by Jasmine Liu’25
Photo: Karen B. Bento featuring the St. Mark’s School dining hall
The end of the long winter break marked the beginning of numerous changes such as the new year, mid-year exams, and, unexpectedly, a new FLIK dining setup.
Last year, the FLIKand dining hall setup largely stayed consistent. When you first walked to the FLIK kitchen, you would be greeted by the tall stacks of plates right outside the entrance to the servery. There would be a long sequence of main dishes, typically replicated to accommodate two lines for the influx of hungry teens. The left would feature a small table of dessert and breakfast options for students with gluten-free diets. The servery would feature the meal’s main dishes as well as vegetarian alternatives if applicable. At breakfast, the last section would have oatmeal with a variety of sweet toppings including chocolate chips, M&M's, and coconut sprinkles. Lunch and dinner would have pasta and sauce options in this area, accompanied by a stack of bowls. After choosing from the main options, students would proceed to the next area with the bread (different bagels and bread slices), cereals, drinks (soda, water, coffee, milk), and one or two dessert options. When students got to the dining hall, they would be able to also add options from the salad bar (or the fruit and yogurt bar at breakfast). During lunch, the soup section in the main dining area and the panini bar in the small dining hall would also be available for students to choose from.
Yet, with feedback from faculty and students, the new year brought about many changes in the FLIK setup. First, FLIK added a noodle bar to the main dining hall where students could make their own noodle dishes. The bar would have pre-boiled noodles (typically soba or lo mein) in a separate container to prevent the available noodles from getting soggy in the soup. There would be a separate section for soup, with miso soup and chicken broth being the usual options. Students can add as many toppings of green onions and tofu as they would like to the noodle dish. Chopsticks and spoons would lay next to the noodles and soup selections. Second, FLIK increased the variety of desserts available. In the past, desserts would revolve around pudding, rice krispies, dessert bars, and cookies. However, students have now been able to eat cupcakes, cheesecakes, eclairs, and other treats thanks to FLIK! Third, FLIK added a new section of snacks between the water and coffee machines, with snacks featuring goldfish, pistachios, and granola. Students could grab a plastic or paper cup nearby and simply fill the cups with these snacks to take on the go in the case of post-meal hunger.
Last and most prominently, FLIK drastically changed the setup of their previous services. First, the staff moved the gluten-free options for the main options and desserts to the room adjacent to the servery. The breads and bagels also got rearranged in fancier drawers and setups. The water machines were moved to accommodate the added snacks, while the desserts were moved to the main dining hall. The salad and soup bars also shifted around; the soups moved to the small dining hall to accommodate the location of the new noodle bar.
With these drastic changes in the FLIK setup, some students expressed their surprise. “It’s taken a while to get used to for sure,” Sam Mundel’25 remarked. Fortunately, though, many students have noted improvements in FLIK dining and dessert options. “The food is really good now!” Diana Oh’24 exclaimed, “The desserts are amazing and the quality improved for sure!” Other students also affirmed that the desserts became more “innovative” and hoped that the quality of the treats would be consistent for the rest of the year. The tiramisu, cupcakes, and cheesecakes were common favorites among students. In fact, many students, including Vivi Tran’26, wished for tiramisu to make more frequent appearances in the dining hall.
Students also appreciated the new noodle bar. “I really like having more dining options, especially the noodle bar.” One Fifth Form student asserted, “If I don’t like the main options for a specific day, I can always enjoy a nice bowl of noodle soup. While the noodles may not be the same as a dish you find at a ramen restaurant, the noodle bar still does the trick!” Another Third Form student added, “However, I wish [the dining hall] could have soy sauce…” Other students provided critique and feedback about the noodle bar. For instance, a Sixth Form student remarked that the noodles “can be a bit dry” but understood that it would be “inevitable.” Some students also wished for more variety in the available soups and noodles. “Personally, I want to have some vermicelli or udon noodles,” Crystal Hui’24 said.
The dining hall’s added snacks also got its fair share of compliments and criticisms. “I like the snacks,” Eli Zahavi’24 noted, “The goldfish is good, but I hope they can switch it up too.” Other students, such as Yejee Hwang’25, enjoyed the bagged snacks that FLIK provided sometimes during seated meals.
Faculty also seemed to enjoy the dining hall improvements after the new year. Although faculty acknowledged the improved quality of seated meal dishes and options, some faculty still preferred to cook at home if possible: “FLIK is a good option for having a nice and convenient meal, but I try to cook at home for dinners when I don’t like what’s on the menu.”
Overall, both students and faculty have indicated that the changed setup of the FLIK dining hall was a step in the right direction and a sign of future improvements. Yet, members of the St. Mark’s community still point out some areas for further improvement. With the added Google Form in the Weekend Activity slides & QR Codes on the dining hall tables, students can directly give FLIK feedback on meals and suggest meal ideas for the future! While FLIK’s food may not always appeal to everyone’s tastes, we should all appreciate the amazing work that the FLIK staff has done daily to serve the hundreds of people in our St. Mark’s community, and we continually look forward to the improvements FLIK may offer in the future!