Allie Thompson/Faux Estate

Move over JMU and VT

BY OWEN FERGUSON, SCRIBE

If you’ve ever lived on campus or eaten in the dining halls at Mason, you know the food all too well. If we’re being honest, it’s pretty great, not to mention the options seem endless. And if you haven’t had the dining hall food yet, I’m here to tell you that you should.

When I was still in high school, all I ever heard about was how good James Madison University’s food is or how Virginia Tech gets milk from its own cows or something (who cares), but what I never heard about was Mason’s food.

Coming here and eating the food for the first time, my life flashed before my eyes. Never have I experienced something so life-changing in all my 18 years. When describing it to the unfortunate souls who have never consumed it, it’s hard to know where to begin.

I guess the best way to start is by listing all the dining halls on campus. In my opinion, the real gems are Ike’s and Southside, with the Globe being a bit overrated. For example, if you want to experience the best breakfast buffet on this side of the Mississippi, go to Ike’s. Hungry at two a.m.? Go to Ike’s. If you want a real, fresh hamburger, Southside is the place to go. Whatever you can think of, it’s probably there.

Now one of my favorite things about eating at the dining hall food here at Mason is how cheap the meal plans are. There are tons of meal plan options, but the best one is definitely  “Independence”, which is required for freshmen and sophomores if they live in a dorm without a kitchen. At only $2,300 a semester for the 2019-2020 school year, it’s a steal. You get unlimited swipes for all that amazing food. How can you beat that? Exactly: you can’t.

Another factor that puts Mason on the top is how clean the dishes are. You’d have a hard time trying to find cleaner cups anywhere else in the state. Everytime I pick up a cup, it is truly spotless. This cleanliness puts me at ease when wondering how sanitary my dishes are. I don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone complain about having lipstick on the rim of a cup or something crusty on a fork.

No matter how many people you might hear try to bash Mason’s dining hall food, just know that it’s not that bad. As students, we should be happy that we are fortunate enough to have such great food to nourish our bodies as we learn and grow as people.