Without fail, every college freshmen will have horror stories from the kitchen. Whether it be setting popcorn on fire, leaving milk in the fridge so long it turns solid or figuring out how to work a coffee maker from hell, kitchens and college freshmen share a strange relationship. In order to fully comprehend how difficult it is for a freshmen to be able to function in a dorm kitchen, I gave up my meal plan, Dining Dollars and EagleBucks for a week and entered into a strange new world of independent dining.
Before I could even fathom beginning, I had to go to the grocery store. My grandmother sent me a $50 Whole Foods gift card allowing me to stock up on some basics like tangerines, granola bars, oatmeal and pasta sauce. I also picked up some fun items like vegan, organic ramen noodles, fresh hummus and fancy canned soups. And with that the journey began:
Day One
Breakfast - microwaved instant oatmeal, tangerine, English Breakfast tea
Lunch - canned chicken noodle soup
Dinner - EasyMac
Attending an 8:30 a.m. Russian class without Einstein’s or coffee is a daunting task. I learned that if you try to make oatmeal with a resident hall supplied microwave you will end up with an unfortunate, sticky, coagulated mess of pressed oats. Heating water in a microwave for tea is equally pitiful and has a very strange aftertaste that is still present even after the addition of a teabag and sugar. I already miss the cool noodles and lukewarm chili from the Terrace Dining Room - and the feeling of being full.
Day Two
Breakfast - tangerines, Earl Grey tea
Lunch - instant mashed potatoes, banana, orange juice
Dinner - spaghetti and tomato basil sauce
Instant mashed potatoes are a fickle thing. Essentially, they are dehydrated flakes of something that you add water to, stick in the microwave and by black magic become mashed potatoes. Paired with a banana and orange juice, you have a complete, unique and surprisingly filling palate.
stu_spivack, FLICKR
Day Three
Breakfast - tangerines, English Breakfast tea
Lunch - Whole Foods’ Tomato Bisque
Dinner - leftover spaghetti
I’m pretty sure that to be qualified as a real adult, you need to be able to reheat leftovers without an incident. That being said, never let a college freshmen claim to be a real adult. They will put a metal fork in the microwave and ruin dinner. On another, brighter note, everybody should try Whole Foods’ tomato bisque. It’s one of the best canned soups out there.
Day Four
Breakfast - tangerines, English Breakfast tea
Lunch - EasyMac
Dinner - tortilla, hummus, tangerine, banana, oreos
Food is expensive. As a currently unemployed college student, I have very little extra money to be throwing around - especially on a bag of grapes that costs $7.65. If the cost of produce is cringeworthy, the cost of meat is terrifying. It has now been decided that I’m going to be a vegetarian until I regain access to the proteins available on campus. I am not sure how much longer I’m going to be able to live without coffee or Megabytes.
SEBASTIAN BASSI, FLICKR
Day Five
Breakfast - tangerines, Chai, oatmeal
Lunch - Ramen
Dinner - Ramen
I am going to taste nothing but sodium and plastic noodles for days. The coffee cravings have returned with a vengeance. Tea just does not have the caffeine supply that espresso can offer.
Day Six
Breakfast - tangerines, English Breakfast tea
Lunch/Dinner - The Cheesecake Factory
You can only survive on EasyMac and tangerines for so long before you want to rip every single hair out of your scalp. Salvation came today in the form of the amazing Cheesecake Factory. While helping my best friend shop for dresses for a pinning ceremony, I managed to convince her to stop in for a bite. A chicken Caesar salad the size of a small child can and will change your life.
veggiefrog, FLICKR
Day Seven
Breakfast - popcorn
Lunch - Ramen
Dinner - pizza
In an unfortunate turn of events, groceries do not replenish themselves, because of this I have no fruit, oatmeal or EasyMac left, leaving popcorn as the next best breakfast option. I can only express my gratitude that this did not happen earlier in the week. As a celebration of regaining access to the delicacies of TDR, Global Fresh and Subway, I decided to order Domino’s pizza, extra cheese, for the last supper.
A Summary
This week was quite the adventure. My microwave, wallet and taste-buds are all a little worse for wear, but it was definitely worth it My roommate will never forget me angrily throwing away scorched pasta and frantically attempting to wave the resulting smoke out the window or the unfortunate incident that involved a very full box of tangerines and a lofted bed. As glad as I am to have been able to complete this strange social experiment, I am even more excited to be able to join my friends on our daily excursions to Tavern and Sunday “brunches” at TDR once again. After removing myself from the meal plan, I realized dining at AU is a great way to make friends and bring people together, even if it’s for only a very short time. The food here has created some of my favorite college memories and will hopefully continue to do so for the next three years.
