Salem Savors

By: Alex Angelini

The Refectory, for all its flaws, has gotten a lot better since I first started here at Salem College. For once, most of the time, things are labeled! Now you don’t have to guess what things are or rely on the unreliable menu website (which, for the record, has also gotten better)! This makes my job easier too, now I can say exactly what I’ve eaten and how it compares to other things like it here! 

Speaking of the Refectory, they’ve had a lot of interesting foods on offer as of late! Of course, they have the old reliable salad bar (which is what I usually go for), the burger bar, and the waffle/bagel station, and they always have some pizza out! I’ve never tried it before, but I’ve said before that I’m willing to try everything at least once, so here I am. The pizza the day I tried it was, I’m sad to say, lackluster. A chewy, doughy crust, cheese that seemed to coagulate a little too much for my liking, and it was a near-impossible task to even get it off the hot plate to begin with! To be completely fair, I know that the quality of the “regulars” at the Refectory does change day-to-day, but this experience has put me off wanting to eat the Refectory’s pizza in the future. 

But onto newer things, there’s been a rotating “make your own” station near the drinks that I’ve delighted in! The times I’ve observed it, it’s mostly been ice cream and pasta, but I’ve also seen customized baked potatoes there, too! I’ve liked everything I’ve gotten, from rich ice cream bowls piled high with hot fudge and caramel, to tomato-alfredo mixed with freshly melted parmesan cheese. My one problem with it is feeling mildly bad about pulling the Refectory workers away from whatever else they were doing at the time to make my bowl. 

And now, a quick detour to the salad bar, so I may profess my love to it and how consistent it is. If you know me, you know I love a good salad. And a good salad, the Refectory provides! And that’s not me trying to be healthy, trust me, I just enjoy eating my vegetables. It has a good spread, but my favorites have been and will always be the cucumbers and the cherry tomatoes. If I see nothing else that interests me at the time, I can rely upon the salad bar to provide me with nutrition. A quick little recipe for those who want something new: If you toast up a bagel of your choice, spread on some cream cheese, and put a layer or two of salted cucumbers, you get a good meal! 

Now, to end things off, it’s time for the LTO Lightning Round! The nachos get a 4/10- they’re functional, but they go cold and soggy quickly for how much they give you. The vanilla cold brew gets an 8/10- it’s an ideal sweet coffee for people like me who are sweet vanilla fiends! The quesadillas get a 7/10- they’re certainly popular for a reason, I’ve heard a lot of people begging for them to be a mainstay at the Cafe! And, finally, the pumpkin spice lattes get a 6/10; the few I got were a little lacking on the spice part, but it wasn’t terribly bitter and still tasted quite good!