Breakfast At Harvard Actually Looks Super Boring

Harvard University is one of the nation's premier learning institutions and has been the birthplace of numerous groundbreaking ideas over the past four centuries. While its steep tuition rates (closing in on $80,000 per year at the time of writing) mean that you won't find too much economic diversity on campus, there are a wide variety of different cultures represented among the student body. You might expect, then, that the Harvard dining halls would dish up a wide variety of culinary delights. If so, those expectations would likely be disappointed, particularly at breakfast time.

According to one TikTok video, students are "literally" circulating a petition (apparently even Harvard students are not immune from overusing the "l" word) about this issue. They insist on better breakfast options, complaining about the same old, same old on offer at every dining hall. The video pans in on a range of uninspiring items that don't look any better than what you might see at an average budget motel: a cereal dispenser, bags of bagels, half-pint cartons of milk, and some unidentified beige goo that could be oatmeal, sausage gravy, or a science experiment gone horribly wrong.

While the TikTok video seems to be complaining about breakfast options for Harvard's tuition-paying students, it seems that even catered events at this august institution may be a bit disappointing. There are four different set breakfasts on the catering menu ranging in price from about $5 up to $18 per person (with a minimum headcount of 10). At the lowest end is a continental breakfast consisting of croissants, tea breads, pecan rolls, and muffins with tea and coffee. For about $5 more you can upgrade to "healthy continental" with yogurt, fresh fruit, granola, and boiled eggs, or else get a European-style breakfast with sliced deli meats and cheeses. At the top end of the price range, you get eggs, bacon, sausages, potatoes, French toast, fruit, and breakfast pastries. Nice, but it's all pretty basic stuff.

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Even on the a la carte catering menu, you still won't find any particularly exciting breakfast dishes. No shakshuka, no omurice, no congee. It does run to a smoked salmon and bagel board, plus there's a fairly interesting selection of frittatas (we're partial to the prosciutto with Manchego, potatoes, and onions) and breakfast bread puddings (the cranberry and white chocolate one sounds good). Overall, though, if you're looking for a cutting-edge morning meal, Harvard's kitchens aren't the place to go for your inspiration.