As a rising sophomore at UR, I'm well acquainted with the establishment that is known by many students as "D-Hall." Throughout freshman year, I learned all the ins and outs of the one and only dining hall the Richmond campus has to offer. But, when you first arrive as a freshman, it is easy to be overwhelmed with it all and it takes time to make it your home. Just like the island that the passengers of flight 815 landed on, D-Hall has a multitude of secrets waiting to be uncovered.
The first time walking in to D-Hall is an awakening of sorts. There are options for everyone: you see a pasta bar, salad bar, soda and sweet tea dispensers, and the island filled with dessert offerings. You and your stomach are filled with bliss. It is very possible you will take your tray and break out into a dance.
It's a common decision to go to the dessert station first; I mean, it is in the front of the place. So you go over and take a cookie, and then the plate of cake, and then "What is jersey dirt?" Might want to take a bowl of that too, just to try it. Suddenly your tray is filled with desserts, and you may have to take a second tray for the actual meal. You get some strange looks from students walking by, not sure what kind of diet you are on. It is at this point that you have to channel your inner Locke.
You've put your dessert tray down and explore all the offerings. You stumble across a line of students waiting for a "Mongolian Grill." If the line is this long, it must be good. Plus you've never had "Mongolian" fare before, so why not check it off your bucket list? You get your noodles and give them to the chef and you wait for them to cook it. You see some more experienced students leave the station and walk around getting other items, but you stay nearby because you don't want to miss your number getting called out. It's been 20 minutes and your noodles still aren't on the grill, and you start to feel like the islanders waiting to be rescued.
Over time, you learn the lay of the land. You even may get sick of D-Hall. You and your friends make a pact to eat elsewhere for a little while, try out the other eateries the Richmond campus has to offer. But there always comes a time when your friend checks the menu and says, "D-hall has mozzarella sticks today..."
