TDR, the one place AU students love to hate. It’s a process we all go through. Freshman year starts and you love TDR. There are so many choices! You get tacos on Tuesday, creamy mac ‘n’ cheese every couple of weeks, there’s an ice cream and salad bar. Some end their freshman year completely over TDR’s charm, but many sophomores continue with a meal plan. However a couple of weeks into sophomore year and you hate TDR. Nothing is ever good, the food is so unhealthy, the chicken is undercooked, did my salad move? Â
TDR may have its ups and downs, but most AU students miss it when its gone. My RA Freshman year would do anything for a meal swipe and on of my alumni friends told me she missed TDR and was ecstatic when I offered her a TDR date.Â
The way I see it, there are 3 things any AU student can do to make TDR a more gourmet and enjoyable experience.Â
#1. Check the menu! TDR posts a menu online that shows exactly what they will be serving for lunch and dinner every day. You can print the menu if you want to tape it to your wall  and see what TDR is serving, and the online version allows you to see only vegetarian/vegan items or the regularly-featured TDR favorites. This way, you can check if TDR will be serving something you’d like to eat, and not realize you don’t like anything for dinner after you already used a swipe.
#2. TDR shop! If you know you like bananas in the morning, stock up on some at TDR. I personally love snacking on grapes, so when I need some I stock up on those juicy TDR grapes and eat them later. If you have a food allergy, grab an extra gluten free brownie for later. If you want some vegetables in your room, take a Tupperware on your next TDR trip and put broccoli or any other vegetable in it. Honestly, the possibilities are endless and you should get the most you can out of TDR and your meal plan.
#3. BE CREATIVE! TDR doesn’t just have to be TDR. Use all the ingredients it offers to create some unique and different meals. Be your own chef and let your imagination flow! In case you’re stuck and don’t know where to begin, here are some of my favorite creative tricks and takes on TDR to spice things up a little:
Chocolate Chip Waffles
If you miss your mom’s chocolate chip pancakes or waffles fear not, for you can recreate this classic at TDR. Give your brunch or dinner craving some pizzazz by adding chocolate chips or M&M’s to your waffle batter at the waffle station. You can get anything from chocolate chips to coconut shavings at the ice cream bar, and if you have some M&M’s handy from a CVS run you can add those too.
Strawberry Spinach Salad
If you love salad but are sick of just lettuce and Caesar dressing, you can spice up your TDR salads by adding some fruit. If there are strawberry’s out, make a strawberry spinach salad. Just get spinach and some feta cheese from the salad bar and pile on the strawberries. Finish with any dressing of your choice and voila! You can also add pomegranate seeds if TDR has pomegranates out.
Pita Pocket
If you’re sick of just plain old sandwiches and want a more worldly meal, make a pita pocket. The bakery section offers pita bread, just toast it up and the possibilities are honestly endless. Lather the inside with some hummus, add some cut up grilled chicken and get some of the onions and pepper from the American Grill. Add some lettuce and tomato and Caesar dressing and you have a Caesar pocket. Get some Greek or yogurt dressing and you can have a Mediterranean pita. Make it vegetarian with extra hummus and veggies. The world is your oyster.
DIY Burger
If TDR’s offerings really won’t do, using the burger fallback doesn’t have to be the worst dinner ever. If you want to add some zest to your patty, take it to Firewok and have some sauce drizzled on it. For more toppings, head to the salad bar – blue cheese burger maybe? If you want to make your burger a bit healthier, ditch the bun and add some hummus and a drizzle of olive oil to the patty. Don’t be afraid to take a classic and make it great!Â
Photo Sources:
http://www.theniftyfoodie.com/…
http://www.twopeasandtheirpod….