As on-campus students endured the mandatory Covid-19 quarantine period, the food provided to them by the campus dining service, SAGE, remained a chief complaint. Without the dining hall’s range of options and the ability to order food, students were left with the three daily meals and an occasional snack. But, students didn’t simply accept these meals as they came. I talked to some fellow Choate students on how they spiced up SAGE’s rather monotonous quarantine meals.
Get Saucy: Each day, SAGE drops off a variety of sauces along with new boxes of food. Salad dressings aren’t exclusively for salads; they can be repurposed for other food items, too. Unseasoned broccoli? Dip it in ranch! Hot sauce, mayonnaise, and sun butter are also offered — all of which can add some much-needed flavor to your quarantine meals.
Creative Combos: If you’re tired of eating the same foods over and over again, combine a few together to create a new dish! Mix oats and banana with a bit of milk, or perhaps add the filling of your favorite wrap to a plain salad to make a healthy, delicious alternative. Leftovers from late-night snacks are great to use as well. Once you start getting creative with the combinations, you can discover many more flavorful meals.
Mix and Match: If you’re like me, you brought a few of your own treats to snack on during the quarantine period. Incorporating both the SAGE food and your own makes for a more enjoyable meal. Nutella and peanut butter are fun additions to any bready foods, and hot cocoa powder with warmed-up milk from SAGE makes for a cozy late-night drink.
One thing that most students may even miss more than home-cooked meals is eating together. So, my final bit of advice is to safely share quarantine meals with others! Food is always best shared. So, take these tips, spice up those meals, and eat them with others.
