College is the time when we start eating whatever we want whenever we want it (at least when the dining halls are open for business). For those with specialized diets, eating can be a bit more challenging; these types of diets or restrictions include but are not limited to: food allergies, food intolerances, vegan/vegetarian, kosher, halal, and more. Luckily, Penn State has us in mind and helps us make this super easy and stress-free!
Each buffet food item served at the dining halls (North, South, East, West and Pollock) has a label posted beside or above it, which includes information like portion size, calories, and allergens or meats contained. If you ever have any questions about cross-contamination or other information not specified on the cards, ask a dining hall employee, and they will be sure to help you! All of the employees are super friendly and willing to make sure you have a safe, enjoyable meal. Check the weekly menu online at https://foodservices.psu.edu/ to plan ahead if needed.
Caption: Circa 2017: Then-Freshmen Devyani Patra (Computer Engineering), Jamie Weikel (Biological Engineering), Kelly Weikel (Chemical Engineering), Sofia Capece (Chemical Engineering), and filmer Zoe Cykosky (Supply Chain) enjoy a buffet breakfast at South Dining Halls.
Many of the dining halls also have gluten-free stations where you can find things like GF breads, pastas, snacks, cereals and more! New to East Halls is the PURE bar, which contains foods that are Kosher and/or free of common allergens. Note this is open during certain hours, so check the PSU dining website here under the “Allergens and Nutrition Tab” for more information: https://foodservices.psu.edu/ . Also, all the five dining halls serve Halal chicken, so keep an eye out for that!
This card will be posted at every food served in a buffet at every
dining hall. The symbols will appear if it applies to that food.
dining hall. The symbols will appear if it applies to that food.
During my freshman and sophomore year, I experimented with a vegetarian diet because I was inspired by one of my friends (who happens to be vegan)! College is the time to try out and pick up lifelong habits, so don’t be afraid to do so! This year I’m aiming to limit my meat and dairy intake even more so, but make sure to find what works for you to stay healthy and enjoy your on-campus food options. In particular, I always make sure to include a salad with my meals, and all the buffets encourage you to take a piece of to-go fruit at the exit, which typically offers options like apples, bananas, pears, or clementines.
As a very environmentally-minded person, I also applaud Penn State’s new effort introduced last year to downsize the dining hall trays so we produce less food waste. If you happen to toss some food out, make sure to place your scraps in the green compost bins (which can be found in the dining commons, dorms, classroom buildings, and more)! You also have the option to use “Green To-Go” for to-go buffet and a-la-carte meals. Simply ask for a container, and you can use it to take your meal on the go. Return the return it (dirty and used) at your next meal to either (1) get a clean one or (2) redeem for a carabiner that you can hand in for a clean container at a later date. These come with a punch card, and every ten uses earns you ten punches and a free meal! Jamie (my twin sister and Team K Mentor) and I self-proclaim that we popularized this option in South Dining Hall, which led to saving an exponential number of styrofoam containers from entering landfills! This also earned me upwards of 10 free meals during the school year, so be sure to cash in on this fantastic opportunity. I usually earn my free meal and save it to use at dinner, since it is the most expensive meal of the day :)
This is what a Green2Go container looks like. Don’t lose your
punch card or else you can’t get a free meal every ten uses!
I hope you learned how to maintain or improve your specialized diet at Penn State. Thanks for reading, and let’s raise a refreshing glass of water or fruit smoothie to enjoying a delicious, on-campus dining experience!
Bottoms up,
Kelly Weikel
Team F Mentor
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