It seems that the days when college cafeterias were ruled by pizza slices and stale BLT wraps are all but over.
As universities across the U.S. broaden their dietary options in order to cater for modern day taste buds, a ranking of the top ten universities based solely on their food facilities has been released.
Judged by The Daily Meal, an American-based food and drink website, the ranking placed St Louis' Washington University in the top spot for its midnight breakfast of Belgian waffles and other tasty treats as well as its sushi-making courses and regular barbecues.
It was followed by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and then Illinois' Northwestern University, where students have feasted on Moroccan-themed dinners and other international cuisines.
The list was based on a national university ranking of the country's top academic institutions which was found by the U.S. News and World Reports 2012.
The number four spot on the foodie list went to upstate New York's Cornell University which offers more than 30 eateries. It was followed by the University of Pennsylvania just before Tennessee's Vanderbilt University and then New Jersey's Princeton University, which dishes up chocolate French toast.
North Carolina's Duke University, which boasts several on-site food trucks, California's Stanford University, which has 11 dining halls and New Hampshire's Dartmouth College, which features guest chefs two or three times per week, rounded out the top ten.
Judging by the array of dietary options on offer at each, selecting the final list of universities would have proved far from easy.
The food lover's heaven that is Washington University, for example, offers everything from mulled apple cider to a grill station, a saute station and a stir fry station. It runs its sushi-making courses in a cooking demonstration studio.
Students are also invited to 'Dine With A Dietician' during specially-arranged events that are normally staged at a rate of five to ten times per week.
Washington University also opened its Bear's Den two years ago, which offers two tandoori ovens tended by Pakistani and Indian chefs.
Bon Appetit, a U.S. food management company that provides services to a string of American universities, is responsible for Washington's seemingly endless dietary options.
The company is also behind the smorgasbord of options, quite literally, that Massachusetts Institute of Technology offers.
Kosher, Halal, vegetarian and vegan dishes are available amid the 30 or so food outlets located within the university.
The truffled roast beef, chocolate chip pancakes and coconut red curries on offer no doubt satisfy ordinary taste buds.
The university evens runs its own weekend produce market and a rotating 'Taste Of The World' series cooks up international cuisine for hungry students to chow down on.
Northwestern University has even hosted a 'Reggae Night' event.
Steve Mangan, managing director of Sodexo which is a food management company that caters for Northwestern's students, said there is a large focus on global cuisine at the university.
He said: 'Last quarter, we hosted our global chefs, chef Tomo Irsic from Slovenia and chef Joaquin Suarez from Columbia for a week.
'They cooked menus from their cuisines in each of the dining halls.'
The ranking has been unveiled just as many U.S. high school seniors begin deciding which university they wish to attend next year.
© Daily Mail, London |
E-mail
