column is mostly stupid, but it gives me the best excuse to try new and crazy things with my friends, who mostly make fun of me but also secretly admire my craft. I love food, and I love FoCo, so when I was approached to offer my tips and tricks for making the most out of Dartmouth’s largest and greatest cafeteria, I eagerly obliged. And since you all are required to sign up for Dartmouth Dining Service’s monster meal plan, colloquially known as The 20, it is likely that many of you will burn through your 20 weekly meal swipes at FoCo. Trust me on that one.
Without further ado, it is with great honor that I introduce you ’19s to some of the best tips and tricks I have learned in my three years dining at the College’s premiere establishment.
When you walk into FoCo, have your ID in your hand. The first thing you’ll do when you enter FoCo, after you take out your ID, is to approach the friendly staffers who will take your ID and “swipe” you in. Most people use meal swipes at FoCo given the buffet-style of eating, though it is possible and not at all weird to use your DBA, instead — just tell them so before they swipe your card. Either way, you’ll want to get through the line quickly, otherwise people will harangue you for taking so long — which leads me to my second tip.
Know the peak times of occupancy in FoCo. I have never been unable to find a seat at FoCo, but there are definitely certain times of the day that I avoid going to FoCo because it becomes so crowded. Ask any upperclassman: FoCo’s undisputed peak hours are 12:30 p.m.-1:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.-7:30 p.m.
Know the best days to go to FoCo. In general, I have noticed that I like the available hot menu items less at the end of the week compared to the beginning. The Kosher/Halal section is closed from Friday-Saturday nights, which is unfortu- nate. More people also tend to go of f-campus over the weekends. It might also just be the exhaus- tion of the week. I have no formal proof for this theor y, but generally speaking, I find FoCo is best for mid-week lunches and dinners, and mid-day hangover cures on Saturdays and Sundays.
There are always seats upstairs. Turn left after you swipe in, and you won’t miss it. The upstairs areas generally fill up last, probably since they are the farthest away from the food. But that’s just me.
Find seats before you find food. This one may seem intuitive, but there are several reasons for why this is true:
a) Dealing with people in line still wearing backpacks is a pain because they take up more space;
b)Ithelpstoavoidsuccumbingtosillycravings. If you walk into the cafeteria right away, FoCo’s dessert section will be the first thing you see. If you walk into FoCo after putting your stuff down, you will avoid the temptation completely. Trust me, it’s worth it — the freshmen 15 is already so real, there is no need to make it worse for yourself.
c) People don’t steal seats if you use backpacks and/or jackets to claim them, so after a certain point not doing so becomes impractical.
Use trays. I am a proponent of trays. Trays reduce the chances of you being that guy who spills his milk everywhere. As a guy who gets multiple plates of food, let alone multiple cups of liquids, I make fewer trips to and from my seat when I use a tray.
Sur vey the scene. It is impor tant to take a quick lap to make sure you are aware of all the options
available that night. Choices do change between lunch and dinner on the same day. It is always the worst when you see something on your friend’s plate that you wish you would rather be eating instead of what you settled for.
Know your strengths and weaknesses. I am a generally indecisive person, and as a slow eater, I need to get my food quickly if I do not want to be left behind by my friends. Fast eaters have their own challenges, too: they tend to rush through their meals, watch their friends continue eating and think that they want more food when they really do not, so they go get more food, only realizing after ward how much food they ate, and subsequently crying in their sleep. I personally cannot speak from experience, but I see it all the time.
Flock to the lines less traveled. There are PLENTY of times when I am in FoCo and see that the most crowded lines are for the foods I want. These situations present me with two choices: either stick it out and wait forever, or try to make themostoutofothergoodfoodswithshorterlines. If you are sure you know what you want, wait in that line like the proud soldier you are. But if you are waiting because you have nowhere else to go, you are short-selling yourself and your culinary potential. Often times the least crowded lines are the lines for the healthiest foods. I’m not sure what that says about Dartmouth, but it’s true.
Cook a little! There are also lots of days when none, and I mean none, of the pre-made entrees appeal to me. One of the reasons I love FoCo more than any other dining hall on campus is because I can always make something I like. Some basic cooking skills can go a long way in FoCo. There is a microwave. On the light side, on the wall near the sodas and milks. If you ever need it, know it is there.
Also remember to hit up the herbs and sauces. Look towards the back of FoCo, by the Kosher/ Halal section, on the left hand side wall facing the grill. The selection is pretty good for a college cafeteria — not a full-blown spice rack or anything, but plenty of things to take your meal to the next level.
Cajun French fries. A super random hack, I know. Thank Briana Williams ’16 for this one. The specific use of Cajun herbs on French Fries is one lesson here (it is BOMB if you have never tried it) but the real takeaway is this: spices and sauces should not be reserved for that one ran- dom time you remember how much you like Worchester sauce. Ordinary foods can benefitfrom the occasional change-up every now and again, too. Pesto pasta? Honey mustard turkey? The possibilities are endless.
There are even more options beyond the microwave, you just have to know when and how to use them. There are always panini presses at lunch. Paninis, quesadillas, grilled cheese sandwiches, and more — just go for it. Be courteous and take up no more than half of the panini press for your lunch. There are also always stir-fry stations at dinner. People do not realize how easy it is to make a stir-fry dinner. A lot of people are intimidated by the woks, but a wok is really just any other pan, just with less surface touching the stove. It’s really not hard to mess up a stir-fry, either. Pour in some oil, then add your proteins, then add in your vegetables and finish off with your carbohydrates. A pro-tip: if you like the sweet and sour flavors, throw in some pineapple. It mixes so well with the savor y meats and crunchy vegetables, and its color pops off the plate.
Save room for dessert. If FoCo does anything great, it’s desserts. You’ll learn why very early on in your time at Dartmouth. In some ways my column is incredibly irrelevant because of how good FoCo’s desserts already are. If you ask me, there is no better way to end your day than with a good sweet treat.
Take your time. FoCo is not for those light on time. A quick FoCo meal is best utilized with to-go containers. Live in the moment of your food and your company, because FoCo stays open until 8:30 p.m., and there is arguably no better way to procrastinate on your work than to cozy up on the dark side telling jokes and other stupid stories with your friends for too long.
FoCo is more than a cafeteria, if you do it right. At Dartmouth, some of my fondest memories have taken place with my friends in FoCo. FoCo for me represents reunions, communions, lots of laughs and even some tears. You will likely be spending a lot of time here these next four years, so treat it with respect. Food is one of the things complained about most on campus, for a variety of reasons. In my opinion, we really take for granted how great our choices are, across all of Dartmouth’s dining halls. Put simply, my Dartmouth experience, a phrase thrown around so frequently on campus, would not be the same without this cafeteria.
Best of luck to you all as you navigate the halls—those of the classrooms, dorm buildings, and cafeterias. Welcome home, ’19s.
