A Grad’s Guide to: The Caf
Written by Sarah Cooke
Edited by Jane Ling
Cover Image by Jaden Morrison
It’s 11:58 and you've just been dismissed from class. Early, but not early enough. You’re racing down the halls towards the cafeteria. Before you can even turn the corner, you are stopped by a devastating sight: a line all the way down the hall. You ask the person in front of you what’s for lunch. Their reply brings about both remarkable joy and immense pain: tacos. Take out your phone and open Tiktok - you’re going to be here for a while.
The cafeteria is truly the heart of Havergal. It’s a place to catch up with friends and to eat delicious food. However, immense skill is required to enjoy all good that the caf brings. As a grad, I have spent years frequently in the caf and have cultivated what I believe to be the best strategy for approaching it. What will now follow is the first edition in a series of articles dedicated to imparting my four years of knowledge onto the HC students of tomorrow. Here is: A Grad’s Guide to: The Caf.
Let’s first establish a lay of the land. The caf has pre-made foods ranging from chips to pre-packaged sandwiches and salads, but the best lunches in the caf are undoubtedly the servery options. Each day, there is a vegetarian and non-vegtarian hot lunch option, the “global eats”, the sandwich bar, two soup options, and a build-your-own style salad bar. With so many options and new features every day, deciding on what to get for lunch can become a challenge. As someone who is both highly analytical and chronically indecisive, I have cracked the code for finding the best caf options, and it all comes down to the balance of risk and reward.
The salad and sandwich bars are arguably the least risky: they have fairly consistent options and let the lunch-eater cater their meal to their taste. A fair warning to all those getting sandwiches, though: the haze and crowdedness of the caf creates disorientation akin to being at Canada’s wonderland on the first day of summer. If getting a sandwich, ensure that you don’t accidentally get swept into the line for the main entree or the soups. Of course, the main entree is never a bad bet. I would rate it medium risk and medium reward. They are usually widely-liked and well-executed, but if you’re looking for an exciting option, this isn’t the place to get it. The soups, typically consisting of one chowder and one chunk-and-broth option, are both low-risk and high-reward, so it’s no wonder they have been steadily growing in popularity. What’s more, at just under $4 per bowl, they are arguably the best bang for your buck.
A large consideration is predictability. The SWAG sends out the schedule for the main hot lunch option each week, but my lesser-known tip is to use the Chartwells online schedule (attached below), which details every servery option. Study the lunch options for the day and enter the line with a clear vision in mind. It’s a win-win situation: traffic flows quicker through the cafeteria, and you - avoid the daily small-scale existential crisis you have choosing between building your own sandwich or getting a soup. Friendly warning to not rely on what Chartwells says for dessert however — it is chronically unreliable.
Now, there are some areas of the caf that even I can’t help you with. Enter: the global eats, otherwise known as Havergal’s biggest enigma. This lunch option is excluded from both the SWAG and the online schedule, thus havingthe highest risk factor out of any option. There are also very limited quantities each day, so if you wish to buy it, get to the caf right at the start of lunch.
When cultivating my list of wise words that I wanted to impose on you all, I consulted with a variety of HC students, including arguably the most qualified people to talk on the topic: the boarders. There was one blaring pattern that was an overall complaint on the behavior of caf-goers. So, let’s discuss etiquette.
There are some small but very impactful changes that you can make to improve the caf:
Take off your backpacks before going into the cafeteria so the caf becomes less congested.
Have your swipe card at the ready to speed up the lines at the check-out.
There is maybe one moral issue that I am truly passionate about, and that is my firm abhorrence of line-butting. The caf is truly the greatest equalizer, a chance for all to unite on equal footing based on the first come first serve principle and enjoy some delicious food. To those who butt the caf line, a message from me to you: reconsider your actions and how they might affect those around you.
In all my consultation, I have amassed a variety of advice. As you are now briefed with a basic lay of the caf land, a strategic mindset, and better etiquette, I now leave you with all of the little tips and tricks given to me by various people:
If you want to get the highly sought-after vegan chocolate chip muffins, get them before school starts in the morning, or get them right at the start of the break.
If the hot lunch is to your taste but generally unpopular, go to the caf near the end of lunch hour. I have often gotten extra food because I went right at the end of lunch
If you want to get more coffee and don’t want any specialty drinks, use the pot at the back of the caf, not in the center, and bring your own cup
Pringles and tomato soup make an absolutely delectable combination
I have just one piece of advice left for you: use these tips wisely. The caf truly is a magical place with so much to offer, so enjoy it, and be kind — to the people on lunch duty, to the lovely people serving you food, and to the other caf goers.
If you have any issues or questions that you want addressed in future issues, feel free to share them below.