I Am What I Eat.

I spend hours at Commons. In addition as a food aficionado who enjoys having my senses thrilled by mixture of aromas from grill and the pizza, mealtime equals time to catch up with people you  haven’t seen on a daily basis. I have to will myself (unwillingly) to return to my room to commence doing homework. It’s not that I’m a procrastinator, but socializing is an important aspect to me. When I tire from being cooped up working in my room during the weekends, I simply bring my laptop to Commons and do whatever necessary there. People can attest that I’m there all day- in fact, the dining staff is quite familiar with my presence. Personally, the library and P-Gill are too sleep-inducing for me, but it’s all a matter of preference. It’s the food that keeps me vibrant, focused, and awake.

As a matter of fact, Bates was ranked as one of the top schools with the best dining options. Here’s a brief breakdown of the highlights of each meal. For breakfast, we get to customize-order our own omelet ingredients and watch them come together in a perfectly steaming eggy concoction. For lunch and dinner, we have 6 different stations. That’s right. These are: Bakery (these include sugar-free desserts that still taste scrumptious), Vegan Bar (my favorite!), Deli (with 2 soup options), Pasta Bar (with selections of different types of pasta: tortellina, spaghetti, ravioli, penne, farfalle as well as alfredo, marinara, and pesto sauce options.), Brick Oven (presenting freshly crisp pizzas), Euro (a variety of cooked vegetables and meats), and Grill (items such as burgers or wraps grilled before your eyes).  Not only that, but fresh cider, tea, coffee, and frozen yogurt machines stand in accompaniment  of a lovely encore fit for a feast. (Fun Fact: Bates offers 60+ cereals, of which are rotated on a daily basis)

If you’re still disbelieving, here are some photos to provide as evidence (as well as induce salivation):

A typical Bates dessert.

A typical Bates breakfast.

As a matter of fact, Bates was recently awarded (FOUR TIMES!) by University Business Magazine for the best sustainability dining program. We’re a very “green” school, so we’re extremely environmentally conscious about what we do with our resources. (Read more about it here: http://home.bates.edu/views/2009/10/01/sustainability/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=sustainability)

Check out our phenomenal ratings by the Huffington Post in this article, as well!: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/liz-neumark/kaleidoscope-in-maine_b_310312.html)

Here ends my personal homage to Commons, and testament of a Voracious Bobcat.