Creative Combos

One of the great things about buffet-style eating is that it encourages you to experiment with bold new food combinations, as well as types. Working for PantherDining over the past two years, I’ve come up with several keen platters that I think you’ll really like. Read on, and if you find something you like, try it out. One word of warning — these combinations can be calorie-heavy. Proceed with caution.

5. Cheeseburger Salad

What you’ll need:

• Lettuce
• Cherry tomatoes
• Sliced pickle
• Sliced onion
• Hamburger patty
• Shredded cheddar
• Croutons
• Your choice of dressing (Honey mustard fits the theme best, but gentlemen prefer ranch.)

Is it worth it?

Well, you tell me. Do you like cheeseburgers? Do you like salad? Put them together, and that’s what it tastes like. It’s an explosion of flavor — sweet, savory and salty. It’ll leave you craving more (which may be this combination’s downfall). It’s just too good. Calories, ahoy!

4. Bowl of Frozen Cereal

What you’ll need:

• Bowl of vanilla ice cream
• Cinnamon Toast Crunch

Is it worth it?

Depending on your body’s capacity to enjoy dairy, this delicious treat can make your morning and/or afternoon. The combination of crunchy and smooth, sweet and creamy will melt in your mouth and make your insides quiver in delight. Of course, the combination works just as well with Applejacks or Golden Grahams but not Trix. Trix are the worst. Like Fruit Loops. Gah! How do you eat that stuff? Fruit Loops don’t even taste fruity. Am I nuts?

Anyway, one word of caution — don’t go too crazy with the ice cream flavor. Of course, you can use almost any type of cereal here, but combining Cinnamon Toast Crunch with orange sherbet or mint chocolate chip is just asking for trouble. Two great tastes taste great together, but two strong tastes can cancel each other out, creating a big mess. Stick to the classics — chocolate, strawberry or vanilla — when enjoying your cereal this way. Frozen yogurt is also just as good as ice cream for this unique gastronomic experiment.

3. Fish and Chips

What you’ll need:

• Fried fish (preferably cod, though the catfish tastes better in my opinion)
• French fries (or “chips” as our British friends call them)
• Tartar sauce
• Malt vinegar

Is it worth it?

Depends. Fried cod is an acquired taste, by which I mean it’s only edible with copious amounts of malt vinegar. Of course, fried catfish is usually offered on the same days as fried cod, so you have options of sea life to guzzle down. Plus, the fries at all three dining halls are amazing. I’m personally a fan of the curly fries, whether crispy or just a little bit soggy from the grease. De-licious.

Anyway, this combination is for those of you who feel like trying something international but don’t want to eat anything raw or spicy. (Just don’t eat it on Independence Day, or the ghosts of the Founding Fathers will haunt you the rest of your days.)

2. Breakfast Bowl

What you’ll need:

• Grits
• Tater tots
• Eggs
• Bacon
• Sausage

Is it worth it?

Sort of. You’ll have a stomach ache and may or may not have the meat sweats afterward. Still, it’s a delicious combination, especially with Cholula or Texas Pete drizzled on top. The salty, savory combination makes my mouth water just thinking about it. Tater tots and grits offset the protein and fat in the bacon and sausage just so, and the eggs give it that special little bit of texture. Copious helpings of salt and pepper complete this delicacy but eat sparingly. Having this every morning will absolutely cause you to gain 900 pounds.

1. Feast of Seven Fishes

What you’ll need:

• A fish day at Piedmont North or another dining hall
• Fried fish (Seven varieties is tradition, but you can make due with any odd number, 3 and over)
• Broccoli
• Pasta

Is it worth it?

Oh my, yes. The feast of seven fishes is a tradition borne from the south of Italy. Traditionally prepared on Christmas Eve, the matriarch of the family is usually the one who fries up to seven different types of shellfish (clams, scallops, shrimp, squid, etc.) and serves them as part of a three-course meal, including cold broccoli salad and just a handful of linguine in olive oil (or sometimes clam sauce).

This combination is hardest to pull off, as it requires a lot of different types of fish. Thankfully, Piedmont North serves a variety of fried fish every so often, as does Piedmont Central. The best time to try this combination would have to be King Neptune Night. Of course, there may or may not be pasta that night.

I hope you’ve found something you like in the list above. Remember, be brave and bold in your eating. Try new things and new combinations to tease your palette. I apologize for not showcasing any vegan options this time. Fear not, future posts will contain plenty of plant-based goodness for our herbivorous friends.

But for the moment, I’d like to hear from you. Have a favorite food combination you didn’t see listed? Got something exciting or gross-sounding you want me to try? Tag @gsudininghalls on social media with #DiningTheStateWay.