Feb. 5—Lunar New Year is a Chinese festival that celebrates the beginning of a new year on the traditional Chinese calendar; it is usually referred to as the Spring Festival in mainland China. It is an event celebrated all across the world, and last Tuesday night the residence halls proved no exception to this.
To celebrate Lunar New Year, the Dining Commons put on a cuisine uniquely curated for the celebration. Dishes included Chicken Satay and Vegetable Spring Rolls in the Grill Section, as well as fried or jasmine rice. Diners also had the option between Edamame or Chicken Dumplings. Sweet and Sour Chicken, Scallion Pancakes, and Lo Mein were all also present. The entire dining hall was covered in red metallic, and other decorations reflecting the festival. A massive amount of residents trickled in and out of the dining hall from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.
The excitement in the air was palpable. Such dishes are favorites among the populace, and the residents of the dorm were no exception. Steaming dishes of chicken and dumplings were continually being cooked throughout the night, freshly plated, and taken by students. There was always a line forming for the rice and chicken dishes. One student reported being in a line for 10 minutes, at least.
Sadly, the excitement abated rather quickly as soon as students’ taste buds got involved. One student reported, “I was really excited for this night, but I wish everything had tasted a bit better.” Another one relayed, “The vegetable egg rolls are delicious, but I wish everything else had tasted better.” Students also said that the edamame dumplings were, “soggy” and “had a cardboard-like taste.” Other students describe the food as “a nice gesture, but ultimately not appetizing.”
A few students did report enjoying the food. “The vegetable egg roll was delicious. The chicken dumplings were also great.” Other aspects were also reported to improve the general atmosphere; “They had red decor to go along with theme and it looked beautiful.” The dining hall also had chopsticks available to add to the cultural atmosphere. A crowd often gathered around a dish that ran out quickly, the popularity suggesting that a certain amount of people did enjoy the food, despite popular consensus.
Indeed, students have reported the quality of the food, in recent days, improved, but the Chinese New Year selections were, by most accounts, sub-par at best. Nevertheless, the student body has high hopes for improvement. “I really like this university and I have no doubt they’ll improve their food—special dinners included.”