Friday, May 25, 2012
Ethiopian fare offered at '53 Commons! Visit the World View station starting at dinner on Sunday, May 27th and sample some Ethiopian-style dishes. Damaris and Mel Hall from Tastes of Africa will be assisting and guiding our staff in the preparation of a number of new dishes. We will be featuring Doro Wat (Ethiopian chicken in red pepper paste), Sik Sik Wat (Ethiopian beef stewed in red pepper paste), Mesir Wat (Ethiopian red lentil puree), Gomen Wat (Ethiopian Greens). All of the dishes will be served with injera, which is a type of sourdough crepe. Stop by before the end of lunch on Friday, June 1st to sample this weeks new offerings.
Look for Teatulia brand teas at Novack. Teatulia is a fairly new brand, selling USDA certified organic teas that are grown under strictly monitored conditions in northern Bangladesh. Since Teatulia owns the tea growing garden, there is a shorter supply chain and less time in the warehouse. You can read about their sustainable growing practices in Newsweek. Novack is proud to offer these high-quality pesticide-free and sustainably grown teas.
Novack will be open 24 hours a day starting on Wednesday, May 30th through 2:30 PM on Tuesday, June 5th. Meal swipes will no longer be valid after 8:30 pm on Tuesday, June 5th, but DBA will still work until 8:00 PM on Sunday, June 10th.
Summer term meal plans will start on Tuesday, June 19th at 5:00 PM when '53 Commons reopens for dinner. All other locations will start their standard summer hours on Wednesday, June 20th. DDS is pleased to announce that Class of 1953 Commons will be open later during the summer. While dinner at '53 will end at 8:30 PM, we will be keeping the Hearth, The Grill and the Big Green salad bar open until 10 PM. While nothing is better than Hanover during the summer, please join us on those hot days and enjoy a meal in the comfort of our eco-friendly air conditioning.
In the Fall of 2011, Dartmouth introduced the SmartChoice meal plans allowing students to eat as much as they pleased in the newly renovated Class of 1953 Commons. For the Fall of 2012, we are pleased to announce that we will be offering more choices and more flexibility than ever before. Read the special announcement from Dean April Thompson.
We at Dartmouth Dining Services are doing our part to make out operations environmentally sustainable. The transformation of Thayer Hall into the Class of 1953 Commons included a complete redesign with environmental concerns as a priority. Better insulation and more efficient lighting alone will save the College an estimated $300,000 per year.
Environmental initiatives extend beyond the building and into our daily decisions. Through aggressive composting and recycling, we hope to divert 90% of our waste from landfills. We are buying more local and regional products and working with our customers and vendors to reduce packaging.
In November, we hosted Barton Seaver, renowned chef and National Geographic Fellow, to teach us about sustainability in our fish courses. In addition to tasty new courses, we have adjusted our purchasing and menu planning to be more respectful of our sea life.
Recently Haley Moulton '15 and Delainey Ackerman '15 filmed a documentary about the sustainability of food at Dartmouth with a focus on the Class of 1953 Commons. It discusses the progress that DDS has made, as well as the challenges of producing upwards of 10,000 meals per day.While we have made progress, there is clearly more to be done. Over the coming months and decades, DDS will strive to increase our sustainability and decrease our footprint on the Earth. Please let us know if you have any suggestions.
You can do your part too. While our to-go containers are recyclable or compostable, it still takes resources to create and recycle them. The most environmentally friendly contribution our customers can make to the sustainability of dining at Dartmouth College on a daily basis is to enjoy your food in '53 Commons.
