Off the beaten path: Exploring alternative dining options

Of the University's dining halls, the Center for Jewish Life is rumored to serve the best food. Conveniently located on Washington Road near Ivy Lane, the CJL serves kosher meals and is open to all students.

Jonathan Slutzman '01 said he chose to buy a meal contract at the CJL for two reasons. "Part of it is financial," he said. "It's significantly less expensive than an eating club. A bunch of my friends eat there."

Joanna Slusky '01 said she enjoys the CJL's atmosphere. "It's very chill. The food is good," she said, adding that she uses dining services points to eat there.

Coops

Princeton's two eating cooperatives — 2 Dickinson and Brown — provide alternatives to the eating clubs. Both serve dinner every night as well as Sunday brunch — all prepared by students themselves.

Members make their own breakfasts and lunches in the co-op kitchens. Some live at or near their coops while others live elsewhere on campus. In addition to cooking, each member is responsible for a specific chore that can range from grocery shopping to pantry-organizing.

Two Dickinson — the University's vegetarian co-op — is located in a yellow house at 2 Dickinson St., on the corner of Dickinson and University Place. Half of the co-op's 20 members live in the building.

The co-op — commonly called 2D — serves vegetarian meals with vegan options. Members are divided into groups of five, each of which is responsible for cooking one meal per week.

Katie Baum '01 said she joined because the eating clubs did not appeal to her and she liked the idea of living in a house.

"If you're vegetarian, there's nowhere else for you to go, and you definitely get a feel here that you don't get anywhere else on campus," she said.

Brown Co-op is Princeton's "omnivorous" co-op with its kitchen and dining room located in Brown Hall. Every member has a key to the kitchen, which facilitates late-night study breaks. Groups of three members each are responsible for cooking one meal per week. Dinners range from fajitas to pasta and from vegetable stir-fry to filet mignon. Members can request the food they want by adding it to the co-op's grocery list.

Benjamin Goldstein '00 said he joined Brown because the co-op is significantly less expensive than the eating clubs and because "it's a really fun atmosphere."

"It's a really close group of people," he said. "It's fun to cook with them."