Rumor across Grounds has it that the best dining hall in town is the most difficult to find. Searching for it is like embarking on a journey reminiscent of Frodo's odyssey without the tiny grey gremlin and adorably chubby sidekicks yearning for scones. Also with less arrows.
Yes, I am describing the supposedly resplendent hidden gem that is the John Paul Jones Athletic Dining Room. Yes, it does exist. Nestled into a corner of JPJ, there is a door marked Dining Hall. Within, there are rows of blue tables and stiff chairs and a line of food warmers filled with the chosen delicacies of the evening.
Before my first year, I was regaled with stories of the fabled JPJ dining hall from my friends who didn't play a sport for Virginia. There was supposed to be lobster. Butlers to bring me and fellow members of the women's basketball team forks of all sizes. Masseuses with hot stones to relax me after my meal. From my teammates, I got shrugs. Unable to find a happy medium in these mixed messages, I awaited the opening of JPJ like a child awaits Christmas. As the double doors opened, my fellow first-year teammates on the basketball team and I swept forward to see unremarkable blue tables and matching chairs. Where were the butlers? The heavenly choruses? The lobsters? I felt cheated. I loaded my bowl with salad, selected the boneless chicken breast and brown rice for my entr
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