Amherst College - Campus Dining

Quick Stats

College Prowler Take

Central dining has a huge impact on campus social life because it brings everybody together on a daily basis. The huge social advantage to central dining almost compensates for what many students believe are serious flaws in the current dining system. Hours should be at least one hour later for every meal. Nobody gets up at 7:30 a.m. to eat breakfast, and many people would rather see dinnertime continue past 7:30 in the evening. The food itself usually cannot shake the bland aftertaste that central dining halls have become infamous for. The variety of dishes, however, is impressive. At every lunch and dinner, there are different traditional cuisines, meat, salads, fruit, dairy, pizzas, and desserts. The ice-cream machines are probably a fulfillment of a childhood fantasy for everyone. Outside of the dining hall, the only on-campus option is Schwemm’s, and while this is also a popular hangout with wonderful ambiance, you can’t possibly be fully satisfied with what the menu has to offer. How many ham and grilled cheese sandwiches can a person have in a day? The many restaurants and takeout places provide only a partial alternative, because, like it or not, Amherst students must live with Valentine dining hall through bad times and good.

Friends who live in faraway dorms just have to IM each other to meet for dinner. And students don’t have to worry about not seeing the person they’ve lent their notes to because everybody basically meets up at Val. Still, if you asked students what aspect of college life at Amherst they would most like to see improved, campus dining will be probably be it.

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Students Speak Out

chuckpratt says: Amherst College 2016 Undecided

A lot of people complain about the... A lot of people complain about the food. I wouldn't say it's anything spectacular, but I've always been able to make it work. 12345 Campus Dining: March 04, 2009 Report

AmhSL says: Amherst College 2015 Biological and Biomedical Sciences

There's only one dining hall,... There's only one dining hall, Valentine, and it's mediocre at best. There are lots of options—two entrees, salad, sandwiches, pizza—but the quality is not very good. There's a coffeeshop/café in the student center that is good but somewhat pricey. 12345 Campus Dining: February 18, 2009 Report

AmhLZ says: Amherst College 2016 Undecided

There is one dining hall on... There is one dining hall on campus, Valentine or "Val," which I like because the whole campus eats together, but the limited hours can be extremely annoying at times. The food itself is typical of most colleges, except we have waffle machines and panini presses open at most meals, which I would highly recommend. Since the budget cuts, there have been a lot of complaints about the variety of choices offered, but when students get tired of Val, there are several good and inexpensive places to eat literally five minutes from campus. 12345 Campus Dining: February 16, 2009 Report

AmhDJ says: Amherst College 2016 Undecided

The only dining hall sucks—it is... The only dining hall sucks—it is the worst. I find myself ordering out all the time, and the food in town and delivery options are great. My suggestion would be to get less swipes on your card and get more AC dollars, which can be used in town. 12345 Campus Dining: February 16, 2009 Report

AmhYH says: Amherst College 2013 Law and Legal Studies

There is one dining hall and one... There is one dining hall and one late-night deli on campus that is open until 2 a.m. The dining hall is more of a social experience than a culinary experience. The food is not good, but if you find a few things that you can tolerate or if you get creative, you'll survive. 12345 Campus Dining: February 16, 2009 Report

Did You Know?

Creative students make their own thousand island dressing in the dining hall with the cunning use of ketchup, mayonnaise, and mustard, with a french fry used for the mixing. Add black pepper for seasoning.

Creative students also give their favorite recipes to the dining hall, and if the recipes are any good, these students can proudly get to see them incorporated in the menu. No copyright royalties are paid.

The Daily Jolt Web site, http://amherst.dailyjolt.com, posts Valentine dining hall menus each day.

The dining hall, upon request, will make you your very own birthday cake (when it’s your birthday).

The first snow means stealing a tray from the dining hall and sledding down Memorial Hill—clothes optional.

If you have a class during meal time and are unable to make it to the dining hall, they will make you a bagged lunch. Just be sure to put your order in ahead of time, and it will be prepared for you.

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