I have to admit – I’m a huge breakfast person. But this Friday, waking up late for my 10 meant that I had to skip the most important meal of the day. Stomach grumbling, I made it through the end of my 11 and a meeting with just one thought keeping me going – eating The Box for lunch.
For those who have been away from campus or buried away in the stacks for a while, The Box is Dartmouth’s first food truck, founded by Tuck students, a non-DDS option for hungry students. Due to my meal-planning ineptitude, I was ready to try everything The Box had to offer by the time lunchtime rolled around. Luckily, the options were good and I grabbed a sandwich, side and dessert before settling down on a nearby bench and enjoying a rare burst of Hanover sunshine.
My first and only experience with falafel prior to this meal was during my foreign study program last term, when our group stopped by a well-known stand in Paris before proceeding to walk to the nearest metro station. In that short time, I managed to leave a messy trail of morsels from my falafel concoction down the sidewalks of the City of Lights. Classy, I know.
This time was no different – I proceeded to get those “mixed greens” all over my bench and self, desperately digging through my backpack for a spare napkin I had luckily stashed in there earlier in the term for emergencies like this. Despite my consumption struggles, I definitely enjoyed the sandwich. The salsa added a nice tangy flavor that blended well with the rest of the ingredients. The pita bread is also advertised as being made fresh every morning, which definitely added to the experience. Just don’t attempt to eat it gracefully on a date or something.
The granola was exciting because in my opinion, the nutty mixes tend to be pretty hit-or-miss. In this case, The Box’s was a definite hit – not only could I eat chocolate and still pretend to be healthy, but it had just the right balance of sweetness and saltiness with the nuts added in. If you need a quick snack that gives you energy and tastes delicious, this is a great option.
Sadly, The Box was out of their raved-about salted chocolate chip and oat cookie by the time I got there, so I opted for the other dessert option instead. The truffle had bits of date in it and tasted a bit nutty. It was slightly bitter, so I’d recommend it if you want a dessert that’s not too sweet. Next time I may try to get there earlier for the cookie, though.
Overall, I would definitely recommend giving The Box a try at least once this term, though any more than that may put a bit of a dent in your wallet. I personally tend to have leftover DBA at the end of the term, so it’s hard to justify putting down 12 dollars for (an albeit delicious) lunch. I would also love to see more variety in the future — being able to customize your meal with a sandwich, salad or grain bowl is nice but having only three meal options to create them with caters toward limited palates. Still, The Box offers a nice alternative on Tuck Drive for when you just can’t stand another grim Novack lunch while doing work for your 2.