What are the typical meals? Are there 3 a day? Are there supplemental vending machines? Is there a coke or Pepsi machine?

Are there no gluten menus etc? Diabetic cuisine for the senior missionaries?

Are the meals served in a lunch line cafeteria? Are there group cliques at the tables? Are meals eaten separately according to sex?

Is there a giant group prayer over the food to strengthen and nourish, or do the missionary recruits pray individually? Is it an honor to be chosen to offer the prayer? Must this be done by a priesthood holder?

Is the meal prep and cleanup done by staff or the mishie recruits?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/27/2014 05:13PM by deco.

Also, what are some of the best and worst dishes served? Are all three meals hot. No cold sandwiches? Full breakfasts? Desserts for lunch and/or dinner?

Are there choices or does everyone take whatever one dish is offered?

When do the missionaries start to get their $4 total a day for food? In the MTC just before they go--or only after they arrive in their new country, or the place in the US where they start their door to door mission?

When I was there in 2011, there were four or five different lines that each had about two entrees to choose from. You picked your entree and sides and then went to sit down and eat. Most missionaries ate with their districts. You could go back for seconds, but there wasn't much time.

I thought the food was fine, but I do remember a lot of missionaries complaining about it. I think there were a few vegetarian options. I believe they made special meals for you if you were allergic to gluten.

There were three meals a day except for fast Sundays. On other Sundays, there were no hot breakfasts. Food wasn't supposed to leave the cafeteria. I do remember there being some vending machines in the dorms, but I thought they cost too much.

Google can scan photos on the web for the tag "MTC cafeteria" so you can get a broad sampling of cafeteria photos.

It look about the same as when I was there in 1987. Everyone still eats together. BYU food service stuff.

https://www.google.com/search?site=&tbm=isch&source=hp&biw=1860&bih=951&q=mtc+cafeteria&oq=mtc+cafeteria&gs_l=img.3..0j0i24l3.3175.6099.0.7471.13.8.0.5.5.0.80.504.8.8.0....0...1ac.1.57.img..0.13.550.v9EoCf-4jO0

I seem to remember (1979) it being VERY heavy in carbs and meat. Veggies were all overcooked and soggy -- when they had them.
One elder in my "district" made a crack during one meal, meatloaf I believe with the loaf taking up half the plate -- about the WoW and eating meat sparingly. I laughed :)

It's a fairly typical college-type cafeteria. No mass prayer. We always enjoyed the off-brand (Malt-O-Meal) cereals--instead of Lucky Charms they had (probably still have) "Marshmallow Maties," which inspired bouts of talk-like-a-pirate.