Each year, Oregon State University (OSU) welcomes a sizable portion of the Franklin graduates who matriculate. For any students considering attending OSU, this article dives into the various meal plan options offered there, and highlights Franklin alumni’s opinions on the OSU meal plan now that they attend OSU themselves.
Like many other colleges, students living in the residence halls of OSU are required to purchase a meal plan, although they can always supplement it with their own grocery shopping and cooking. There are five different meal plan options students can choose from at OSU and prices range from $760 to $1,560 per term. According to the OSU website, “Dining Dollars” are billed to students’ accounts and then loaded onto “OSU ID card[s] at the beginning of each term.” Additionally, the website explains that the Dining Dollar and OSU ID card system function similarly to the balance you would have on a debit card, meaning that meals are individually priced rather than the buffet style dining featured at some colleges.
Abi Crowe, a former Sports Editor on the Post, has had a largely positive experience with the dorm food at OSU. She chose meal plan two, which was $1,360 per term. This meal plan pays for around two full meals and a snack each day, according to Crowe. “So far it has been a perfect amount of food, with enough left over for coffee, which is a college necessity!” said Crowe. Max Emrich, another former Post member, had other opinions. “The food is … not great,” wrote Emrich. “There are certain unalienable anomalies that characterize the taste and texture of said food,” he explained.
“The food is very expensive here,” said Madalynn Hines, a freshman at OSU. In her opinion, even the largest dining plans would not cover a full term. Hines works in a cafe and understands the preparation process of food at OSU, which for her makes it even less appetizing. She explained with frustration that rather than cooking eggs fresh, they come in pre-packaged “circles” that are reheated before serving.
Hines and her roommate Fiona May, another Franklin alumna, supplement their OSU meal plans with instant mashed potatoes and snacks from Trader Joe’s. Her favorite are the spicy lime chips; “I’ll burn my intestines every day just to eat those,” said Hines. She tries to limit herself to one bag every 30 hours.
Max Bruin, a sophomore at OSU, explained that he no longer has a meal plan because he lives off campus now, although he still has some rollover meal money from last year. Bruin said that the OSU meal plan worked pretty well for him. One drawback was the small portions. Bruin is highly active and runs often, so he had to work to seek out the best bang for his buck. Both Bruin and Hines agreed that the Mexican food on campus had the largest portion-to-cost ratio, a great option for anyone looking for a large meal.
Both Bruin and Hines gave feedback that they did not use the offered dorm kitchens very frequently. Bruin said he only used the kitchen to make brownies a couple of times, and Hines explained that she keeps her kitchen use under 15 minutes at a time because there are often other students also using the kitchen. Now that Bruin is living off campus, he says he has begun to cook meals for himself far more frequently than before.
It’s safe to say that the variables students deal with on a day-to-day basis, such as the food and campus life, play a large role in college students’ experiences. “When you’re college searching make sure to look into the food, because it is important,” emphasized Hines.
Often the freedom of living on one’s own for the first time comes with a large side of mediocre college food; a tradeoff that hundreds of thousands of kids are happy to make. However, many students find that college becomes an opportunity to learn to cook, whether they are expanding upon their culinary skills, or simply learning how to level up their ramen noodles.
Below is my interpretation of a recipe from @doobydobap, a food influencer with a chili oil ramen recipe that I absolutely swear by. This is the type of recipe Dooby insists you will crave late at night, and I think would make the perfect late night dorm snack.
Ingredients:
Ramen packet of choice (Dooby uses Shin Ramyun, I just use Top Ramen)
1 egg
1 tsp gochugaru powder
1 tsp sesame seeds
Chili flakes to taste (start with about ¼ tsp and add from there)
4 tsp canola oil
Optional: 2 sliced green onions, 1 tsp chili oil of choice for additional flavor
Instructions:
Cook the noodles in boiling water until tender, about 3 minutes. Do not add the flavor packet yet. Once noodles are finished, drain the water.
Next, add gochugaru powder, black vinegar, chili flakes, sesame seeds and chili oil into your ramen bowl.
Add 2-3 teaspoons of canola oil into a pan over medium heat until the oil begins to shimmer, 2 to 3 minutes. Once oil is hot, carefully pour it into the ramen bowl and mix with a spoon to incorporate, resulting in a spicy and sizzling oil. Place the pan back over the stove, add another teaspoon of oil if necessary and fry the egg.
To assemble: mix noodles into chili oil mixture, lay egg atop noodles, and sprinkle with additional sesame seeds and green onions if desired.
