When cherubs arrived in Evanston on move-in day, the first thing they did as a group was walk over to Allison Dining Commons. Instantly, Allison transformed into a gathering space where cherubs shared meals and got to know one another.
“During that first week, it’s the first real conversations you’re having with these people, so it’s a great way to meet people, talk to people that you haven’t talked to before and form connections,” Ignas Petrus of Chicago said.
Quickly, cherubs adjusted to dining hall life. Mealtimes shifted to accommodate Allison’s hours, and those like Cullen Faulkner of Mahtomedi, Minnesota, planned their schedules around avoiding lines.
“I’m usually a guy who likes to eat lunch on the later side of noon, and I like to eat dinner closer to 6, sometimes even 6:30, so having to eat lunch at 11 and eat dinner at 5 to beat the lines was a big adjustment for me,” Faulkner said.
Cherubs built new eating habits, and many, such as Madelyn Cass of Boulder, Colorado, found their new favorite meals for the summer.
“The curly fries are insane,” Cass said. “They’re actually delicious. Taco night is pretty good, but I have to say the curly fries really take the cake.”
Allison offers a variety of stations to choose from. From burgers and fries to the standard buffet section to the salad bar, cherubs have no shortage of options.
Sabrina Wuo of Los Angeles especially highlighted the Pure Eats allergen-free station as a consistent option for quality food.
“I feel like the dietary restrictions section has the best food because there’s a lot of good produce there, and they season it really well,” Wuo said.
There’s room to be creative, and some, like Lily Youngstrom of Upland, California, have come up with dining hall hacks.
“For drinks, sometimes I’ll do half sweet tea, half milk, and then I’ll do Sprite and cranberry juice to make a fake Shirley Temple,” Youngstrom said. “If there’s ever French fries and tacos on the same day, you can make carne asada fries.”
While the temptation to DoorDash or go out in Evanston for meals is strong, many, such as Cass, said the dining hall is a consistently solid place to eat most of your meals as a cherub. Also, it’s free.
“Just go,” Cass said. “Don’t waste all your money on food in Evanston. Do that once in a while. If you convince yourself the dining hall food is bad, you’re going to think it’s bad. It’s really fine. Just eat it and make friends with the dining hall staff because it’s fine.”
