Dorm Room Food (or lack thereof)

Today's post will examine the problem that many hungry college students face:  no kitchen.  The above photograph shows the entire contents of my "kitchen" which really just means "drawer of food."

• 3 boxes of coffee cups for my coffee maker
• Microwave popcorn
• Corn soup
• Minibox of cereal
• A few packets of hot chocolate
• A bags of trail mix
• An assortment of gum, mints, and jelly beans from my stocking at Christmas
• A box of tea

In this entire list, there is no real food.  And when I say "real food" I mean no preservatives, not from concentrate, just real, fresh food.  It's not that I don't like eating healthier things, but in college they are hard to come by, inconvenient, expensive, or all three.  What did I like to eat at home?

• Yogurt - Although it is available in a small convenience store in my dorm building, it costs $1.99 for one container of yogurt, which is about four times the price of the supermarket at home.  Also, they don't have kinds that I like.  Now I know I am in college now and should maybe expand my horizons to more yogurt brands, but the majority of the brands they have downstairs have contain about as much sugar as a candy bar.  And frankly, if I am going to eat something with that much sugar, I would just rather eat a candy bar.
• Berries - I love strawberries and blueberries and if I go to a supermarket around here, I probably could find them.  But then when I get back to my dorm and want to wash them, I would have to do so in a sink in a communal bathroom.  Now our bathrooms are very clean, I'm not saying they aren't, but there is just something that seems germy about that. 
• Citrus fruit - My favorites are blood oranges and grapefruits, but have you ever tried to cut either of those with a plastic knife?  Very difficult and messy.  I also don't have a cutting board, so that make it even more interesting.
• Celery and carrots - Again, the lack of proper cutlery and cutting board says it all.
• Skinless chicken breast - For an easy meal, I used to take these out of the freezer, defrost, and then cook them at home in our toaster oven with a seasoning or salad dressing, but I no longer have a toaster oven and I'm not sure that cooking them in the microwave would be the same.

It is difficult to eat enough fruits and vegetables sometimes, but Pitt does an excellent job of providing a variety of different foods.  There are two dining halls, which have a salad bar, fresh fruit, vegetarian and gluten-free options, and international foods.  One of them is located on the ground floor of my residence hall along with a convenience store that has what you would expect, plus a salad bar and some prepared foods.  There are also various food court style venues all over campus featuring salad, subs, pasta, smoothies, and pretty much whatever you can think of. 

Luckily I am not really a picky eater and am quite satisfied with what Pitt has to offer in terms of food.  But on the weekends, early mornings, and late nights when things are not open, my popcorn and coffee must suffice.