As freshman, we take pride in being "poor college students" for some reason, even though our room and board is paid for one way or another and we have all we ever need. We still stock up on ramen noodles, organizing them in a huge drawer by flavor. We are excited by free food because we are sick and tired of Slate. We buy rice just in case, but the only thing we really ever run out of is laundry detergent.
As sophomores living off campus, we now realized that was a huge pathetic joke. Now, life is real. We are adults and have to hunt and gather for our meals, while furnishing our houses with the necessities of living. Ramen is a great meal- not a snack anymore. We become less picky, willing to try anything as long as it contains sustenance. We become less embarrassed, for staying alive is more important than socially acceptable behavior, and then show up to the most random places as long as there's free food.
Free food. Those two words captivate me. Almost as much as my other favorite two words: green boxes. But gosh, I love free food. Organizations are a power feeding tool: SWE, the MEP groups, SSG, and other professional societies have weekly or bi-weekly meetings which have free food. I mean, really- who goes to hear the talk? Alright, maybe we do, but it's so mind-easing to know you have a lunch coming on those days. Random BBQs are good too. In fact, BBQs are awesome because they most certainly have meat, and my diet needs meat to supplement all the carbs I intake all week.
I bought cereal, but my milk went bad. I guess I should eat breakfast more. But the thing is, I can afford to skip a meal I guess. Today for dinner, I ate one slice of pizza, along with some cheese and humus left over from an info session at The Oredigger meeting. It's not an all-great feeling, but I feel like a scavenger. And scavenging is more time-efficient than making dinner myself, which I do in fact do sometimes.
I'm such a poor college student.
