| Going to college is a grand experience. It's the first time | | | | the option of straining the water out before adding the |
| many young adults get the chance to begin taking | | | | seasoning, creating a haphazard pasta meal. A friend |
| care of themselves, no matter what the | | | | of mine used to give away his seasoning packets to |
| consequences. One of the main things that worries | | | | those who liked their soup extra salty, and then use |
| parents when their child heads out into the world of | | | | the noodles mixed with cafeteria vegetables to create |
| college is, of course, their diet. What are they going to | | | | his own vegetable soup. There is, in fact, an entire |
| eat if the cafeteria closes too early? What if they | | | | culture devoted to forming recipes around these |
| don't like the cafeteria food? What if they didn't even | | | | instant noodles. And college students might be the |
| sign up for cafeteria meals? | | | | most creative consumers of all. |
| Parents needn't worry. College students today have | | | | But the need for so much creativity is not as dire as it |
| developed their own underworld of cuisine, involving | | | | once was. Nowadays microwaves are ridiculously |
| quite the array of foods, time-tested by students in the | | | | cheap to own, and many college students don't think |
| past, and catered specifically to college needs by | | | | twice about having one in their dorm room. This has |
| clever manufacturers. | | | | caused manufacturers to cater to the college students' |
| The main staple of dorm life these days is, of course, | | | | needs like never before. Macaroni and cheese that |
| the microwave. College students take microwave | | | | doesn't involve buying milk, and rice dinners in a bag |
| food to a whole new level. The smell of microwave | | | | that include all the seasonings, are a huge step |
| popcorn is right at home in a dorm, even at 3 am. I had | | | | forward for students living at school, where access to |
| a roommate at college who ate microwave popcorn | | | | milk and butter (and having somewhere to keep them |
| for breakfast. Quick, easy, cheap and filling- what more | | | | if you buy them) is not as easy as it looks. |
| could you ask for? | | | | Sure, not all of this instant and easy food is healthy. |
| There is also the infamous instant Japanese noodles | | | | Some of it is downright bad for you. But parents |
| (the Japanese name for this product does in fact | | | | needn't worry too much. Your child might spend a few |
| translate to "student cuisine"). One of the biggest things | | | | semesters believing the food groups consist of salt, |
| I learned at school was how many ways there are to | | | | fake chicken, cheese in a pouch, and potato chips... but |
| eat this ubiquitous, 25 cent meal. There's the traditional | | | | it will make them appreciate you all the more when |
| method of boiling it into soup, of course. There's also | | | | they come home. |