i'm baaaaack. from what i call the black hole.i saw a friend a few weeks ago at a holiday party, and he said to me "dude, the last post on your blog was about cape cod." yikes!! that was when the weather was warm and i was still getting a salary...
i'm having mental angst about giving a novel on why i have been outta commission, because this is not a blog about my life. but i guess i owe some sort of explanation for my long absence. the short of it is that i left my job (as an engineer, i guess i need to come up with a new blog name. but once an engineer, always an engineer??? we'll go with that for now...) and became a full time student. my program didn't start until september, but the summer was all the prepping for this big change. basically i went into this black hole and just came out of it...and now a have a month off, where i can start my rants again. i wonder if i will fall off the face of the earth again once january 19th comes around???
so what food blogging inspirations could i possibly have from being a student?? a few...
i guess the misconception of being student indicates a diet of eating greasy foods, a lot of caffeine, and ramen noodles (oh and a little something i like to call beer....)
quite the contrary. actually, i don't know what the deal is, but everyone eats pretty "healthy" (term used loosely of course. the next thing you know, the healthy eating police - whoever that may be- is going to be commenting on this post "hey, that's full of sugar" and blah blah blah....). i don't know, maybe it's because it's a master's program and people are more mature about eating (doubtful...). maybe because everyone is OBSESSED with eating healthy? and there is a potentially new eating disorder that are for people who are obsessed with eating healthy? whatever the case may be, i am seeing a new trend in student eating that i definitely didn't see in my undergraduate days.
(nerd alert) okay. so i made a spreadsheet that compares the commonly seen foods during my undergraduate studies, with the foods i am seeing in my program now. and since i spent time actually putting one together, of course i can't freaking figure out how to paste a spreadsheet without it coming out distorted, i have to manually place it in. fml.
then= chicken fingers
now= falafel pita sandwiches
i didn’t even know what falafel was in college
then= ice cream
now= greek yogurt
please refer to my blog post obsession with overseas yogurt
then= chips
now= nature's valley granola bars
it's weird. it’s the nature's valley specific bars. everyone eats them. its like a cult. and it's ALWAYS the oats and honey kind. you know them- they have a green and yellow package, and they come with two. i guess it’s the best bang for your buck since you get two.
then= don't even know what the equivalent would be
now= polly-o string cheese (or whatever brand name people are buying these days. perhaps store brand due to the recession? whatever it's all the same)
everyone loves these things! including me. i get the costco size. and its weird, everyone eats them REALLY slow….
then=soda
now=water....in cute little environmental friendly watter bottles
and if you're not drinking them in an environmental friendly bottle, people look at you like you just committed a mortal sin.
on another note. this girl in undergrad used to drink a 1 liter coke like it was a 16 oz. bottle during our 8am class. we all need our fix, but that is just creepy.
then= fruit snacks
now= real fruit
can you imagine? real fruit? bananas are the best sellers. especially since they are 3 for a dollar at the fruit cart.
then=coffee
now=coffee
who are am i kidding? it's an essential for students. i will say that people are drinking them in less quanities. i used drink coffee 4+ times a day. i'm down to 1. starbucks and dunkin donuts are still the frontfunners...
i don't know what it is, but i am also really frugal about spending, including food. i remember just throwing money around at restaurants and bars like i had it (como se dice large debt?), but now, i think twice about even buying a coffee ("that's worth a half an hour of babysitting!!!") it's probably because i once had a salary, and yes, i will be cliche, learned the value of a dollar.
here are a few tips i've learned over the course of my first semester:
tip #1: bring (not buy) food everyday
well being that i am usually on campus anywhere from 8-12 hours during the day, that pretty much spans the three meals. i wish i could pretend that i cook all the stuff that i bring, but really it's mama dukes. so really this tip should read "move back home and bring your mom's leftovers for the next days meals"
tip #2: when you have to buy, go to the 9,000 carts that are lined up on the streets
ok ok. sometimes you just have to buy right? well the best bang for you buck is those street carts. well, pretending you don't know of any health related repercussions associated with eating at the carts and you are golden! the fruit stand is the best- 3 bananas for a dollar (and some other quick deals). getting fruit at the stand is perfect because you just buy what you need and you don't need to worry about it going bad. breakfast sandwiches are key too. under $3.00 and delicious. don't buy the bagels though...they are TERRIBLE. might as well splurge the extra $2.00 and get the legit stuff. oh, and of course the falafel cart.
tip #3: get old = lose your tolerance = don't need 18 beers to get your drunk
ha! that's the biggest money saver for me these days! unless i go to a fancy pants bar that charges you $18 for a cocktail. not going back to that place again.
tip #4: hang out with your friends that you used to buy dinner for when they were a struggling student and they will return the favor
my dear friend is on the same campus as i am but working as a doctor. while she was in medical school we would always say "XXXX you're a student! you're not paying!" give and you shall receive my friends, and my very generous doctor friend has and i am very thankful for it!
now after you just heard that my penny pinching days are here to stay...you might all think that this is the end of my restaurant blogging. not to worry! i still have plenty of saved up topics from past visits. plus, don't forget my partner in crime (james) is not in school, so he shouldn't have to suffer (well, maybe his wallet might. let's just say the days of going dutch are temporarily suspended).
stay tuned
