As college students, food is a big deal. As it well should be. Not only is it a physical necessity, but it is a form of literal communion. In other words, we share our lives with the people we share our food with.
Between the af, the HAWC, and the various other eateries on campus, there are certainly options. We’re students, but that seems to entail studying our next meal options just as much as it does spending time in Payson Library. For students with cars, there’s Malibu Yo, Starbucks and Chipotle close by with a further variety a ways down the road. And then there are the food trucks.
There seems to be an option for everyone, even if that means making weekly Ralph’s runs. One could probably tell a lot about a person based on what food they keep in their dorm room. Five pints of Haagen-Dazs? A suspiciously light box of Cheez-Its? Most of us have that one food we can’t live without, and be it a snack or a sweet, for us it’s a staple.
There’s also the elation of receiving a package from your family back home and finding it full of your favorite snacks. But there comes a time when, as great as the Caf can be, a home-cooked meal starts to sound really good. Like really, really good. I made it a little less than two weeks as a new freshman before I started craving my mom’s chocolate chip pancakes, which were my favorite weekend tradition growing up.
Now, some students live in residence halls with the privilege of kitchens, or are able to go home on the occasional weekend. But not everyone is not so lucky.
While some wish underclassmen residence halls had a communal kitchen, others have gotten creative with the challenge. Students use everything from rice cookers to Keurig machines to fix their favorite foods.
This introduces the problem of where and how to do dishes. While students don’t usually love cleaning up their meals in the bathroom sinks, the ability to have food in the dorms is usually deemed well worth the effort.
Some new students worry about the famed “freshman 15”, and try to adjust their diets and exercise routines accordingly. Luckily, Pepperdine does a fantastic job of offering both healthy and indulgent options throughout campus for whatever suits your food fancy.
The remaining balance of meal points on one’s ID card is a concern for many, as they try to find the balance between the triad of food priorities: reasonable cost, a tasty meal and sufficient volume of food.
It can be tricky on occasion to fit in meals between classes, especially for those with numerous courses back to back on given days. However, everyone comes up with their own system and method of personalizing their food experience.
Whatever your food preferences and eating habits, Pepperdine offers such variety in both food and locations that every Wave can find exactly what they’re hungering for.
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As published in the Sept. 19 issue of the Pepperdine Graphic.
