College cafeterias are often lampooned for serving ?mystery meat.? But the menus unveiled at Dartmouth College yesterday are anything but. Dartmouth?s new dining hall meets the strict standards for Jewish, Muslim and Hindu diets. College officials say it?s part of an effort to make Dartmouth more welcoming. NHPR?s Trish Anderton reports.
YUSEF HAUK IS A WELL-TRAVELED COLLEGE SENIOR. HE WAS BORN IN INDIA, THEN LIVED IN SEVERAL PLACES IN THE UNITED ARAB EMIRATES BEFORE COMING HERE TO DARTMOUTH . THROUGH ALL THOSE MOVES, ONE THING HAS BEEN CONSTANT: HIS DIET. HAUK FOLLOWS TRADITIONAL MUSLIM RULES CALLED HALLAL. LIKE THE JEWISH KOSHER SYSTEM, HALLAL REQUIRES MEATS TO BE BUTCHERED ACCORDING TO STRICT STANDARDS. HAUK MANAGED TO KEEP HALLAL AT DARTMOUTH, BUT HE HAD TO GIVE UP A LOT OF FOODS.
what I was relegated to was vegetarian and tuna fish. // 26 220 not so much variety, it is true.
NOW HAUK BOASTS HE HASN?T EATEN A SINGLE TUNA SANDWICH ALL SEMESTER, SINCE A NEW DINING HALL CALLED THE PAVILION OPENED. THE PAVILION OFFERS A FULL MENU OF DISHES LIKE HALLAL CHICKEN CACCIATORE AND HALLAL ROAST BEEF. IT ALSO PROVIDES KOSHER MEALS AND SAKAHARA, A TRADITIONAL HINDU VEGETARIAN DIET. SINCE KOSHER MEAT AND DAIRY ITEMS CAN?T BE COOKED IN THE SAME KITCHEN, AND SAKAHARA FOODS CAN?T TOUCH ANYTHING THAT?S USED TO PREPARE MEAT, DARTMOUTH HAD TO BUILD THREE NEW KITCHENS AND ACQUIRE A DIZZYING ARRAY OF POTS, PANS AND KNIVES TO PULL OFF THIS MULTICULTURAL FEAT.
How do you keep em all straight? Color code them.
PAVILION MANAGER ROBERT LESTER IS RESPONSIBLE FOR TAMING THE CULINARY CHAOS. LESTER LIFTS A METAL GRATE TO SHOW OFF HIS KOSHER DAIRY KITCHEN.
I?m gonna raise this and close it. This should stay closed, the dairy kitchen, during the meat meal.
EVERY POT, PAN AND UTENSIL IS MARKED WITH A SPOT OF BLUE PAINT THAT SIGNIFIES KOSHER DAIRY; SOME ARE DOTTED WITH YELLOW TO SHOW THEY?RE ALSO SAKAHARA. OTHER COLORS, LIKE RED FOR KOSHER MEAT OR PURPLE FOR HALLAL, ARE NOT ALLOWED IN THIS KITCHEN.
If its not blue and yellow, it doesn?t belong in here. 003 105 I bought five cans of spray paint and believe me I paint the boxes, the shelves, the pans, the utensils, if theres any question, you paint it and its one more way to manage the situation.
LESTER HAS TWO IDENTICAL SALAD BARS, ONE FOR KOSHER MEAT DAYS AND ONE FOR KOSHER DAIRY. THAT WAY IF A STUDENT DROPS SOMETHING FROM THE HOT FOOD LINE INTO THE LETTUCE, THE BAR DOESN?T HAVE TO BE KASHERED, OR MADE KOSHER AGAIN. WHEN LESTER HAS QUESTIONS ABOUT KOSHER RULES, THERE?S HELP CLOSE AT HAND. GRADUATE STUDENT AMY SCHECHTER SERVES AS THE MESH-KEY-ACH, A KIND OF SUPERVISOR OF THE DINING HALL?S KOSHER STATUS.
I have a pager, a cell phone (laughs). And I?m here, I come in here for meals and important times.
IF THIS SEEMS LIKE A LOT OF FUSS FOR A COLLEGE CAFETERIA, IT IS. DARTMOUTH SPENT ABOUT A QUARTER OF A MILLION DOLLARS RENOVATING THE SPACE AND BUYING MULTIPLE SETS OF EQUIPMENT. BUT THE STUDENTS WHO LOBBIED FOR THE SPECIAL DINING HALL SAY IT WAS A GOOD INVESMENT. KAPIL JEN HAILS FROM AVON CONNECTICUT, BUT HIS PARENTS ARE FROM INDIA. HE EATS SAKAHARA.
I?ve talked to parents of hindu students who ask me about what do you get to eat. Its thrilling to tell them we have that option.
JAIN ADDS IN THIS ERA OF POLITICAL AND RELIGIOUS STRIFE, IT?S GOOD FOR MUSLIMS, HINDUS AND JEWS TO HAVE A PLACE TO MINGLE. SENIOR JASON SPITALNIK AGREES. SPITALNICK IS PRESIDENT OF HILLEL, DARMOUTH?S JEWISH ORGANIZATION. HE SAYS HE?S ALWAYS BELIEVED PEOPLE OF ALL FAITHS CAN GET ALONG, AND THE PAVILION HAS MADE THAT IDEA, REALITY.
What this has done for me is shown me that it can happen. That you can take that vision and make it real. So now when I sit down at lunch with kapil and yusef and other friends of mine, it really feels fantastic.
THE KOSHER-HALLAL-SAKAHARA DINING HALL IS OPEN TO ALL STUDENTS. IT?S ALSO TUCKED INTO A LARGER COMPLEX OF CAFETERIAS, SO THOSE WHO FOLLOW A RESTRICTED DIET CAN MINGLE WITH EVERYBODY ELSE. DARTMOUTH PUBLIC AFFAIRS OFFICER TAMMY STEINERT SAYS THE COLLEGE SEES THE PAVILION AS PART OF ITS STUDENT LIFE INITIATIVE, A PROGRAM AIMED AT DE-EMPHASIZING THE COLLEGE?S TRADITIONAL FRATERNITY AND SORORITY SYSTEM AND OFFERING STUDENTS NEW WAYS TO GET TOGETHER.
Its all about the quality of student life. We want to give students a variety of options for their social and academic lives.
TO THAT END, STUDENTS SAY THEY HOPE TO HAVE SOME SOCIAL EVENTS AT THE NEW DINING HALL. THOSE MIGHT INCLUDE BANDS PERFORMING TRADITIONAL JEWISH MUSIC, AND DRUMMING FROM MUSLIM WEST AFRICA. FOR NHPR NEWS I?M
