On Thurs., April 9, Carleton College kicked off its annual Maize & Blue Daize, a celebration of Carleton’s school spirit and alumni network. Maize and blue banners were festooned to lampposts, large signs affixed to entryways and sandwich boards promoting alumni funds transformed the Sayles Café entry into a low-level obstacle course. The college has enthusiastically demonstrated its love for its alumni, and BonApp dining services has sought to get in on the fun with maize and blue themed cuisine. Check out some of the biggest hits!
At Burton on April 9, diners noticed a curious glow from the dessert section during lunch. Intrepid student workers donned sunglasses and discovered the powerful luminescence was being emitted by maize and blue-colored jello, individually dyed by the BonApp team. “Carleton truly glows as an institution, and we wanted our jello to really demonstrate that,” said BonApp Coordinator Swee Dishchef. “That’s why we made the jello so vibrantly colored.”
The fun didn’t stop there! At LDC that evening, when students and visitors stopped by for an evening meal, they realized they could wash down their lovingly prepared chicken with a new maize and blue beverage inspired by a galaxy far, far away.
“Essentially, we were thinking of blue beverages, and then someone suggested Aunt Beru’s blue milk from Star Wars: A New Hope, and we realized it was a great starting point,” said Chef Chew Bacca.
“When you look at the blue milk, you will see some curious yellow – I mean, maize, please don’t write that down, spheres floating at the bottom. And that lemon boba is kind of a funny story,” said Bacca. “When we were concocting the blue milk at our laboratory, the milk had this slightly bizarre taste we couldn’t describe and a creamy texture, which kind of had us stumped. Then, some tapioca unintentionally fell into a vat [of blue milk], but we realized it was a happy accident that brought us Carleton’s newest beverage!“
The blue milk’s texture, which is slightly thicker than whole milk but just thinner than melted soft serve, complete with a flavor that seems to change with every sip, has baffled current Carls and alumni at LDC. The blue milk has also brought about unforeseen fame: local Star Wars fans swarmed the dining hall to get a taste of the beverage
“It’s exactly how I imagined it,” said Sue Perfan. “And the dry chicken really makes me believe I’m on Tatooine! The slightly hazy air really added to the desert planet vibe, and if you squinted, you could pretend all the people on scooters were droids!”
The pièce de résistance not only served as a callback to winter 2026, but also Carleton’s 20th century days! Yes, the infamous Spaghettio jello mold is back in the dining halls for a limited time, and it is even more jaw-dropping than ever.
“We knew the Spaghettio jello was all people could talk about after Retro Day,” said Dishchef. “It was on this thing called Fizz? And that gave us an idea—make the jello with soda! Anyway, we know we had to bring the mold back and make it a better-than-ever ode to Carleton.”
Indeed, the SpaghettiO jello mold is unmistakably Carleton. Each individual pasta ring has been dyed blue or maize (the exact Pantone colors pulled from the college website), and the gelatin surrounding the canned O-shaped pasta was sourced from leftovers from Burton’s Thursday jello.
This is only a brief look at BonApp’s Maize & Blue Daize specials, and if you want to put your school spirit on your plate, stop by one of Carleton’s top-notch dining halls for a meal unlike any other!
