Dorm Cooking

Long time ago,eatingin an American college dorm meant soup in a hotpot or getting pizzadelivered.The most interesting thing about the campus dining hall was often the

salad bar.

No more.Thesedays,US college students have refined tastes and a growing interest inpreparing their own food.Mini-refrigerators and microwaves in dorm rooms are as

essential aslaptops.

"The cookingawareness of college students is increasing,"said Tom Post,president ofcampus dining for Sodexo,a major food service company."Students today grewup

watching celebritychefs on TV,eating organic food and valuing good nutrition."

Inresponse,cafeteria menu,have changed.Sodexho's top campus foods for 2009include Vietnamese noodle soup,goat cheese salad,and Mexican chicken.Butcolleges are also

catering to studentdemands for more flexible and personalized dining options.

Chartwells,thecompany that prepares food for dining halls at OhioWesleyan Universityin the state of Ohio,offersmicrowaveable meals that students can take away,as well

as a program wherestudents can have food individually prepared.Or they can even do their owncooking.

This fall,Sarah LawrenceCollege in New York will offer students on its mealplan a chance to pick up groceries in the cafeteria as an alternative to acooked meal.

"Students wantthings that are easy to make,things that don't take long and will still tastegood,"said Rachel Holcomb,a University of Massachusetts Amherst studentwho

updated recipes forthe new edition of The Healthy College Cookbook.

Angelo Berti,a chefat the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester,Massachusetts,teaches cooking in dormkitchens.But Berti says he's not just teaching recipes.He is

encouraging studentsto use dining together as a way to socialize and as a means ofself-expression."The meal is your canvas,"Berti said."You paintwhat you want."

That is why at the College of William&Maryin Virginia,studentsproduce a cooking show filmed in a dorm called"Everyday Gourmet".Oneepisode was"Date Night

Cooking:A 3-Coursemeal for under $20,"featuring grilled chicken stuffed with goat cheese andbasil.What does AngeloBeth mean by saying"The meal is your canvas"?

A.Cooking is soboring that it is not worthy for students to have a try.

B.Cooking is a goodway to express oneself freely.

C.College studentsshould make their meal as simple as possible.

D.If one wants tobecome a successful cook,he'd better learn painting first.