On Thursday, Nov. 20, Drew University Dining Services presented their annual Friendsgiving in the Commons dining hall. Here, students could gather, dine and spend time with friends from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m.
The dining hall was decorated with an array of Thanksgiving platters and presentations that lined the counters and got students in a festive mood. Students could also write things they were thankful for on a pumpkin or leaf-shaped paper and tape them to the Thankful Hearts board right as they entered the dining hall.
The options for food were far from limited, as students had a wide variety of meal items to choose from that were centered around the Thanksgiving holiday.
These options included slow-roasted pulled turkey, gravy, mashed sweet potatoes, biscuits and apple-cranberry chutney, courtesy of the Gourmet Kitchen station.
Both the Global Eats and Daily Dish stations provided another variation of a classic Thanksgiving meal, with thyme and garlic roasted turkey slices, mashed potatoes, cornbread stuffing, green beans, root vegetables, turkey gravy and cranberry sauce.
Those with allergy restrictions were not forgotten, as the Life Station featured beautifully plated meals including turkey, squash, sauces and more, topped with edible flowers.
Many saved the best part of the Thanksgiving holiday for last, this being the dessert. Thanks to the Scratch Bakery, students could enjoy pumpkin and apple pie, brownies, large shortbread cookies decorated and shaped like turkeys and other cookie varieties.
In the center of the dining hall, there was a hot chocolate bar with countless toppings ranging from whipped cream, sprinkles, marshmallows and more. On the same table, there were slices of many kinds of bread and dinner rolls to accompany students’ meals.
“I loved having Thanksgiving food, and being able to enjoy a meal with all my friends before break was an awesome experience,” said Katie Germinder (‘27).
The event was a great success overall, where many students gathered with friends, ate delicious food and celebrated the Thanksgiving holiday before break.
Drew Dining Services and Drew University Residence Life will be hosting the popular Pancakes and PJs event on Dec. 10, where students can enjoy a midnight breakfast accompanied by a live DJ, a special guest appearance and more before the stress of finals week hits.
Casey Bush is a sophomore majoring in psychology and minoring in English: writing and communication.
