Finding Your Groove

As a student newly off the meal plan, my first thought was, "Am I going to be wasting my time cooking?"

I was used to my tradition collegiate setting, where food became a passing thought. It's just there. Everyday you just sign in to the dinning hall pick up your ready made food and you are on your way. I never gave a second thought to the time and effort it took to make the meal that I was eating. Food became a commodity, something I could pick and choose from with little to no thought as to the implications of my choices. It seemed as if I devalued the food. I made it out to be something that was there because it just was, not because someone behind that counter slaved away, planning and executing a meal for 1500 students to eat. 

This year, I challenged myself to change my relationship with food and removed myself from the meal plan. This change has forced me to sit down, plan my meals and shopping trips. I no longer eat based on what I feel like eating, like chocolate cupcakes and chips, but rather what is necessary and realistically something I can make for myself. I have been forced to take a break during my day to cook my food and create something delicious from various different ingredients on my own. 

The whole experience however has not been easy. It has given me a real appreciation of how difficult it must be to, not only create a menu fit for a whole campus, but how hard it is to shop for food on a budget ensuring longevity of both the fresh ingredients. On top of that, ensuring the dried/canned goods, that are sure to last longer, are used in conjunction with more healthy options. 

This experience has given me an appreciation for the food supply industry, and just how important a good meal is for both my physical and mental health. While Wheaton's supplier Aramark is not my favorite, in fact I find a lot of the food options to be tasteless, or in general unhealthy, I understand why they struggle. In the modern day access to fresh food is expensive. Where as foods packed with preservatives and canned goods are readily available for a fraction of the price. Living on a $200 a month budget I supplement my pasta, rice and bread with frozen chicken breast and frozen vegetables. I avoid buying fresh fruits or vegetables and treat them as a luxury, something I cannot afford as most of the time they do not last more than a week. 

Food is not, and should never be, treated as a commodity. It was a mistake I made. I took the food I had for granted. Through my experience off the meal plan however, I was able to find the joy in preparing my food, while simultaneously finding a way to appreciate all the hard work it takes to feed a campus even the size of Wheaton.