University of Washington Week 4!

Our time in Seattle is halfway done and we are not happy about it. It already feels like home and we don't like to think about leaving. Luckily we still have four more weeks and we are excited to keep learning!

This week was pretty packed with lots of projects and fun adventures. On Monday we had another ice cream tasting (I know, life if tough) and it did not disappoint. We are now in the process of deciding which vendor to go with and learning a lot about the process of introducing a new concept into a dining facility. Turns out there is a lot more to it than just trying ice cream!

The rest of Monday and Tuesday morning was spent preparing for a presentation to the safety team on food allergens. The purpose of our presentation was to give a quick brush up on food allergens to the managers, as well as resources that they can take back to their staff for training. It was great public speaking experience as well as training as future dietitians.

On Tuesday we had our presentation and it went great! It sparked conversation and based off feedback it seemed like the managers had a lot of takeaways. After work on Tuesday we went to the Mariners vs. Pirates game and it was a blast! We enjoyed some delicious "shiskaberries" and watched the Mariners win!

Wednesday was spent working on an extension of our previous benchmarking project. We were out and about all day comparing prices and bringing back our recommendations on vending and retail prices. It was nice to get out of the office for the day.

The rest of the week was devoted to assisting with the year-end inventory process. It is a long and time consuming process so we are happy to help wherever we can. We conducted some audits in various units, which basically means we watch employees take inventory and check a few items to make sure it was done correctly. It was very interesting and we got to see first hand how tedious it can be.

On Friday we sat in on a meeting with the dining administration staff and our fearless director of dining, Gary. In the meeting they discussed their visions and goals for the coming year, and it was really inspiring to hear what they want to accomplish. It was a great reminder that dining is so much more than food to a campus, but a way to bring people together and bring about positive social change.

Over the fourth of July weekend we took a trip to Portland, Oregon! It was such a fun weekend filled with exploring and eating some amazing food. We took to train down, and the ride was so beautiful. We stayed at my (Katy's) cousin's apartment and she showed us around all weekend. On Saturday we explored the Portland area and ate at some awesome restaurants, and on Sunday we spent the day hiking and sunbathing around Trillium Lake. The lake sits next to Mount Hood, and it makes for some amazing views. On Monday we made a homemade brunch before getting on our train back to Seattle. We were so exhausted that we fell asleep before making it to the fireworks, but we heard they were amazing!

The train ride along the water

Hiking around the lake

Floating in the lake

The beautiful rose gardens

Can't wait for the coming week!