What is the food at Harvard like? Do I have the chance to cook my own food? How different is the food at Harvard from the food I normally eat at home?
All of these were questions that I had as I got ready to move across the country from California to Massachusetts for college. I come from a Korean family where at least 2 out of 3 of my daily meals were some variations of Korean food. I’m also from Koreatown, Los Angeles where I was surrounded by Korean food. Coming to Harvard, food was something that I wondered about- moving to the East Coast for the first time felt like a big change itself and I wondered if I would get food-homesick.
As a first-year student who has been living on campus for over two months, I am happy to say that it is beyond easy to cure any possibility for food-homesickness.
Firstly, my go-to is the amazing first-year dining hall, Annenberg (affectionately called “Berg” by first-years) that always has a wide selection of food that regularly rotates between East Asian, South Asian, South American, Italian, and American food, and much more. Annenberg has a weekly online menu available to students that I’ve found really helpful to plan out how to mix and match your meals. One of my favorite aspects at Berg has been the salad bar where my friends and I have cooked up individual recipes from Chipotle bowls to rice and salmon bowls. Usually, when I’m in a bit of a time crunch, I’ll make myself a salmon bowl at the salad bar by throwing some salmon, rice, vegetables, and soy sauce together and I have a perfect bowl on the go. As the semester progresses, people get creative with their meals, from whipping up varieties of sauces to stacked breakfast bagels.
Beyond the first-year dining hall, many first-year dorms have kitchens in the basements that are supplied with microwaves, stoves, ovens, sinks, and refrigerators. My friends and I have spent many late nights in our dorm kitchen cooking up post midterm exam ramen, macaroni and cheese, and one time, about 20 friends and I also made ourselves a Korean feast. It did feel like I was on an episode of MasterChef with the amount of people cooking and yelling out directions to each other. The kitchen has been a surprising place for bonding with friends as we cook and eat together.
Throughout the semester, I’ve also had the chance to explore the restaurants in Cambridge and the greater Boston area. Usually, on Fridays or the weekends, my friends and I will hop on the bus and head down to Boston to have some Korean food. Our weekly food outings also give us the chance to explore the greater Cambridge and Boston area. I’ve also taken so many trips to the H-Mart here in Cambridge. There’s an abundance of Korean ramen, spices, and instant food that I’ve devoured when I can’t go to dinner at Annenberg.
Harvard also provides students $65 per semester through something called Boardplus to spend at any Harvard operated café. It’s another great way to explore different foods when the food at Annenberg isn’t exactly what you’re craving.
Making college feel a bit more like home through food was a big thing for me and it’s always a fun time exploring the new food around. Have cooking nights with your friends, take spontaneous trips down to the city, cook up new recipes at the dining hall!
