A Dinner to Remember

by Anna Cavallino

Photo courtesy of Pexels

For those of you who did not happen to be one of the thousands of students itching to get into one of BU’s campus dining halls on one of the biggest nights of the semester, here is a recap of what went on when the clock struck 5 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 10, 2019.

Every year, BU celebrates the start of the fall semester with its infamous Lobster Night, and this year was no different. After spending countless hours in classes, day-dreaming about the night, students could not wait to run to one of BU’s dining halls at dinnertime to catch a table and avoid the enormous crowds that gather.

But how is it possible to have enough lobsters to feed every BU student that steps into the dining hall? BU purchases a whopping number of 8,350 lobsters from Maine: that’s more than enough to leave no lobster-loving student hungry. Better yet, if students did not want to go through the effort of cracking their own lobster, they could opt to go to the lobster-cracking cart where an employee does the job for them.

Not a fan of lobster? There was also a good amount of locally sourced items that accompanied the lobster, including honey BBQ chicken and corn, parsnips and butternut squash for those students who are vegetarian, providing good alternatives that catered to the taste buds of all students.

“I was kind of nervous coming into lobster night because I don’t eat meat or shellfish, but I was so surprised with the variety of other foods that they had. I particularly enjoyed the boiled potatoes and butternut squash bisque, and the apple-cranberry cobbler was to die for!” said Tess Ravick (ENG ’22).

The energy in the dining hall that night was very high—Lobster Night is usually a time for friends to get together after their first week or so of classes and enjoy such a noteworthy event. Freshmen in particular expressed much excitement, as it was their first Lobster Night at Boston University and they would be able to spend time with their new friends while also eating a (technically free) gourmet meal.

First-year student, Rosa Kim (SHA ’23), was particularly impressed with how the night went and did not hesitate to express her satisfaction.

“Honestly, when people told me at orientation that BU hosts lobster night I thought it was a myth,” Kim said. “But then, there I was in the dining hall on Thursday with my floormates, gobbling at this delicious lobster and of course, sending it to all of my jealous friends back home.”

This unforgettable night will truly be missed—but fret not! For all of you freshmen, sophomores, juniors and visiting seniors, BU Lobster Night 2020 will be here before you know it.