Ronit P., Purdue University
Named after the gutsy aviatrix Amelia Earhart, Earhart dining court is located at the center of all the south campus residence halls. The court regularly attracts flocks of students due to its proximity to the residence hall and eclectic variety of food.
Its six stations, salad bar and breakfast bar make for an enjoyable meal after a day’s work. Though Earhart provides a healthy variety of food, over time, the food becomes repetitive. The main attractions are the stir fry at The Gallery and Pizza, Pasta or Grinders at Totally Italian.
Though the quality of the stir fry depends on your choice of ingredients, the cooks generally do a great job in putting all the ingredients together. The ingredients vary from chicken to beef and Jalapenos to Onions, ensuring that nobody is lacking in choice. My only complaint is that the Chinese food section of this station perpetually holds fried and plain rice which always seem stale and boring. Moreover, the entrée is always a crinkled up meat mixed with a random Chinese or Thai sauce.
Similarly, ‘Totally Italian’ provides students an opportunity to design their own pizza, pasta, or grinder. This station provides several toppings like pepperoni, chicken, onions, jalapenos, and more. The bases are made of both wheat and white bread so there is an option for the health conscious too. Though the pasta doesn’t have a wheat option, the mozzarella cheese and Alfredo sauce are always appetizing. With a wait time of only 10 minutes, this station’s ware is certainly worth the wait.
‘Granite Grill’ provides quintessential American food ranging from fries to beef patties to popcorn chicken. Though it is probably the unhealthiest choice in the dining court, Granite Grill always attracts a flock of customers.
‘Heartland Classic’ caters to the Indiana farmer appetite. Their chicken patty sandwich with corn is always a popular delicacy. However, the food at this station always seems bland as it regularly serves boiled broccoli and cauliflower. Moreover, the cheese stuffed delicacies at this station never seem to taste fresh or appetizing.
The ‘Souper Deli’, the least popular station at Earhart, has a new soup every week and the loaded potato soup is especially well made. Moreover, this station allows students to put together their own sandwich with a variety of breads and stuffing.
Finally, ‘The Pastry Shop’ perennially holds ice cream, cookies, hot chocolate and a few specials that attract everyone’s sweet tooth. A particularly tasty dessert is the Chocolate Torte, which has just the right amount of sugar to satisfy your craving but not give you a sugar overload. Though the Cheesecake is always disappointing, the frequent apple and plum pies rarely disappoint.
Overall, Earhart caters to students with varying tastes but seems to serve the same food week after week. I would rank Earhart as the second best dining court at Purdue. Its food quality, atmosphere and proximity make it a popular destination for Purdue Boilermakers.
