Man on the street
What do MIT students think about food?
What do your classmates think about food? We asked around in the Student Center to find out!
Fernando Rivera ’14
Do you make food for yourself? How often? What do you make?
Yes. I try to make gourmet restaurant style food. I used to cook a lot at home, so I brought food from home here. I make traditional Puerto Rican dishes two to three times a week. The main dish I make is mofongo, which is plantain mixed with fish and stuffed with garlic shrimp, with a side of candied bacon.
Do you cook with friends? Do you eat with friends?
Normally, I eat with at least one other person. When I cook dinner [my friends] provide the ingredients and their payment is the dish.
What’s your favorite recipe?
There was a recipe I tried which came from a restaurant. It was salmon smoked with Latin spices and topped with horseradish remoulade [a cream-based sauce]. I normally try to sample a dish [which is what Restaurant Week is for], and if I like it, I recreate it at home with my own twist.
Other thoughts about food?
I don’t complain about dining halls because they’re efficient. [But], I’ve recreated twenty dollar dishes with less than seven dollars. Sometimes [the dish is] even better. [In the dining halls], I’ve seen rice with no taste and beans which are insipid. It’s not hard to add a bit of spices and add pumpkin to make the beans taste better.
Ilana D. Habib ’15
Where do you live?
Off campus. I used to live in Bexley.
What’s your favorite place to eat within a 10 minute walk of campus?
Definitely The Friendly Toast. A close second would be Area 4. Veggie Galaxy is also really great.
Do you make food for yourself? How often? What do you make?
Mostly. Two to three days a week, I actually bring lunch. It’s really hard to eat healthy because things are fried. For a breakfast sandwich, that much bacon isn’t healthy for anyone. I order a lot of takeout from healthy places. I buy a roast chicken from Shaws which lasts two days for lunch and dinner.
Do you cook with friends? Do you eat with friends?
I always eat lunch with friends in the Student Center. For dinner I eat alone. For breakfast, I eat in class or on the bus. [I cook with friends] occasionally. It’s more of an event when that happens. I’m in a sorority and sometimes my big and two littles cook at my apartment.
How much do you pay attention to the nutrition of the food you eat?
Some days it flies by the wayside. Dunkin Donuts doesn’t help. Actually, I used to be the person that brought [doughnuts left out by Dunkin Donuts employees after closing] to the front desk of Bexley. Right before Hurricane Nemo hit, the Cambridge Grill dumped out all their food. So, Bexley ate well during Nemo.
Other thoughts about food?
I think it would be great to get some healthier options. I give Sonoma Greens a B for effort and a D for execution. In the Cambridge Grill, it’s all pizza and burgers [and their salads are pre-packaged]. There are really not that many healthy options.
Warittha Panasawatwong ’17
Where do you live?
New House.
What’s your favorite place to eat within a 10 minute walk of campus?
Kendall Square. There’s a food court there that has a Japanese/Chinese food place. The sushi there is really good.
Do you make food for yourself? How often? What do you make?
I originally did Thai food because I’m Thai. I cook rice and other stuff in rice. I just started cooking for lunch because it’s cheaper.
Do you cook with friends? Do you eat with friends?
Yes. We have a group of four Thai people who cook and eat food every day.
What’s your favorite recipe?
Tom yum, [which is originally] a kind of soup. We use the dried ingredient. If you want the original, you need to use lots of spices. So we buy a can or bucket of [premixed] spices and fry it with pork. [The concept is similar to curry, but it doesn’t taste like curry.]
How much do you pay attention to the nutrition of the food you eat?
Not [a lot]. I just make sure there’s vegetables, meat, and eggs every day.
Other thoughts about food?
The food here is expensive compared to Thailand. From the ingredients to processed food, it costs a lot. The meal plan is expensive, so I want to cook for myself.
Isaac L. LaJoie ’16
Where do you live?
Sigma Chi in Boston.
Do you cook with friends? Do you eat with friends?
[When the chef is not cooking], on Friday, we usually get pizza or one of the brothers will cook. For other days, it’s mostly fend for yourself. At the Student Center, we usually eat together. When we’re fending for ourselves, [people will say] “Why don’t we go to McDonalds or Boloco or cook chicken.”
What’s your favorite recipe?
I’m a fan of monkey bread. It’s balled up bread covered in … cinnamon and butter and sugar.
How much do you pay attention to the nutrition of the food you eat?
If I said “not a lot,” it would be contradictory. I try to eat fruit and veggies. I eat healthy because I’m an athlete. If I had Uburger yesterday, I won’t have that today. I don’t consciously think about it but I usually eat healthy because of my lifestyle.
Halide Bey ’15
Where do you live?
MacGregor.
What’s your favorite recipe?
Potatoes with eggs, [a Turkish recipe called yurmutali patates].
How much do you pay attention to the nutrition of the food you eat?
A lot. It’s very important to me. I [research essential nutrients] online and then do shopping [according to that].