Students describe creative ways of avoiding hunger

From cooking fireside on College Outdoors trips to eating grapes off the vine, Lewis & Clark students are pretty crafty when it comes to getting their food. Busy exploring college life for the first time, the first-year class seems to be sticking to the classics for now. 

“I like the Trail Room,” Sage Quandt-Deto ’23 said. “It’s an easy environment for studying and they have a larger variety of food.” 

Fields Dining Hall, affectionately nicknamed the Bon, has a lot of loyal supporters, and Maggie’s Café always remains a hit. 

“On campus, I always go to the Bon,” Sean Vanderaa ’23 said. “I’ve gone to Maggie’s and gotten ice cream late at night, and sodas and chips as well.” 

For many new students, cooking fresh meals has been pushed to the back burner for now. 

“I have not cooked anything yet,” Vanderaa said. “My favorite thing is just Cinnamon Toast Crunch.” 

As far as dorm room cooking goes, students have found ways to make comforting classics without breaking the bank (or tripping the fire alarm). 

“I enjoy making quesadillas in the downstairs kitchen with my hallmates,” Sage Quandt-Deto ’23 said, adding that she uses butter and a pan instead of a microwave. 

Finn Smith ’23 has found a way to make his dorm room meals a little more elaborate.

 “I like to make nachos,” Smith said. “Or ramen with two eggs in it.”

Upperclassmen, however, have had some more time to explore campus and find the best places for a quick and easy bite. 

“I like to eat at the Dovecote,” Liz Brandel ’21 said. “It’s a little hidden away, and generally pretty fast.” 

She has picked up many campus secrets over the years, including her favorite spot just east of the Reflecting Pool. 

“I’m absolutely a huge proponent of the grapes!” Brandel said.

Between fruit trees and the Arbor, students have a chance to grab something even fresher than what they can pick up at the Portland Farmers Market at PSU. Students have also discovered snacks hidden in certain offices around campus. 

 “A secret I love is the admissions coffee in the Manor House,” Brandel said. 

Many staff members have hot drinks in their offices too, including some pretty big names.

“The President’s office has sugar cubes and a variety of tea bags,” Finn Smith ’23 said. “SOA’s Waffle Wednesday is wonderful, too.”

 Between IT popcorn and hot tea in Residence Advisors offices, it is not hard to find something to munch on between classes or during study breaks. Some on-campus jobs even come with added perks of free coffee, candy, and snacks in the office.

LC students are good at being hungry, but they are even better at finding things to eat. The Dovecote’s pastries and the ice cream at Maggie’s are accompanied by free candy from professors, and sometimes even a donut with Vice President of Student Life and Dean of Students Robin Holmes-Sullivan. UberEats mixes with homestyle ramen and vending machine scores, while a few invested souls go scrounging for the sweetest, ripest grapes after classes. It is all part of the normal diet for LC students and part of what makes the campus feel like home.