Eating like it's home...*but at school*...
We all say we miss home, sure, but what we’re really missing is the home-cooked food — because every once in a while, the ‘O’ doesn’t cut it. And the workers aren’t that nice when you call them Mommy. Here’s a list of the top five things about dining at college that just can’t compare to home-cooked meals, and some of our imperfect solutions.
No dining table or dining table conversations. We don’t know about you, but the fact that we have to eat dinner while worrying about spilling stuff onto our laptops is not fun. Crumbs in our beds? Like sand in your bathing suit — also not fun. Our substitute: Vacuum your room. Yeah, you heard us. Clean your floor. Here’s why: You can put out a blanket and have a picnic. Heck, make it a party and invite that cutie from down the hall.
Radioactive food. Microwaves are God’s gift to man. But once in a while, having to microwave everything for 1:30 gets annoying. Especially those times you find out that the plasticware you just used is not microwave-safe. Word to the wise: Check the label.
Plasticware. Plastic knives do not work. They don’t slice open bagels and are therefore pointless. However, having many real knives is sketchy. There is no happy medium. Sorry to disappoint, there is no solution to this problem. Except maybe a bagel guillotine.
Egregious amounts of ramen noodles and Easy Mac. I don’t care what Matt Fischer’s blog says. “Pez and ramen soup” is disgusting. And Easy Mac tastes like cardboard. It’s not even a good source of calcium! The solution? Get your mom to mail you some of her fabulous lasagna. We wish.
Having to worry about meal blocks ending. This. Blows. We hate having to look at our watches, realize it’s 7:50 pm, and sprint to Skibo to get dinner before it’s time for the late-night meal block of doom. It sucks even more when you eat your lunch at 4 and can’t have dinner until 8. You could always try picketing Housing & Dining Services. Viva la revolución!
One day, we will be real grown-ups with real kitchens in real apartments. Some of you already are. We secretly hate you. However, no matter how old you get, you will always miss your mom’s (or your dad’s) cooking. And we’re sorry to break it to you, but you’ll never escape the power of your momma’s food. It almost makes a good defense for the 40-year-olds still living at their parents’ houses.
It’s always nice to remember that whenever you do manage to get yourself back home, your mom will be waiting there with open arms. And if you’re lucky, she’ll have chocolate chip cookies.