The ups and downs of Pearson’s desserts

We all know and love Pearsons Dining Hall (better known by students as “Pearson’s”) desserts, but how does their deliciousness vary in a given week? I decided to take on the feat of trying one dessert from Pearson’s each day for one week and rating each of the desserts on a scale of 1-10. Within this experiment, I knew there were bound to be disappointments and pleasant surprises, and I was excited to discover the outcomes.

The first day, I scoured the dessert bar looking for the dessert that seemed to be the most appealing. I chose to try a yellow cake with a dark tan buttercream frosting. Upon first bite, the cake was not disappointing. The sponge itself was moist and fluffy, but the frosting was a different story. 

There was a stark contrast in the texture of the icing and the texture of the cake. The frosting was hard and stale, which was hard to ignore despite the deliciousness of the cake. I would rate the cake a 6/10. This was not the most disappointing first cake to try, but I knew that Metz could step up their game. 

The second day was Maryville College SGA’s one-hundred year anniversary. They were set up on the lawn outside of Pearsons Dining Hall with a band and, most importantly, a large cake. This cake was for a special occasion, so I figured it would be delicious, and I was not mistaken. 

The cake was chocolate, fluffy, and not too rich. The icing was light and sweet, and the two together were wonderful. My main note for this cake was that the frosting was dyed bright orange and red, which dyed my mouth, teeth and tongue bright colors. But, hey; that’s part of the fun. Overall, this cake was an 8/10.

The third day was a bit more tricky. All of the desserts that I found in the Pearson’s dessert bar were ones that I did not particularly love. I decided to get the apple strudel, which I scooped onto my plate disappointedly, ready to give it a bad rating. However, I promptly remembered the trough that is regularly full of casserole-like sweets. I found a strawberry chocolate fudge cake, which changed the course of the day of desserts drastically. 

This fudge dessert was hot and chocolatey, like a molten lava cake. I would rate this dessert an 8/10. As anticipated, the apple strudel was not my favorite. Always look out for the hidden gems sitting in the trough near the salad bar; you might find your new favorite sweet treat. 

The fourth day, I chose the most colorful dessert by far. It was a Lucky Charms marshmallow treat, a play on the famous Rice Krispie Treat from Kelloggs. I had high hopes, but was let down by the staleness of the supposedly crispy treat. With the overly sweet cereal, nothing to cut the sugar taste and the difficulty in eating it with the hard texture, I would rate this treat a four out of ten. 

Pearsons Dining Hall will always have desserts, and students who have a sweet tooth and meal swipes can rely on it for a wide variety of treats, for better or worse!