Although I have been at some kind of college for a year already, this summer I was handed a few more responsibilities than before. During the last school year, most of my meals I ate came from my college’s dining hall. However, this summer, I have to cook most of my own food instead.
Right now, I’m trying to keep my food simple. For example, I’m mainly eating foods that can be prepared in a “set and forget” manner, like vegetable rice made in a rice cooker, or overnight oats left in a fridge. However, I hope to treat myself to more complex dishes over the course of the next few weeks. But before I do this, I want to streamline the process of bringing food to the table.
There’s a lot I need to think about before and after I cook food, like:
- Planning what food to buy
- Traveling to buy food
- Buying food
- Traveling back to campus
- Planning what to eat
- Preparing the ingredients (defrosting)
- Washing dishes
- Cleaning up unexpected messes I make
Altogether, this can take up a large portion of my time, and I hope I have a firm grasp of this as my group’s research begins to pick up.
I can understand why my college would require everyone to buy a meal plan, considering how busy most students are when classes are in session. Yet I feel conflicted about whether my college should do this, since preparing food is another responsibility adults should take as they mature. After a year of only cooking once a week, I am realizing that not only am I here to learn how to do HCI research, but I am also here to learn about adult responsibilities away from home.