[nabs-l] College Dining Hall

Thu Mar 7 04:07:39 UTC 2013

Hi Miso,

I very much so agree with what has been said.  The dining hall isn't
that bad, but it might be best to figure it out for the specific
dining halls of the school you end up choosing to attend.  A good idea
that I used was to make a point of having my Orientation and Mobility
Specialist help me get oriented at least to the main cafeteria my
school has.  We worked in the weeks leading up to the fall semester,,
and it was great because only a handful of summer students were on
campus.  I was able to go in and walk around the cafeteria with my O&M
teacher describing what was on the right and left of me as I went.  It
was easier than I had thought since our food area is set up with a
round salad and soup bar in the middle and a horseshoe-shaped path
going around it.  On the outside of the horseshoe are the windows to
order from the pizza place, the sweet shop, the pasta bar, grill, etc.
 There are little areas for drinks and stuff off of the main
horseshoe, but they're pretty easy to find.  Most cafeterias I've seen
have been set up in a logical way of some sort like that.  I was able
to learn exactly where everything is, even around the salad bar.
eEven though that part of the cafeteria is buffet style, I was able to
learn exactly where to go for soup, salad stuff, fruit, etc and can
usually get what I need independently.  However, from time to time
I'll ask an employee or even someone next to me if I'm in the right
spot for fruit, or I'll check to make sure what's in front of me is
what I really want before I get it.  I always check the menu online so
I can know exactly which window I'll be going to for lunch and dinner,
or if I'll want to go to any of the other dining halls to buy
something specific that the other ones aren't serving that day.  I try
to steer clear of the big crouds; I try to eat breakfast before 9:00,
lunch around 11:00 or after 1:30, and dinner right when I get out of
class at 4:15 to beat the rush.  And, like Arielle, sometimes I opt
not to have lunch or dinner in the dining hall at all depending on
what they're serving or my schedule.  Even though we're ala carte at
my university, the portion sizes are sometimes way too big for me to
handle, especially with heavy foods such as pasta.  I always keep some
microwavable soups, crackers, and other staples in my room in case I'd
rather make something myself.  Other times, when I only have a half
hour to eat dinner, I'll go through the cafeteria earlier in the day
and grab some vegetables, a sandwitch, a drink, and a snack, and take
it in a lunch box so I can eat dinner between classes.  But when I'm
in the dining halls and need help or clarification on something I
don't hesitate to ask if someone can read something for me or tell me
what I'm about to do.  I've made some good connections with the dining
staff so they have been able to accomodate for me when necessary (they
know to ask me what kind of pizza I want instead of making me fill out
an order slip, and the cashiers usually will tell me how much I spent
or what my remaining meal plan balance is since I can't read the
numbers that show up on a screen).  Generally, I've found that both
employees and students will be really willing to help with little
things like that.

On 3/6/13, Arielle Silverman <arielle71 at gmail.com> wrote:
> I agree with the idea of walking around the dining hall by yourself
> first, at a slow time, to see what the layout is like. You might find
> there are a couple of counters that have most of the food you like and
> then you can memorize where those counters are and get to know the
> people who work them. Also sometimes parts of the dining hall are
> cafeteria-style so you can order what you want and have it served to
> you on a tray. If it is a true buffet, meaning you have to find and
> serve the food yourself, then either getting help from an employee or
> asking for information from the person in front of you in line are
> both good options. I know when I was in college, I opted out of
> buffets completely and would get most of my food either at a food
> court at the student union (which was cafeteria-style service places
> like Chic Filet and Einstein Bagels) or I would buy microwave meals
> and snacks to keep in my dorm. This wasn't really because of blindness
> ,just personal preference (plus I'm a small eater so all-you-can-eat
> isn't usually cost-effective for me :). But your school may have some
> non-buffet options that are also less crowded and might even have
> better-quality food.
> Arielle
>
> On 3/6/13, Lisa E Roszyk <rosz1878 at fredonia.edu> wrote:
>> in my experince making nive wiht lunch ladies does the trick any time i
>> go
>> into a dining hall on my campus and need help there is always at least
>> one
>> cook willing to walk around the buffet with me or if i dont feel like
>> having help i simply sniff and try to figure it out from there theres
>> also
>> this peive of eqpuiment i forget what it is called but you hold it up to
>> a
>> sign and it reads whats on it for you so if you can go around and have
>> the
>> dining hall marked with where the sign s are i think that can help or you
>> know there always the back up way of just asking the person next to you
>> in
>> line whats in front of you  i hope this was helpful if not simply
>> disregard
>>
>> On Wed, Mar 6, 2013 at 9:20 PM, Miso Kwak <kwakmiso at aol.com> wrote:
>>
>>> Thank you for the reply.
>>> I have no idea. I am still waiting to hear back from many of my schools.
>>> I have no doubt I will be fine once I enroll in college wherever that
>>> may
>>> be.
>>> I just wondered about it because buffet style seemed to be the case for
>>> the most of colleges.
>>>
>>> Miso
>>>
>>>
>>>
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-- 
Kaiti