By: Elise Porter
As a freshman on campus, even while attending the college with #1 dining, it is easy to miss the meal luxuries of the town where I am from. However, UMass has many excellent possibiliFes to fulfill those cuisine cravings. Being a passionate ice cream fanaFc, I was quick to scope out the creaFve opFons and decide whether it is worthy of the #1 Ftle or not. (Spoiler Alert: It is!)
#1 Ice Cream Sandwiches
At Franklin Dining Commons, however creatable at all four dining commons.
With dessert options commonly consisting of cookies and ice -cream, you would be missing out on proper college dining without feasting on a combination of the two. At Franklin Dining Commons, there is hard ice cream in many different flavors, along with the variety of cookies that all the dining commons’ menus offer. Achieving the best possible ranking on my ice cream scale, we start the list off with my favorite combination of two chocolate chunk cookies with moose tracks ice cream graciously placed in between. If visiting another dining hall, the hard ice cream could be interchangeable with soft serve.
#2 Brownie Sundaes
Best at Berkshire Dining Commons, however necessities available at all four dining commons.
My first ice cream creativity test was at the lovely Berkshire Dining Commons. Brownies being a weekly provision, I was quick to attempt at adding ice cream to enhance the flavor. With Berkshire having the best soft serve options, I swirled it on top of the chocolatey confection, and topped it off with a selection of the toppings that were offered.
#3 Milkshakes
Available at Blue Wall in the Student Union.
This simple addition to any meal is replenishing during a break from any collegiate academic courses and may even make you happy enough to help pay better attention during your next lecture. So far, the best milkshakes I’ve tried have been at Blue Wall, served at The Grill and Paciugo. If you are going for a classic vanilla or chocolate sprint over to The Grill, however if you are craving a fancier frosted treat, Paciugo has unique flavor options that change each day.
#4 Ice Cream at the Ice
Provided in the Mullins Center.
Who doesn’t love to eat ice cream in the middle of winter while enjoying a victorious hockey game? Essentially, anyone who lives outside of New England. However, as members of a university in the Northeast, it is our responsibility to take part in that unique activity. The Mullins Center offers generous scoops of hard ice cream, at shockingly inexpensive prices. If you don’t like to watch hockey, you should still go to the games even if only for this ice cream opportunity.
#5 Soft Serve
Options at every dining common.
This sweet dessert was a necessity for this list to thank UMass Dining for the wonderful meals they make available every day by the tireless and wonderful staff. UMass offers soft serve at each of its dining halls, with flavors such as vanilla, chocolate, cookies and cream, peach and black raspberry. You would be missing out if you didn’t stop by one of these stations at least 10 times a week. To conclude, UMass Dining deserves its title of #1, and has limitless ice cream opportunites.