It’s Wednesday, twelve thirty six to be exact, and I’ve just bolted out of class and into a bright green sweet shop. Crammed amongst forty five other undergraduates, all carrying monstrous backpacks that make reaching that spicy California roll virtually impossible, I find myself glancing nervously at my watch every five seconds. I have come to consider this, grabbing a Durfee’s lunch, a Yale tradition.
Here’s a picture of Durfee’s just seconds away from being stormed by hungry undergraduates:
Situated just steps away from Old Campus, Durfee’s is the local Yale-owned convenience store that stocks up on all the things college students desperately need. From dental floss, to Tostitos with a hint of lime, to Yale memorabilia, to Buffalo Chicken Sushi Rolls, Durfee’s has got it all. But their biggest claim to fame is the lunch swipe — everyday of the week, you can trade in your dining hall lunch swipe for seven dollars worth of snacks.
While it sounds straightforward and uninteresting, lunch swiping at Durfee’s is sort of a ritual. Last year, as a freshman, I found myself continuously perplexed by the mysterious lunch swipe rules. Was 2:01 too late to use my lunch swipe? Can I swipe on weekends? Will the cashier judge me for buying seven dollars worth of Altoids?
This year, however, I embraced the glory of Durfee’s. I decided to take to two classes this semester that coincide with lunch and leave me with roughly 25 minutes to eat. Rather than having a rushed meal in the dining hall, I’ve decided to become a Durfee’s lunch person and squeeze my own oversized backpack in the line between the Naked Juices and the Doritos. While I was initially reluctant to have these speedy lunches, I’ve grown to love them.
Why (you might rightly ask) would anyone enjoy the madness that is Durfee’s at twelve thirty six? Well first and foremost, reaching that last brown rice vegetable sushi roll is an adventure in itself. But more importantly, it’s because after going through that, I get to eat here:
Coincidently, the bells on Harkness Tower ring at around 12:50 PM while I’m scooping up the last bits of yogurt out of my cup. It is rather magical experience, particularly during this time of year when the temperature is just right. The serenity of the few minutes spent eating under Harkness actually makes waiting in the long line and dodging everyone’s backpacks totally worth it.