But students are wary of relying on existing options like Hillel.

“I got the sense that they were trying to say, ‘Why do you need this, you have Hillel,’ and to me, that was kind of inappropriate,” Zaman said, pointing to the range of interactions with HUDS.

Muslims should also not have to feel dependent on another religious group for food, he said.

“We’ve all eaten [at Hillel] before, but it’s not a habit to get into. It’s a space where we’re welcome to, but it’s a space that’s not ours.”

‘A HUGE ADVENTURE’

On Thursday evenings, Adams Dining Hall Chef Ed B. Childs breezes through the Adams Small Dining Room with trays of rich halal food for the roughly 70 people who will flow through during the two-hour dinner.

Thursdays are a highlight of his week.

“I look forward to Thursdays,” he says. “We choose the menu. Each meal is a huge adventure.”

Childs delves beyond the normal dining hall recipes, exercising his culinary skill for the attendees of the Harvard Islamic Society’s Thursday Dinner Tables.

“It’s El Salvador night tonight, it’s Indian night sometimes,” Childs says, recounting the different types of halal cuisines he serves. “It’s a great atmosphere that really bonds this group.” Sometimes the recipes are from his travels, and sometimes the students request halal versions of classic American foods like the Philly Cheesesteak.

The dining hall staff often contribute recipes from their home countries, such as the El Salvadorian rice and beans dish.

The Adams House dinners, unlike the ones at Winthrop, are also open to the Harvard Muslim community at large. Rachid Chakri, a Moroccan immigrant and Extension School student who works at Harvard University Health Services, has been attending the meals for several years.

“[Childs] told me about it since he knew that I am a Muslim,” he says. “I like the food. I like making friends, because this is a chance for the Harvard Muslim Community to know each other. We are all Muslim, but there are differences.”

“I’ve never seen anyone more appreciative of dinner than this group,” Childs says.

At Winthrop’s Monday dinners, lagging attendance leaves some students worried that they will be cut entirely.

But they say that halal food should be available regardless of numbers.

“Who eats or needs halal food, I don’t think you can put a number on that. It all fluctuates. I know people who’ve changed since they’ve come here,” Zaman says. “Why can’t they present it as food for everyone in the dining hall?”

Another concern is missing out on community-building aspects of the Harvard experience. At the 375th anniversary dinner, for instance, many Muslim students were unable to eat the meat entrees. The vegetarian entrée, Welsh Rarebit, was prepared with beer, also placing it into the category of haram. Students like Ahmed, the sophomore, were left eating salads.

“I think there’s a negativity complex where you think it’s okay that you don’t have any food to eat tonight, but in reality there’s $50,000 being spent on you every year,” says Zaman. Although he appreciates the efforts Harvard has made, dining is still frustrating. “I don’t pay for only Mondays and Thursdays,” he says.

—Staff writer Katie R. Zavadski can be reached at katie.zavadski@college.harvard.edu.