Like most students, I left this past Tuesday for a much
needed Thanksgiving break with some delicious food and family bonding. Unlike
most other students, however, I made the trek back to campus bright and early
on Friday morning to join my teammates for an early afternoon basketball practice.
As a senior, this routine is nothing new to me. I am used to the early return
to an eerie, but peaceful campus. Accordingly, I am used to the campus without
open dining halls. Thanksgiving break is only a warm up for winter break when
we arrive on campus a couple of days after Christmas. As much as I miss the
ease of the dining hall during these times, I look forward to the small stipend
that is passed out for food. As a team we take advantage of the closed dining
halls to take some of the stipend money and venture out to local restaurants for
dinner. A team favorite is Maguire's in Easton. Maguire's is a wonderful pub
restaurant with a wide array of yummy food to feed 16 hungry girls (see link below for their menu!). Other
favorites include Albertos, Daddy’s Dairy Ice Cream, Farmer’s Daughter, Café on
the Common, and Patty’s Place among others. Additionally, as a student who has
been on the meal plan for the last four years, I have rarely shopped for my own
food. Snacks, yes. Always. But rarely for “real” food. So I like to look at the
no dining hall days as a taste of what it is actually like to buy my own food.
 |
| A normal breakfast during break consists of cereal and milk! |
After a tough morning practice, a couple teammates and I
will squeeze into the car and head out to the closest grocery store, Roche
Brothers in Norton. Once we get there, I look for my staples- cereal, milk, oatmeal,
peanut butter, bread, turkey, cheese, fruit, goldfish, soup, frozen veggies, and
maybe something sweet. While this list may still not seem like a “real world”
shopping list, under the confines of a fridge and microwave, it is as close as
I can get-one step closer to life after college. The non-dining hall days seem
long on paper, but end quickly. As I write, I see cars rolling in with the rest
of the student body- signaling the end of our break and the opening of the
dining halls. See you in December, stipend money.
For more information about Maguire's check out the link below!
http://www.maguiresbarandgrill.com/
This is very informing. Since I joined the track team this year, it will be my first time venturing back onto campus in early January (when campus is deserted). While I am aware of Alberto's and Cafe on the Common, I did not know about Maguire's or Patty's Place. I look forward to trying them out during the long couple of weeks I am here before school starts up again. I have found that even during the semester when the dining halls are open, my friends and I get tired of the chase and emerson grind and order delivery from Domino's or a Chinese restaurant. It is hard to know what eateries are tasty and affordable so this maps out my evening hunger streaks. Plus, there is only so much Chinese food the human body can handle. I look forward to trying out Maguire's this January.
ReplyDelete