One big question I had when I was planning on coming to LC was what would the food be like, and what should I bring with me so I could keep eating well. I am on the 14 flex plan. What that essentially means is I get 14 meals a week and 150 dollars to spend at other places like Maggies. 14 meals does mean that I only technically get 2 meals a day, but it does tend to be enough. If I stay up late I do often get hungry, and sometimes you do want to eat breakfast. It also took me a minute to get a handle on the Bon’s schedule so I have missed some meals by accident.
On-campus there is always something to eat. Dovecot is open in the morning, and Maggies opens at 3 and stays open till 10 so if you missed dinner you still have time. As a last resort, there are vending machines in Templeton which is open 24/7. Even with all that It is still very nice to have some food in your room. Here are some tips about what you might want to have with you if you come to LC (or really any college)
Appliances
Electric Kettle: For me, this was a must-have. Its function is pretty much the same as a microwave as I use it to cook instant foods like oatmeal or ramen and to heat up water for tea. This is the appliance that I use the most often. It’s also the smallest and the cheapest.
Fridge: A fridge is a nice convenience, but I don’t personally think it is necessary. My roommate has a snake so he brought a fridge to store the mice. It comes in handy to hold leftover Bon food.
Microwave: I won’t lie this is really nice to have simply to reheat Bon food or warm beverages.
Other: Dishes are always great to have. A pan would be really nice (I don’t have one) but beware, we are not allowed to fry things with grease in the dorms so make sure it's a nonstick pan. I personally have a french press because I love coffee and I don’t usually make it to breakfast. My roommate has a popcorn machine that we use all the time. Basically, bring what you think you’ll use, but remember the dorms are small so don’t bring stuff you won’t use.
Spices
I am a person who likes a lot of flavor in their food, so having some spices on hand was essential to enjoying the Bon. They make a lot of food for a lot of people so it’s understandable that the food doesn’t have much spice. They do have condiments available including mustard and Cholula, but they vary from meal to meal, and they come in those annoying little packets that never have enough. For anyone, I would suggest a salt and pepper shaker. If you like spice, I would suggest some form of hot sauce and some cayenne pepper cause that will really ramp up the spice level. I also have so cinnamon for my oatmeal. Anything that will make your food taste a little more familiar food to you would be great. It’s a little thing but it has vastly improved my everyday life here.
Instant Meals
Oatmeal: If you are on a budget I would highly suggest you get a large container of instant oats rather than lots of small packets. You can flavor this yourself in a number of ways. If you can afford to buy honey, raisins, or peanut butter then that would be the best way to go. Hack: you can get sugar packets with your coffee at the Bon. You can keep those and use them to sweeten your oatmeal.
Ramen: It’s cheap, it's good, you can cook it with a kettle. You get it.
Other foods: Some kinda snack bar is always good to have around. I have figured out how to make box mac and cheese with an electric kettle and my french press. I would say you really don’t need a pantry, just a couple things you can eat if you get hungry.
I hope this was helpful. If you have any questions email me at lc20-0189@lclark.edu.