It's always the talk of freshman year during syllabus week: What is the dining hall like? As the days go on, this question quickly becomes: Has the food make you feel kinda sick? Whether or not your dining hall serves the best quality food, or sometimes questionable options smothered in gravy to mask the mystery, every college kid looks forward to the day they can cook their own meals in their own apartment or townhouse. Here is what you learn within that first week back at school when you don't have unlimited swipe access.
1. Breakfast is a synch
A piece of fruit, some toast, cereal, yogurt… Affordable breakfast options nearly overwhelm you when you live in your own apartment or townhouse. The best part about breakfast is that it doesn’t take much time at all to prepare. Win win!
My advice: waking up is terrible, yes, but always make enough in your morning routine for breakfast. Maybe, if you’re willing, drink some green tea or lots of water in the morning so your breakfast keeps you fuller longer. Starchy fruits like oranges or bananas will also keep you full, and give you some energy for class.
2. Dinner??? How??
Even if you’ve watched your parents cook, if you binge watch Chopped in your free time, or you just know deep down you’re the next Bobby Flay, you probably are kinda clueless when it comes to preparing your own dinner. How do I know the chicken won’t turn out dry, and how do I know that I won’t be poisoned by salmonella? Or what about bird flu? Isn’t that still a thing?
My advice: plan out your meals on Sunday when you should be doing homework. Start out slow and then build up to something more adventurous. Don’t fall into buying preparing meals, either, because the cost will eventually catch up to you. And make sure you get your fruits and vegetables in! Pasta isn’t very nutritious, trust.
3. That food from the dining hall you insulted for two years? You’d do anything for it now.
Yeah, the salad bar might be wilting, the meat might be gray, the pizza greasy, but it came to you warm and prepared by people that respect the food they’re cooking. You now have to ration out that small bag of spinach instead of grabbing at the wide tray that always gets refilled. Seconds are now a thing of the past. You become increasingly aware of things you didn’t really worry about before, like vitamins and minerals and that kind of thing.
My advice: If you do have meal swipes, make sure to ration them out properly and take advantage of the limited access you have. Also: it might be the most boring activity ever, but learn to shop with coupons. A small coupon hidden in the back of a flyer might be the difference between one bag of greens and two. You’ll miss your dining hall less if you know you’re fueling your body right rather than only filling up on cheap starches.
4. You're no longer eating food, you're basically eating your hard-earned money.
With every broccoli floret you steam, with every piece of chicken you bake, you feel almost guilty preparing the food you bought. And forget about actually buying the food: watching the cashier ring up your bounty will make you break out in a cold sweat and think "Do I really need to eat that?". Maybe for the first time you'll scrutinize your receipt and then feel personally offended when your favorite item you bought actually turned out to be the most expensive.
My advice: Learn what grocery or specialty stores around you have the best deals on what you eat, and what days they'll be having sales on what you need to buy. Never go to the grocery store hungry, and always go with a list! Sticking to a list or a coupon will ensure that you don't buy anything you don't need. While you're shopping, realistically think about what you eat in a week or two. Buying in bulk usually saves money in the long run, so make sure to do the math and ensure that you're getting the best bang for your buck.
5. You wouldn’t go back for anything.
Just remember the past two (or more, or less, I don’t know your life) years and all the times you pined after your own kitchen to make things like Chicken Cordon Bleu or fancy desserts that to this day you still don’t know how to prepare. You wanted your own kitchen, and now you have one! Buying your own groceries come with some kind of secret initiation into adulthood and you are now a new member of this club.
My advice: enjoy it, and eat well.
