It’s finally the time of year when we can all celebrate what we are thankful for as one big Dickinsonian family: Cafsgiving. This semester, the annual feast will be held on Wednesday, November 9th in the Dining Hall.
While many students aren’t head over heels about food in the Caf during the rest of the year, every Dickinsonian looks forward to every year. I’m not quite sure why or how Dining Services only rolls out the good stuff once a year, but I choose not to question it.
If this is your first Cafsgiving, take note: here are the 12 stages of Cafsgiving.
1. When you force yourself to fit in a workout the day before you eat your weight in turkey and pie.
2. Fasting all day in order to prepare to eat as much food as possible… and then maybe saving the rest in your cheeks for a post-hibernation snack.
3. Waiting in line, day-dreaming of all the food you’re about to eat.
4. Processing through the buffet, the excitement bubbling up like you’re about to experience the first drop of a rollercoaster. On second thought, that bubbling might also be the sound of your stomach growling – either way, your body can feel the excitement.
5. That moment when you look at your food and wonder if it’s too glorious to eat – but then you immediately come to your senses. Maybe you should say a prayer first….
6. Thanking God that you wore those sweatpants with the elastic waistband. It’s only the rookies who come in gut-strangling denim.
7. Cursing yourself for getting three times the amount of food you can actually eat, but telling yourself you’re not weak and you can power through this.
8. Wondering if having your stomach spontaneously explode is a legitimate thing. Because, at this point in the meal, your food baby might just be about ready to burst through like in the movie Alien.
9. Mustering all your strength to move across the HUB to the Social Hall for dessert, aka Round Two. Perhaps you didn’t think this through….
10. Trying to drag yourself back to your dorm, but settling for lying down on the floor of your building’s common room until your body decides to cooperate.
11. Passing out in a literal food coma and then waking up not knowing what day it is – or maybe even what year it is. You could’ve been sent to an alternate universe for all you know.
12. Regretting absolutely nothing, and looking forward to it again next year.