No matter the person, each college student on this campus fears the dreaded Freshmen 15. And what is the number one go-to for college students to fight this? The salad. Granted, being a major foodie, I tend to stay away from the banal salad bars in the dining halls when there are so many other options around campus (although I will admit that on Saturday nights Hans Bethe Dining Room tries to steps it up with a custom salad bar). However, the debate over which sports have the best salad causes quite a stir among students. It turns out that there are some establishments on Central Campus which actually do salad right and make me excited to eat healthy, without having to pour on a 1000 calorie dressing to satisfy the taste buds.
Anyone who has eaten at the Terrace Restaurant in the Statler knows that their salad bar is at the top of the list. It is pretty evident from the 12 o’clock lines that form all the way outside the Statler once classes let out. I recently discovered it a few weeks ago after some of my Hotelie friends suggested I try it, and not only was it healthy, but it actually had taste and fresh ingredients. My salad creation consisted of a spring mix with tuna, chickpeas, carrots, cucumbers, goat cheese, and of course, the crunchy noodles can’t forget those. And the must have dressing: ginger sesame. Not too sweet, and flavorful enough to make this salad stand out.
Another favorite salad that ranks in my top belongs to the Ivy Room. My salad often takes on a more fruity personality, with melon, cantaloupe, grapes, and strawberries, in addition to the more typical ingredients, like cucumber, carrots, chicken, etc. The dressings here are spot on as well. They have a similar dressing to the highly acclaimed Statler sesame ginger, but this one also ranks up there, being a little less sweet and tangier in my opinion, but just as good, if not better.
Well, Cornell students, what do you think? Which salad reigns supreme? Terrace or Ivy Room?
