Autumn Has Arrived at Rose Hill

It's autumn here at Rose Hill, which is a very busy time for Fordham students. We are in the midst of midterms right now, so the library is busy with people studying. However, everywhere you go on campus, you hear people talking about their Halloween costume ideas and even some plans for Thanksgiving! 

Fall Foliage here at Rose Hill

I always look forward to the different holiday events on campus, especially events that involve food! Many of the Residence Halls have gone apple picking, which I always enjoy. However, I particularly enjoy the fun food options available around the holidays. Our dining services always do a great job of incorporating the holidays into the menus. One of my favorite days to eat on campus is the Thursday before Thanksgiving because there is a big Thanksgiving meal in the main cafeteria (The Caf).

As a Resident Assistant in a freshman Residence Hall, we have a lot of upcoming programs to celebrate autumn and all of the associated holidays! Queen's Court has always had our traditional costume dance in the basement on the night of Halloween. It's dark and spooky, but so much fun! We also have pumpkin painting, Halloween movie nights, and even a program to make autumn air fresheners to keep those rooms smelling nice! 

Wherever you are reading this, I hope that it is as beautiful as it is here at Fordham when autumn arrives. The leaves are changing, and autumn is in the air!

Some Food for Thought

When I came to Fordham, I was definitely nervous about the food. My mom is an amazing cook, so I was not looking forward to the dreaded "college food." However, I have been quite pleased with Fordham's dining options. They offer many options, so I am able to enjoy a well-balanced and varied diet while I'm away at Fordham. Although the food is good at Fordham, I must say that I still crave food from home. Therefore, I take full advantage of the kitchens in the Residence Halls. The upperclassmen Residence Halls have kitchens in each suite, and the underclassmen Residence Halls have community kitchens for the residents to share. With multiple grocery stores close to campus, I am able to run to the store whenever I am craving something that is not offered in one of the Fordham dining centers.

As a freshman RA, I have found that food is a big draw for residents to attend programs. Many of my programs involve food in some way. I have regular hall dinners with my residents in which I cook dinner for all of the girls in my hall. For the last snow storm, several residents in the building helped me bake cookies for all of the men and women who were shoveling snow for us on campus. We saved some cookies for ourselves, though!

Cherry Lemon Bars

Food is a great way for people to get to know one another. I have found that whenever I bake or cook, people in the building come down to the kitchen to see who's cooking what. I always try to make extra so that I can share whatever I'm making with others. I am certainly not the only one who does this in my Residence Hall. A sure way to make new friends in college is to offer some freshly baked cookies to your neighbors. It's always a good idea to hang around the kitchen on snowy days when you don't feel like walking outside to get food because someone will probably be coming down to the kitchen to make something to share very soon.

Club Spotlight! Fordham Student Culinary Council

SCC Members during their Club Fair!

One club that is unique to Fordham is the Fordham Student Culinary Council. They serve as a liaison between Sodexo, Fordham’s food supplier, and Fordham’s students. Because members of the club serve as liaisons between the company and the Fordham community at large, they actually get paid! The members have a choice between receiving either Declining Balance Dollars (also known as DCB; students can use these at any of our retail locations on campus like Cosi or Panda Express) or a check for their work. Within the club, there are five different committees: the Marketplace, Marketing, Nutrition, Sustainability, and Retail. Each of these committees consists of a group of students to discuss innovative ideas for how to improve their specific areas. 

One of my friends, Allie St. Angelo, serves on the Executive Board as the Nutrition Committee Co-Chair. As the Nutrition Co-Chair, she has biweekly meetings with Sodexo management to talk about updates from her weekly committee meetings. Her group is in charge of making campus have as many nutritious and healthy options as possible. She also works with Melanie Ordway, Fordham’s registered dietitian. The dietitian is one of Fordham Dining’s many resources to help students live a healthy lifestyle.

The famous Smoothie Bike!

She told me about one of their upcoming events. In a couple of weeks, they will have a Thanksgiving Dinner in the Marketplace. They will set up tables with different traditional Thanksgiving foods as well as fun Thanksgiving-themed activities. They might even bring out the Smoothie Bike! This is a bike that powers a blender, so you can make a smoothie while you exercise. Personally, I can’t wait for the SCC Thanksgiving dinner. SCC always puts on delicious, fun events that I look forward to. Last year, I even won a Google Nexus 7 tablet during a Scavenger Hunt that they put on!

Another fun event put on by SCC - a cupcake decorating contest!

Follow @fordhamSCC and @fordham_dining on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook to hear about what they’re doing and see pictures of all their events!

All photos in this article are courtesy of @fordhamSCC on Instagram.

Fordham Foodies

Our late afternoon snack from Palombo's

One of Fordham's identifying features is of course the fact that it is located alongside Arthur Ave (aka the best Little Italy has to offer). However, food can get costly and so most students choose to venture into its heart when parents visit. For those of us working on a budget, there are still some awesome places on Arthur Ave, and just off it, to get some grade-A Fordham grub. Here are a few of my favorites!

Palombo's is ram-renowned for its desserts. They have quite the array, ranging in traditional Italian delicacies to the more run-of-the-mill brownies and cakes. It's one of the more affordable places on Arthur especially since they offer students a 10-15% discount off their final orders! Just last week, I caught up with my sister who also attends Fordham, over coffee and cake. With outdoor seating, it is the perfect place for a late afternoon meet up.

Simon's sweet potato fries in all their greasy glory

Next on my list is Bellini's: just off Arthur but just as amazing as its better-located fellow eateries. A particular favorite for students there is the Penne Alla Vodka slice, which is essentially your typical pizza amped up with pasta (ACTUAL PASTA) sprinkled on top. Yes: it is indeed as amazing as it sounds.

Just a block or two over from Bellini's is Simon's Deli, home to the best milkshakes the Bronx has to offer. Options include your classic chocolate and vanilla but can get as inventive as Cap'n Crunch or Vanilla Apple Pie. It doesn't hurt that they also have some of the best burgers around, not to mention their sweet potato fries.

Life lesson from Pugsley's: "Pizza is good, but love is it"

Last on my list is the heart and soul of Fordham students' dining experience: Pugsley's. The act of dining there is quite the experience. The walls are adorned with random pieces of art that seem to encompass the quirky spirit that students so associate with their college experience. It is quite literally, the stuff of sitcom legends, our very own MacLaren's Pub. Though it is closed during the summer, it is one of the first places students line up at to reunite in the early fall over a slice of pizza or their legendary chicken roll.

These are just a few of the Fordham hot spots for eating off campus. In order to find out more, you'll just have to adventure yourself!