The Middle School cafeteria supports different dietary needs among our student body. With hundreds of students comes many needs, including vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and dairy-free diets. Olivia Yu ’30 said, “The cafeteria has extensive meal choices for breakfast, lunch, and snacks! The vast variety allows everyone to eat according to their dietary needs or restrictions… the cafeteria will always have something for you to eat.”
Vegetarians are accommodated at the cafeteria by the healthy salad bar and the variety of fish-free sushi. Additionally, the hot lunch meals have daily vegetarian options, such as marinara pasta, roasted potatoes, impossible burgers, and vegetable fried rice. Inika Shah ’31 who maintains a vegetarian diet said, “Some places I go, it can be hard to find good food that supports my dietary restrictions, but the cafeteria is not like that. The HW cafeteria has so many great choices that allow me to be able to eat something that I like. They always have a vegetarian version of the main meal they are feeding us…”
The cafeteria has an assortment of vegan options as well. It offers vegan snacks, including vegan protein bars, acai bowls, and fruit bowls. There is even vegan oatmeal for breakfast. Moreover, they always have a hot lunch entree made for vegans, including stir fried tofu, vegetable rolls, and sushi.
Some gluten alternatives at the cafeteria include custom gluten-free sandwiches, a gluten-free snack selection, and gluten-free ice cream. Although there are some gluten-free options in the cafeteria, there are limited options. Fiona Dhamee ‘31 who follows a gluten-free diet said, “I would probably enjoy [seeing] some full gluten free meals…maybe some just naturally gluten free things more often!”
Most of the entree meals in the cafeteria are free of dairy. For example, the hamburgers, chicken tenders, orange chicken, and chicken teriyaki do not include dairy. Additionally, the cafeteria stocks a variety of dairy-free bottled drinks.
The cafeteria workers are helpful and friendly and can help find foods that support dietary restrictions. Students who have particular needs should consider asking the cafeteria staff for the ingredients before consuming or purchasing an item.
