Quality of House Food Varies; Students Desire Improvements

Harvard dining hall fare may not be like Mom's home cooking, but quality does vary from one House to another. Several Harvard Food Services employees contacted yesterday offered different explanations.

Frank J. Weissbecker, director of Food Services, said yesterday the individual dining hall managers have a good deal of flexibility in selecting foods.

Weissbecker said the overall food budget for the undergraduate dining halls is $3 million. He added the budgets of the individual kitchens depend on the total number of meals each serves.

Carol J. Pettibone, dietician of the college dining halls, said yesterday that the dietician must take into account the constraints of the budget, nutritional value and variety when planning the meals.

Adams Artistry

James Jacobs, assistant dining hall manager of Adams House, said yesterday the reasons Adams House has better food than most of the other Houses are the size of the house and the cohesiveness of the staff.

"The chef has been here for over twenty years. We really care about the students. The larger houses have to prepare their food in advance. It may not be as fresh," Jacobs added.

The Freshman Union, which serves over 1600 freshmen, has a "notorious reputation," Leslie M. Sims '81, said yesterday. "Even though they're cooking for a large number of people, they could stand to be a little more creative. The food is bland and lacks taste," Sims added.

Dunster Donuts

Todd V. Tanaka '79, member of the Dunster House food subcommittee, said yesterday the committee has gained success in working with the dining hall manager to institute changes. "One good example was our suggestion of real donuts instead of the pre-processed ones. We requested them and we got what we wanted," Tanaka said.

Many students feel that all the food is bad, however. "It all tastes the same," Eric M. Winter '79, said yesterday. Alfredo Assad '79, said simply, "It sucks."