Eating Habits You Developed In College

We have all done it before. If you are shaking your head right now, you are in denial.

Speaking from experience, I wouldn’t necessarily call myself a gourmet cook but I can make some pretty delightful magic in the kitchen every now and then. I will acknowledge that in the four years I was away in America for college I made some questionable food choices. When you are left with RM200 (US50 dollars) and you need to have it last a week or more, you resort to some pretty disconcerting or unhealthy food concoctions. Those were the dark ages…microwavable pizza at 5pm, Subway sandwiches that you made stretch for days, insisting ramen noodles a few times a week was acceptable for years. Sometimes I would wake up five minutes before class and wolf down a Pop-Tart or two and for dinner it was carbs, carbs and more carbs with melted cheese and instant pasta.

These food habits we adopted in college were a product of us being on our own for the first time, of late night library study sessions, being plain lazy or just having no money to eat proper food. When you can virtually eat food on your dressing drawers and reach your microwave from your bed, why wouldn’t you give yourself a junk food coma every day?

Another common problem was being too busy all day with classes, hanging out with friends, studying, club meetings, jobs, internships –which don’t leave a ton of downtime to catch a meal. Sometimes the lengths we went to just to feed ourselves were hysterical and disgusting all at once. College was a wonderful time in our lives, a great moment for many things, but our diet was absolutely not one of them.

Cup Noodles was your best friend.

Cooking pasta in your kettle was a regular occurrence.

You will eat pizza right out of the fridge, cold.

Microwavable foods were vital to functioning properly every week.

Curry packets were the closest thing to Asian food you could cook up!

Your main meals were made out of cereal, which you ate directly from the box sometimes.

Peanut Butter on a spoon is like your ideal to-go snack before you run off to your next class.

Cook a gigantic meal on Sunday, like soup or pasta and freeze separate portions for a week’s worth of dinner.

You try to elevate your ramen with spices, frozen vegetables and some protein (eggs).

Instant mac and cheese and pop-tarts were always in the kitchen cabinets.

The greatest leftover foods on earth are the ones you can add to your fried rice.

You made grilled cheese sandwiches with an iron on an ironing board.

by: Adeline Tan