College life is one of the most disorganized, fast-paced, busiest and craziest lifestyles. When you are running around as much as UW-Madison students, it can be challenging to grab a bite to eat'let alone a healthy or home-cooked one.
After freshman year, most students opt to move out of the dorms, which means they are fending completely for themselves in the food department. College changes many students' ways of life, which means it also changes what and when they eat.
From freshmen just getting started with their busy college career to seniors bringing their hectic college lives to a close, all UW-Madison students have to deal with the perils of cooking in college. Many students rarely have time to fix themselves a good meal, but there are definitely those out there who do their best.
UW-Madison sophomore Nikki Carolfi said she loves cooking for herself, but because of her busy schedule, she does not do it as often as she would like.
For UW-Madison freshman Rowan Sbaiti, cooking basically is not an option.
'If I had the proper utensils and places to buy actual ingredients, cooking would be much easier,' Sbaiti said. But since he lives in the dorms, he does not always have the means to cook.
Eating out is always an extremely popular alternative to cooking at home, especially for busy upperclassmen. UW-Madison junior Kim Garcia and senior Joe Dunlap said they eat out almost every day, spending as much as $50 per week on food outside their apartments.
'It's easier to eat out, and I don't eat on a regular schedule, so even when I have time [to cook], I'd rather spend [my free time] doing other things,' Dunlap said.
Whether the issue is having ingredients or trying to find the time, there must be a way to make things easier to help students save time and money.
'I would cook ... if I had more time, but having easy recipes and access to a nicer grocery store'stuff like that would help, too,' Garcia said.
Dunlap and Sbaiti agreed there should be better grocery store options close to campus for students without cars.
The biggest problem, students said, is time. Everyone is busy, and by the time students get home in the evenings to cook, all they want to do is sit around, so ordering Chinese takeout or pizza is just easier. Not only does cooking include preparing all the ingredients, waiting for them to cook and finally eating them, but also cleaning up the kitchen afterward.
'I don't have a dishwasher, so that's also why I don't cook, because I hate doing dishes,' Garcia said. She also said she is not that great of a cook, so eating out generally just tastes better.
There is hope for students, though. Former UW-Madison student and culinary artist Joe Zinsli says there are plenty of ways to cook simply and cheaply while in college. Chicken breasts, ground meat and fresh veggies are fairly inexpensive and easy to prepare in a frying pan, according to Zinsli. Sauces are usually cheap, too. Zinsli suggests adding these items to pasta for a quick dish.
'If I'm really in a hurry and need a quick lunch, I'll throw together Easy Mac with marinara sauce and pepperoni,' Zinsli said. All that needs to be done is make the Easy Mac, then add marinara sauce, pepperoni, Italian seasoning and garlic powder. Zinsli said you can also use Alfredo sauce for another twist on the dish.
Though there are ways to make cooking in college easier than it may seem at first glance, Carolfi put it best when she said, 'College has an effect on eating habits, that's for sure!'
