I’m sitting in the Harkness Commons, or “the Hark” as it is called here, munching on another wonderful meal. Derek insists that the selection gets old, but so far I have not gotten sick of it, so perhaps two meals a week is about the right amount.

Why is the Hark so good? Well, mostly because I’m comparing it to Brandeis. Here I have consistantly good food for equal or less than what it costs to get something comparable from Aramark. My chicken wrap was tasty and full of chicken, just like my hamburger had adequate meat, my pizza adequate toppings, etc. No skimping here. There are sauces and flavorings if you want them, so everything isn’t bland. There is a nice, fully stocked salad bar with vegetables that are actually fresh. And the desserts are generally pretty exciting concoctions.

What I love about the Hark is its just a dining hall done right. It’s not trying to be anything more than it is, and what it does it does well. Because the salad bar is actually good (despite lacking ranch dressing, grr!) I’ve stopped getting french fries or chips and am instead getting a small side salad full of tomatoes and artichoke hearts. The dining hall is helping me to eat healthier!

The food tastes better, the ingredients are higher quality, the service is quicker, the prices are cheaper.

Come on Brandeis, what part of this is hard?