Why Leo’s is a necessary evil

We’ve all thought it. We’ve all raged on it.

Leo’s is undoubtedly a very (very very very) sub-par dining hall. The same “varieties” are offered day after day.

You question whether the eggs have been prepared days in advance and if they serve you powdered milk. You wonder for how long the salad options have been deep-frozen or how well the silverware, plates and cups have actually been washed.

The moment you step into Leo’s you find yourself asking, “Why am I back here?”

And when you’re done eating you always feel kind of gross, as if you had just inhaled an entire McDonalds menu.

Yet, you always come back.

Obviously, if there was something better waiting for you, you’d go there in a heartbeat, but Leo’s has become a necessary evil for the lives of all Georgetown students.

If you’ve ever eaten at the Leo J. O’Donovan Dinning Hall, you’re probably thinking, “What is this bullshit that this guy is trying to feed me?”

Mystery mush??

Well, let me shed some light on what I have realized.

The entire social atmosphere at Leo’s feels almost comforting. You find yourself surrounded by your classmates, friends and those people you met at NSO whose names you simply can’t remember.

WHAT ARE THOSE?

It’s a nice reassurance to have, and you enjoy crossing the people you wouldn’t see in your day to day life.

The so-called “chefs,” who probably – wait scratch that – who most definitely have never had any culinary experience prior to working at Leo’s, can be nice and warm. Every now and then, you might have a funny conversation with them, although most of the time, you don’t quite understand what they’re telling you, so you just give them a little laugh to not make it awkward, and walk away as fast as possible.

It’s always awkward.

Although most of the food is always iffy, there is one thing you can always count on at Leo’s: the cookies.

They manage to neither make them too chewy nor too hard, and it’s almost as if you can feel that they were made with a little bit of love. (P.S: they taste even better if you put them through the toaster.)

In a life filled with highs and lows, where change seems  to be the only constant, Leo’s will always be there.

Indeed, you know exactly what to expect every time you walk in and for freshmen, it truly helps establishing a routine, especially during that first week when you’re startled by almost anything.

It makes you appreciate any food that isn’t from there, SO much more. All of a sudden, going to Chipotle feels like going to a three Michelin-starred restaurant.

Lastly, Leo’s absolutely horrendous food makes for great conversation and a solid ice-breaker at parties.

The biggest silver lining I see, is that years from now, when we’re all off being successful and eating incredible food, we’ll think back to our years here at Georgetown and all the food we’ve eaten at Leo’s.

We will then be thanking our lucky stars, that we never have to have another meal from the Leo J. O’Donovan Dining Hall.