Dinner Dates

Being on the meal plan is fantastic. Every meal is prepared for you, someone else does the dishes, and you never have to eat alone. But when you eat every meal in a crowded room, you lose the intimacy that comes from sharing a meal with another person. Conversation is constantly interrupted by other people or the first-year who walks out the emergency exit. As much as I love eating in a room full of people, sometimes I miss the intimacy of sharing a meal with one close friend.

A couple weeks ago, I decided to ditch the dining hall and have dinner at my friend's home in Northampton. She prepared baked acorn squash stuffed with quinoa, sausage and pepper. Yum! We ate picnic style while sharing a bottle of white wine. It was an absolutely incredible meal! Not only was the food and drink delicious, but we were really able to talk. We could gossip without looking over our shoulders (I am a not-so-secret gossip!), discuss interesting coursework and contemplate the meaning of life after college.  

If you haven't caught up with a friend in a while, ask them out for a dinner date! (Especially your single friends - it is always nice to be asked out when you are single!) Prepare a home-cooked meal in a kitchenette or go out to a nice restaurant. Spending sometime away from the dining hall will give you a deeper appreciation for your wonderful friend and give your taste buds a break from mass produced meals!