Mayer notes that the opportunity to be creative increases the staff's skill level and boosts morale.

And if some students, such as Audrey M. Hong '99, worry that dining hall workers are being demeaned by having to "put on a show" for students, HDS officials point to the workers' beyond-the-call-of-duty participation.

Although McNitt, Martin and their marketing staff send packets of suggestions and information to the individual Houses--including paper parrots, little fish and shells, candles (depending on House restrictions) and carefully-researched photographs of colors and scenery to evoke a certain mood--McNitt says dining hall workers incorporate their own decorations from home, sometimes valuables, to create a festive atmosphere. In the past, HDS employees have taken it upon themselves to build cranberry bogs and brought in tents and canoes to spice up the atmosphere.

"The House system allows students to get to know the staff," Martin says. "They are very interested in the students."

Lessons From the Kitchen

With all of HDS' efforts, some students say they wish the Festive Meal could be a bit more instructive.

"I wouldn't expect [HDS] to get all of the subtleties of the cultures," Simpson says. "It would have been cool if they had table tents that show what the different flags look like so that people could identify it with something other than just the Virgin Islands and Jamaica - more than just a spring break place."