Every day, I wander downstairs from my Warren Towers dorm room and enter the eating corridor. I’m greeted by one among my favourite components of Boston College — the gluten free pantry.
Since my celiac illness analysis in fourth grade almost 9 years in the past, I’ve caught to a strict gluten free food regimen to maintain from falling in poor health. Though it’s been often awkward and an underlying anxiety-inducer for my usually lax self, my gluten-free food regimen has by no means been a serious subject.
At dwelling, I used to be lucky to have a pantry stocked with my favourite gluten free breads, pastas, muffins and extra. Fortunately, I acquired my Celiac analysis on the peak of the gluten free fad within the early 2010s. I suppose the vary of merchandise have been on the cabinets ever since.
In fact, coming to varsity I couldn’t assist however really feel anxious about adjusting my food regimen to a brand new place. Navigating eating halls is a brand new expertise for all freshmen, and people of us with dietary points scan the eating halls questioning rather more than simply what appears to be like good that day.
I feared I’d encounter a eating system that didn’t absolutely accommodate me, and I’d flip to purchasing my very own gluten free groceries which are already considerably costly, on high of the cash spent on my obligatory meal plan.
However not solely was I mistaken, I had no thought I used to be about to satisfy my favourite locations on campus — the nut and gluten free pantries in BU’s eating halls. Extremely underrated, three BU eating halls — Warren, Marciano and West — have a spacious sideroom, accessible with a Terrier Card swipe, that holds a plethora of choices.
Every pantry holds a large fridge, cabinets for particular person snacks, a microwave and cupboards with enjoyable issues tucked away inside.
Within the freezer, I can actually have my choose, with a number of forms of gluten free frozen meals lining the cabinets. On cozy days when the opposite eating corridor stations don’t match my temper, it’s at all times comforting to show to the pantry to make a gluten-free mac and cheese, as if I’m again dwelling.
On the other aspect, a fridge holds gluten free bagels and breads with a wide range of condiments. At breakfast, when the common ketchup packet choice is completely out, I can simply swipe into the pantry to search out some ketchup there, though there’s no must put a separate choice there to start with.
The person snacks are distinctive. That’s It bars — that price an absurd quantity at Starbucks — line the cabinets, in addition to Made Good granola bites and Hippea chips. On the counter sits a show filled with typically selfmade baked items, resembling brownies and cookies wrapped in saran wrap for an easy-to-go dessert. Typically I’m unfortunate and so they’re gone for the day, however the thought counts.
The accessibility of the pantry with particular person snacks and meals brings up a query of ethics: ought to I take objects from the pantry again to my dorm room?
Technically, I full a Gluten and Nut Free Pantry coaching every year so my Terrier Card will swipe me in, and taking meals out of the eating corridor is prohibited. With this text in writing, I received’t absolutely say whether or not I take issues again with me for later. Nevertheless, I’ll say that many of the snacks and meals within the pantry are extraordinarily costly at CityCo downstairs.
