Boston University dining halls add more authentic Chinese dishes

BOSTON—Trying to stem an outsized flow of Chinese students to off-campus housing, the University is adding 15 Chinese dishes to its monthly residential dining menus. More than that, cooks are altering food preparation methods for a more authentically Asian taste.

The new items (find a full list at the end of this story) will be served at three residential dining halls: Marciano Commons, Warren Towers, and West Campus, says Christopher Bee, Dining Services executive chef.

With students from China flooding to BU and campuses nationwide, the changes are part of ongoing University research into a conundrum: while 75 percent of American and non-Chinese international students return to campus housing their sophomore year, fewer than half of Chinese students do, according to Marc Robillard, executive director of housing and dining.