I've been having a really hard time managing how I eat when I'm not left with many choices.
I've been a huge fan of cooking ever since I was younger. I can distinctly remember a part of my grade school years where instead of watching Cartoon Network or Disney Channel, you'd usually find me sitting on the couch while Iron Chef America would be playing on a marathon loop. Honestly, the Food Network was more entertaining than cartoons; not only could I watch the funny episodes of Hell's Kitchen (because the rude-funny insults of Gordon Ramsay were enough to drive me to hysteria), but if I was really feeling adventurous, I could save recipes to try myself later. I love cooking so much, in fact, that I'm seriously considering getting my culinary associates/certificate while I'm in the middle of undergrad. Believe it or not, there's job security in culinary. People are always going to need to eat, right?
I say all of this to introduce my cooking dilemma; in order to prepare myself for actually starting my certificate work in the summer, I was planning to cook more during the semester. Although I stay on campus, I thought that the few tools I brought (one pot without a lid, one pan, and a couple of utensils/measuring cups) would at least give me the room I needed to work on the ABSOLUTE basics of sauteing/making good rice/not burning stuff. With my mini fridge stocked and my hopes high, I came to campus eager to meal plan and cook for myself.
And then, COVID-19 screwed yet another thing up.
Allllll of a sudden, I'm back on campus to find out that the main kitchens are closed. Instead of a big cooking space, my entire dorm is subject to sharing one cramped kitchenette. At first, I thought that this would be doable. Maybe we don't have the space that we originally had, but I can still manage in a small kitchen, right?
Wrong. The water in my dorm is not good drinking/cooking water, and that's just being nice. The first try, using their sink water to cook my ramen, resulted in a stomach ache that lasted the rest of the night. The second or third time was fine, until everyone else remembered how to cook and forgot how to clean. There were crumbs on the floor, oil on the stove, mushy food in the sink, and the whole kitchen reeked of Lean Cuisine and sadness. And I understand, the mess isn't TOO bad, but I'm now finally understanding my parents when they get mad about a slightly messy kitchen. Especially understand when the mess isn't theirs. Just thinking about cooking in a nasty area makes me want to gag. I
can't even use the microwave due to someone horrendously burning and breaking the microwave plate. So, I've resorted to cooking in my dorm room (cooking= heating up water with my electric kettle to make ramen in a bowl),go to the cafeteria, or use Uber Eats.
And here is my dilemma; do I really want to continue spending 25$ on an 8$ salad through food apps? No, but I can't continue eating ramen noodles for every evening meal unless I want to end up using the digestive equivalent of Draino on a semi-weekly basis. And while the dining hall is a good option, my meal plan doesn't last the whole week, and I have to end up spending money for a couple of meals a week. In addition to that, walking to my dining hall is going to be increasingly difficult when I'm sick, or when it's raining/snowing. So what's left for me to do?
Get creative, that's what.
I bought an Instant Pot, and although I can't use the kitchenette, I can either use it in my room, or move to an area with an outlet and space in order to cook things like rice, stew, or even steamed veggies. In addition to this, I might have to be a little creative with my meal planning. I can't cook much, so maybe my meal planning will have to be Instant Pot compatible (grain bowls/soups/steamed veggies and rice), or I'll have to stick to cold things only, like sandwiches or.... sandwiches. The idea is in the works, but all I'm saying is that if Subway wants to hire me after quarantine is over, I'll have the proper qualifications before Christmas break.
In the meantime, if there's ANYONE reading this, and you want to help me out with my UberEats fund, my cashtag is $amlewis22 . Just kidding (unless you're serious). Additionally, if anyone has any good Instant Pot recipes that they want to drop in the comments, help ya girl out in the comments!