Think back to when you first stepped into a UNC dining hall. Recall the excitement, the sensory overload and the inherent giddiness sparked by the multitude of food options. If this wasn’t your initial experience, maybe this article will change your mind.
Chances are, your sentiments about the UNC dining halls have evolved since then — likely not in a positive way. Whether you’re scarred by a certain gastrointestinal disaster caused by Lenoir’s chicken or your palate is traumatized by an undercooked Chase meal, I invite you to join the UNC Connoisseur Club.
The dining halls are infinitely deep wells of culinary possibilities you simply have not yet discovered. Below are my top five Chase and Lenoir food combinations that transformed my Tar Heel dining experience.
The classic breakfast burrito
Ingredients: toasted tortilla with cheese, tater tots, scrambled eggs
Optional: hot sauce (or any other condiment of choice), vegetables, bacon, any other meat
Craving something savory and filling but the regular breakfast menu isn’t enough? Request an extra-toasted tortilla of any flavor (stay away from the spinach tortilla) with your choice of cheese and meat from the sandwich station. Carefully reopen and stuff it with scrambled eggs and tater tots from the breakfast station and add some vegetables from the salad bar or bacon.
The bagel-wich
Ingredients: toasted bagel, cream cheese (preferably garden vegetable or regular, but if you have unique taste, try strawberry), vegetables
Optional: spices, meat
I love recreating Alpine Bagel's Very Jerry Garcia by layering on the hummus from the Mediterranean station and making it spicy with pepper from the spice station (both dining halls have a spice station — it will change your life). Add spinach, cucumber, sprouts and carrots. Can you recreate the all-natural Alpine ingredients and the friendly workers? Of course not, but you can save yourself a plus swipe.
