By Lily Fay; Photo Credits to SU Admissions
When it comes to Evert Dining Hall, otherwise known as “Deg,” many students have mixed feelings about its food. Since undergoing reconstruction this past summer, both the building and the preparations for the food have changed.
The effect of present-day Deg wavers between students leaving famished or full, however, Kylie Schmidt, a class of 2027 student, offers some positive feedback in support of Deg. Schmidt has worked for O&M dining services in the past and states, “I believe that the overall quality of food and options have improved.”
Since Deg’s food changes from day to day, let’s go through some of the ways that you can navigate breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Occasionally, when entering the dining hall, students may feel like they have had enough fried foods and need to take a step back from food items that contain a lot of salt, fats or sugar. Here is a list of reliable options if you are aiming to eat healthier, even if it is just for a day.
- Graze: The salad bar is always an option, and with its various toppings and dressings, you can make your salad rich in protein, crunch and flavor. The salad bar features two types of greens, a lighter iceberg lettuce, and a darker, romaine lettuce. Iceberg lettuce has a lower calorie count, but darker greens, such as romaine, provide more vitamins, and according to everydayhealth.com, “if you like other, more nutrient-rich salad greens (and they’re available), you’d be better off nutritionally choosing one of those.” When it comes to making a salad at Deg, don’t worry, it doesn’t have to be your main meal; you can always make a side salad.
- Broccoli: Almost every day, Deg has roasted or steamed broccoli, oftentimes seasoned or found within a casserole. Broccoli can be a quick and easy side dish for your meal if you are looking to eat something healthier. Try pairing it with a protein or on a plate of rice.
- On the same wavelength as broccoli, the egg cheddar and broccoli strata make for a good breakfast item, packed with vegetables and flavor. If you like omelets, strata is similar in the way that it packs a ton of ingredients into its layered casserole. The dish also contains 20 g of protein.
- Grilled black bean burger: If you feel like you eat way too much junk food but still want to get some protein from a source of meat, the black bean burger is a solid choice. It has 210 calories to the 310 calories that a normal hamburger at Deg contains and has 0 mg of cholesterol and 15 g of protein, according to the nutrition list on Evert Dining Hall.
- Soup: The soup at Deg is oftentimes a healthy choice, namely the lentil and potato soup or the beef and vegetable soup. The beef and vegetable soup contains flavorful ingredients of beef, potatoes, cabbage, tomatoes, spices and is simmered in a rich beef broth. Sometimes, when looking for a healthier meal at Deg, a hot bowl of soup will suffice.
As a counterpoint to the perks that Deg provides, there are also some drawbacks. In particular, the allergen section has few options, preventing some students from the only food items that they can eat.
Taytum Lombardi, a class of 2027 student, leaves a negative review as a gluten-free student, who is limited to the food choices in Deg. Lombardi is also a student-athlete and maintaining a healthier diet becomes an issue as a restricted eater.
The allergy station at SU fluctuates between providing students with plentiful and scarce options and oftentimes repeats ingredients that are in other stations.
Lombardi says, “Half of the time there’s no protein options, and most of it is vegan, even though there’s a vegan station.”
However, in connection with her personal safety, Lombardi has not had any issues with Deg’s allergen section serving food that could potentially harm her, and remarks, “I definitely like the fact that nothing in that section is gluten.”
To close, many SU students will discover that Deg tries its best but tends to flounder on occasion. It’s not uncommon to stick to something that you can depend on, such as a salad or a slice of pizza. There will be days when Deg will not have anything that appeals to you, but on other days, it will pleasantly surprise you. To survive as a Deg goer, you should learn how to be adaptive to the menus and be willing to try new things!