College comes with a lot of new experiences and one of them is the glorious dining hall. Is it meat, fish, or tofu? WHO KNOWS! All that matters is that the glorious caf gives you three square meals a day and is often accompanied by dessert (s/o to my dining hall which offers an ice cream machine).

Here are the stages of eating in a college dining center.

1. Deciding if it's worth it to try and get a meal from what you have in your mini fridge (does a fruit cup from my care package at the beginning of the year count as a meal?) or going over to the dining hall.

2. Trying in vain to find someone to go with you so you don't have to be that person that awkwardly sits, scrolling through their phone, eating.

3. Getting into the hall with one swipe of a card and thanking God that it's an all-you-can-eat buffet.

4. Taking a quick scan of your plethora of options.

5. Trying to choose between the slightly undercooked pasta dish or going for the overcooked chicken.

6. Getting your food and passing the salad bar, questioning if you should be healthy and go for some greens.

7. Trying to eat politely and keep a napkin in your lap because there are several strangers around when all you wanna do is shove it all in your mouth.

And then there's me...

8. Realizing that the dining hall food isn't that bad if you get the right stuff...sometimes.

9. Going for that dessert bar like your life depends on it and not having any regrets that you're pairing cookies with cake with ice cream because life is short.

10. Laughing at yourself for thinking you can avoid the freshman 15.

In all honesty, the caf deserves a round of applause. Especially for that weekend brunch.