The University dining halls may not be at the worst end of this college dining spectrum – they do not serve dirty, disgusting and poorly prepared food that is usually associated with residence hall food. But one would certainly not expect them to be serving students a one-pound lobster.

All University residence halls served each student with a meal plan a whole lobster of their own as part of a special seafood-themed dinner Monday night. Approximately 5,800 students attended the event, and the line at the Hopkins Residence Hall serving area wound from the inside to the hallway leading to the dining hall.

Although additional dishes were served, such as polenta with mango salsa, hush puppies and cole slaw, the main dish of the night was lobster. Sides included mussels, shrimp cocktail, and grilled salmon, and even the soup was clam chowder.

“We have held this event several times before this year, usually once every other year,” said Kirsten Ruby, assistant director of housing for marketing. “We think that it’s a wonderful treat for our residents.”

“The former director of dining services instituted the lobster night about 10 years ago to introduce residents to a food they may not have had experience with,” Ruby said. “I think it proved to be more popular (than the specialty dining option, Fat Don’s,) because it was held in all of the halls.”

Ruby said the dining halls purchased about 6,200 lobsters for the students to eat. The lobsters were paid for out of the meal plan costs, which vary depending on which plan the student selects.

Given the sometimes questionable reputation of the food at the University dining halls, many students had reservations. But the responses to the idea of a dining hall-sponsored lobster dinner varied.

“The lunch in the cafeteria is usually pretty good, but sometimes the dinners are not as good as I would like them to be,” said Erik Selman, freshman in business. “I was skeptical about the quality of the lobster.”

Ryan Galis, freshman in aviation, said he thought the lobster might be a decent meal prior to entering the hall.

“It’s pretty hard to mess up lobster,” Galis said. “All you do is boil it until it turns the right color.”

“I think it’s a good idea that they’re trying new things,” said Stacy Wroblaski, sophomore in ACES. “It’s good to see a variety in the cafeteria.”

Amid squeals and squeamish reactions to the appearance of the lobster meat, many diners didn’t know how to eat the lobster and what was and wasn’t edible.

Galis said he gives credit to the dining hall kitchen staff for taking the time and care to cook the lobster, but said the staff should have provided directions on how to eat the lobster.

“I expected it to look the way it does on the inside,” said Galis, a North Carolina native who has eaten lobster before. “I know what the food part looks like. They should have had some kind of warning for people that this is what it would look like because most people don’t realize that what you’re eating is the actual animal. It’s a waste of good lobster because most people will just throw it away because of how it looks.”

“I don’t like the fact that it looks like it’s still alive,” said Wroblaski, who opted to eat salad instead of lobster. “It still has its little antennas and everything.”

Matt Bochenek, freshman in engineering, said he had never eaten lobster. He had trouble figuring out how to eat the lobster, as well.

“It’s decent,” Bochenek said. “It’s a different texture than what I’m used to … It’s not my favorite food. I think I might like it better if I’d grown up with it.”

The lobster dinner was just one of the specialty dinners that the dining services provide each year.

“We have a lot of theme dinners that occur throughout the year,” Ruby said.

University dining hosts several specialty restaurants, which include Fat Don’s, Soul Ingredient and Mexican Kitchen and also hosts an Asian food dinner, Ruby said.

“We are always open to suggestions for new specialty menus,” Ruby said.