News Reporter
With the school year now in full swing, students have found a new and improved, though still largely unpopular, community lunch.
This year, Choate together with Aramark has instituted several positive changes in an attempt increase the appeal of the twice-weekly meal with students.
The Aramark staff has upgraded its sit-down lunch menu in an effort to serve more enjoyable meals. They have added new and more popular entrée items including seafood newburg, lasagna, and carved steak. Hamburgers and hot dogs have been removed from the menu, preferring instead to make Friday at Choate the official “hamburger day”.
Soups will also be frequently available at community lunches, especially the popular clam chowder.
The dessert service has been changed with the addition of a new “dessert table” which offers plenty of options including cookies, brownies, cupcakes, and pie. This comes in contrast to the plates of desert passed out to the tables last school year and in the first few meals of this one.
Though often frowned upon due to odd song choices, the musical entertainment instituted last spring has returned with the hope of creating a more upbeat and cheerful atmosphere. This fall, the D-Block community lunch groups selected the playlist, which continues to raise concern among students, faculty, and the administration.
Dean of Students John Ford commented, “It seems like the same song for the whole meal.” For future community lunches, only music that is deemed pleasant for the entire community will be played.
The administration is also mounting a campaign to get students more involved in the lunches.
“Eventually I would like to have students take over the announcements,” said Ford of the community announcements made near the end of every meal.
Regardless of these changes, many students remain pessimistic about community lunches.
According to Nick Grava ’07, “Sit down lunches are not as bad as last year; however, I still wish there was a little more variety.”
Students also continue to be annoyed over the commitment of sit down lunches and wish that the mandatory meals took less of their time.
Devon Acevedo ’09, a new student, feels that sit down lunches “need to be less often and shorter.” Victoria Baccari ’09, also new this year says, “I understand that it’s a good idea to try and connect students, but it’s such an inconvenience.”
Students continue to question the success of community lunches in connecteing the community.
“You are with the same people every time and if you don’t have anything in common with these people, than the process doesn’t work,” said Roy Collins ’09.
Nick Panzica ’09 agreed, saying, “If you have no desire to get to know the people at your table there’s no point to sit down lunches. It would be better if we rotated more frequently…and also if we had better drinks.”
The purpose of community lunches is “to integrate the community,” said Ford. The administration thinks it is important for members of our community to get to know one another and to meet new people. Few would disagree, but the overwhelming majority of students interviewed for this article do not think that the lunches are the best way to do it.
Regardless, Dean of Students “Johnny-No-Fun” told The News during an interview that the meals “are fun enough as it is” and that he is concerned that “there will be too much fun.”
