Peanut butter and jams: your dining hall playlists explained

The next time you’re singing along to “Live Your Life” while piling up your plate, know that the cooks love Rihanna just as much as you do. The radio stations are chosen by the dining hall staff, and while you can count on hearing Top 40, classic rock, or oldies in most houses, not all d-hall music is created equal.

Afternoons at Quincy are dominated by oldies, the bosses’ favorite, with classic rock coming on after 4:00 p.m. But when Mike L. Charles is working, expect to hear some rap up in Quincy House. “That’s usually played on Saturday nights when you’re getting ready to go to the club,” explained Charles, who likes Jay-Z and Mos Def. Quincy is also known for techno night, complete with flashing lights.

It’s dinner time at Currier and a Celine Dion remix is pumping at the grill, courtesy of d-hall manager Amy Lester. “She plays so much garbage,” complained cook Nick F. Heron, who tries to alternate between eighties, rock, and country music to avoid dance mixes. “The constant beat drives me crazy after a while,” he explained.

Kirkland varies its styles, with anything from seventies to Rage Against the Machine playing at the grill. But the true music aficionado of K-House is card swiper Tommy Hardy, a club bouncer with a Clash-inspired tommy gun tattoo and his own iPod dock stationed at his desk. Despite his diverse music tastes, he limits what he plays at work. “Obviously I’m not going to listen to Fitty or Slayer,” he said. “I’ll put on someone like Dylan.”

If you need a reggae fix, Leverett’s dining hall manager is known to break out his iTunes collection, while Eliot offers live piano music at Sunday brunch. But some staffers still aren’t satisfied. “I want some B-52’s playing…you know, ‘Love Shack,’” said Adams cook William D. Nicolson. “That would be sweet.”