June 1, 1884
The New York Times reprinted an accounting in The Poughkeepsie Eagle of the “quality and quantity of food consumed” at Vassar. Marveling at asparagus beds that yielded “70 to 100 bunches daily,” and the yearly output, “1,800 bushels,” of the potato fields, The Eagle observed that “Great care is taken in the selection of meats for the college” and that “Vassar bread has always been noted for its excellency.”
The article concluded with staggering statistics on the annual food consumed:
“The largest item of expense was for meat, $15,546.52, and the next largest, $4,644.05 for milk. But if there is one thing more than another that the average Vassar student yearns after, it is a nicely browned pancake. Vassar’s pancake griddle is 10 feet long and 3 feet wide, and 2,400 pancakes are consumed at breakfast.”
The New York Times“Fresh meat, pounds94,158Milk, quarts86,591Flour, pounds58,600Eggs92,000Butter, pounds14,567Canned vegetablesSugar, pounds26,181cans5,917Coffee, pounds2,638Bananas28,856Caramels, pounds405Oranges21,102Dried fruits, pounds5,546Clams36,200Nuts, pounds1,527Pickles, bottles209