This past Tuesday, Fribley got into the Election Day spirit with a slightly less threatening outcome—dessert. Fribley’s chefs came together to construct two vastly different desserts for students to try and then vote on. The ballots will be used to raffle off either a Starbucks or Dunkin’ Donuts gift card. Complete with festive red and blue décor and “I Voted” stickers for students—the ambiance was fun and definitely lightened up thoughts about the election. Walking into Fribley, the chefs and servers were out spreading the word to students to head over to the pizza station to try out the two desserts. Festively served on red and blue plates, the desserts were presented with quite a bit more finesse than the usual dining hall treats.

Red plates held classic s’mores, which incited feelings of nostalgia and were delicious, with their chocolate drizzle and warm marshmallow center.  I was hoping for a bit of a more of a unique dessert than a s’more at this event, but the s’more was good nonetheless and appealed to those a little less adventurous with their dessert choices.

The blue plates are where I satisfied my sweet tooth. A buttery and sweet crust was topped with a tangy cheesecake filling that had a crunchy caramelized top, then finished off with blueberry compote and fresh whipped cream. This cheesecake is closer to the dessert I was hoping for out of these dueling desserts, and I really enjoyed the elegant twist on the dining hall desserts we are used to.

Although the real sentiments behind which desserts people would like best were reflected in the results of Fribley’s poll, I did a bit of interviewing myself to see what my fellow students thought of the desserts. To keep my “research” a bit more ethical I tried to stave off thoughts of the blueberry cheesecake and level them out in my head, but my vote was clear—cheesecake all the way!

Paul Halliday, second-year student and Slow Food Secretary, prefered the cheesecake, commenting that, “the caramelized sugar was a nice balance to the smooth cheesecake along with a sweet blueberry sauce.”

Robert Iriye, a second-year student, also prefered the cheesecake, with its warm, crispy top that helped give the cake balance.

Ian Parker, also a second-year student, preferred the s’mores but didn’t try the cheesecakes. As a self-identified picky eater, he claimed, “I don’t like cheese, so the s’more was better.”

Despite the inconclusive results of my “research,” the true winner has yet to be crowned. Regardless of whether students went red (s’mores) or blue (cheesecake), I hope this opened up room for more unique desserts and events for Fribley to introduce and opened the eyes of students that dining hall dessert is more than just stale cookies. Look out for the results of the “election” and regardless of the results don’t get mad, just eat dessert!