The Secret to Making School Cafeteria Food Taste Good

Look, it doesn’t matter how good your school cafeteria food might seem at first – it’s going to get repetitive and boring. Give it a few weeks – if you’re lucky, it may take about a month or two.

So here are nine ways you can avoid having cafeteria food taste like cardboard.

1 Cheese

The best kinds of cheese will be in your school’s salad bar. Don’t use that powdery kind of Parmesan cheese in the plastic jar, you can get the real thing for your pasta, chicken, sandwich, etc. They’ll have different kinds than you’re used to, so hey, variety!

2 Floats

Often times, your cafeteria will have free soda fountains, and some kind of ice cream/ frozen yogurt machine. Hello ice cream floats!

3 Leftovers

Your cafeteria will have clean cutlery, plates, and bowls. They will also clean them for you if you just put them away. Save yourself some time just in case you order take out with friends or something and take a few of the silverware. You’re probably paying thousands of dollars for tuition, they can afford a few missing forks.

4 Eggs

Sometimes your cafeteria will have some kind of omelet station. Get a sandwich or burger or something, then get a fried egg and put it in what you just got. It’ll taste better, make it healthier, and help deal with the monotony that comes after eating the same sandwich for 4 weeks.

5 Dessert

Let’s be real, when you want something sweet you’re not going be like hmmm an apple sounds good. You’re going to be like ‘I want ice cream! I want chocolate!’ Except you want to still be somewhat healthy My solution? Sugar on strawberries. Better dessert than ice cream, and no it’s not the most nutritious but it’s better for you than the other options the dining hall might have. You’re having dessert you aren’t being that healthy in the first place so this at least is not AS BAD for you, and there aren’t any chemicals you can’t pronounce

6 Food for Later

If you want to save food for later bring zip lock bags or containers and then store them in your room. Get a cheap microwave and mini-fridge and you can heat up or make extra meals using the food you just got from the cafeteria. Honestly, you’re not going to get in trouble as long as you’re a little bit discrete. Most of the time students just like you are also the ones working. They are also sleep deprived and are studying for a test, or doing an essay, or various other things you have to do when you’re in college. Just don’t be blatantly obvious and make sure that it’s a student working, not staff, and you’re golden. Staff actually cares.

7 Friends

Make friends with the dining people. First of all, hurray, more friends that you are going to see every day! But also a side benefit, friends give friends free food. And sometimes there will be events thrown by the school with leftover food. Or, if you have a regular order they’ll just start making it when they see you because they know you. Cuts down on time you’ll have to wait. Doesn’t seem like much, but when you save 10 minutes during the lunch rush hour every day trust me, it adds up. Really, there is no downside to making friends with the people who actually work at your school

8 Tea

Often universities will have tea for free. Take some of the bags and have them for later if you’re a tea drinker. There’s nothing better than knowing you’re not going to need to actually leave

9 Condiments

Now, sometimes what you’re eating is just plain bad, but there isn’t a better alternative. The solution? Make it taste like something else. There is balsamic vinegar if you want that on a sandwich/pizza (hello have you ever had balsamic on cheesy bread, same concept). Likewise, there’s also olive oil, Tabasco sauce, and other condiments so if your food is a bit bland just add.

Seriously after a year of cafeteria food it doesn’t matter how good it all is the only way to avoid things getting repetitive is mixing and matching. So enjoy! Go make your taste buds happy again!