Edible Jack O'Lantern

Happy Halloween everybody! In celebration of this wonderful holiday, I have created a non-traditional jack o'lantern. You see, us college folks aren't allowed to have the large knives required to carve a pumpkin. And we aren't allowed to light the candle inside the pumpkin. And we don't have a front porch to place them on. So, instead, I made this. It was fairly simple, quite delicious, and close to nutritious. So here's how it works:
First, toast a piece of bread. It doesn't necessarily have to be completely toasted (in fact, I personally prefer it that way), but it needs to be warm and fairly solid (you'll be cutting it into a pumpkin shape later...or now, if you find that easier...which you probably will).
Then, spread a very generous amount of Nutella on your piece of toast. Come on, it's Halloween, you're allowed to get a little out of control.

It'll end up looking like this (except not sideways...I have no idea why my photos sometimes turn sideways when they're being uploaded. I took this picture portrait style. There's no reason it should look like that, and it doesn't when I look at the actual file. hmmmm....maybe there's a phantom haunting my computer....Anyway,)
Next comes the fun part. Making the face. Take a banana and cut it in half length-ways. Then, cut out the curviest part of the banana and use this as the mouth. Cut out pieces to make missing teeth.

(Again, I have no idea why it appears vertically on here. The file itself is not like that. grrrrr...). Be sure to keep the stem of your banana. Now, place this on your piece of toast where you think the mouth should go. (If you haven't already cut your toast into a pumpkin-shape, make sure to keep some room so you can do this later).
Next comes the eyes. You can use whatever you want/have available for this part. I thought of using cheerios because I happen to have some, but ultimately decided on raspberries because I want to use them before they go bad. I loved how the raspberries turned out, though. It made my jack o'lantern look blood thirsty. To make eyes like mine, using raspberries, first clean your raspberry (you should only need one). Then, slice off the bottom tip. Then, slice the remaining piece in half so that you have two rings.

Now, place these on your jack o'lantern where you think the eyes should go.
For the nose, I used an oddly-shaped banana chip. But you can use whatever nose-shaped food you have lying around. Place this where you think the nose should go.
Next, cut the toast into a pumpkin shape, being careful not to cut the mouth or eyes. (if you haven't done so already).
Finally, use the step of your banana from earlier and place it at the top, so that it acts as the "pumpkin stem".
And, voila: an edible jack o'lantern.

Feel free to eat the scraps as you go (that way you are able to have all the nutrition and deliciousness of a full banana....plus, you paid for this food, why would you want to waste any of it?). And be sure to eat, enjoy, and clean up the mess. Because if you used two plates like I did, there's definitely going to be a mess. And messes like this could be the scariest part of your Halloween.

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(re)Learning a Lesson

I decided in the middle of doing my French homework that I wanted a bagel and cream cheese. Boy, it sounded nice. So, I got out my bagels, opened my cream cheese and...this is what I got:

I apparently learn lessons the hard way, and after having to repeat said hard way over and over again. So, today's lesson: the expiration date doesn't count after you open the package. I learned this lesson before with my fermented pineapple experience (Superstitions), but apparently that lesson didn't stick.

By the way, if you were wondering about the mold, I did some collegiate researching (ok, I googled it), and discovered that mold of any type when found in a soft cheese like cream cheese means that you cannot eat it at all. The green mold is the most common kind and (dare I say) most tolerable (it'll still make you sick, but it won't be scary sick). The red kind is the least common and least tolerable (it's apparently one of the most dangerous kinds of mold out there). So, today I learned two things. Boy, and they say college is a waste of money.

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Halloween Cereal

In honor of tomorrow's holiday, I thought I would share my favorite Halloween-related meal: breakfast. Specifically, I thought I should tell you about my favorite Halloween cereal. Every year, General Mills comes out with a line of Monster Cereals, including Count Chocula, Fraken Berry, and Boo Berry (apparently they used to have others as well, but these were discontinued before I was born). Of these, my absolute favorite is Boo Berry. Now, this is odd to me because I typically cannot stand blueberries. But for this, my taste buds make an exception.
Boo Berry Cereal is similar to Lucky Charms in that it is corn cereal with marshmallows. However, unlike Lucky Charms, the cereal doesn't taste like cardboard (though I personally don't mind the cereal-part of Lucky Charms, most people I know can't stand it). Instead, the corn cereal is blueberry flavored (thus the name "Boo Berry").
Boo Berry Cereal is, perhaps, one of my favorite things about Halloween. So, when I saw it was on sale when I was grocery shopping yesterday, I went for it. Don't worry, everything else I got was healthy, so this purchase was totally ok (alright, fine, I did buy a couple bags of candy...and white chocolate covered pretzels...and Cow Pal's cheese and bread sticks...so maybe I didn't buy only healthy things...but I did buy healthy food too, I swear!).
Actually, Boo Berry Cereal is surprisingly not all that bad for you. Comparing it to my other cereal purchase yesterday (Raisin Bran), it has fewer calories, less fat, and about the same or slightly more of nearly every vitamin and mineral on the box (with the exception of iron, since Raisin Bran boasts an impossible to beat 60% of your daily amount of iron). It's still not necessarily good for you, but it's not as unhealthy as you might assume, especially when comparing it to what you would assume to be "healthy" cereal.
Still, the reason I like Boo Berry cereal so much is not it's healthiness or unhealthiness. I like its silliness. The marshmallows and blueberry-flavored cereal are all in the shape of ghosts (with a very strange resemblance of the Pac Man ghosts). And they taste good, which is always a good benefit for food to have.

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How to Make Easy Mac (taste good)

So, this blog has kind of turned into more of a personal blog than a food blog, which is partially because I keep getting food from the cafeteria, rather than making it myself. So, I'm going to try to get back to the old style of things by making my own food as often as possible again (and using my food points to get ingredients at the cafeteria instead of full meals, as often as possible). Today's recipe: Easy Mac.

I tried eating Easy Mac by following the instructions and anyone who's had it before can tell you, it's quite disgusting. It tastes nothing like normal craft mac n' cheese (possibly because it contains none of the same ingredients). So, I did a little research online and found some helpful hints on making Easy Mac edible (Yahoo Answers). A compilation of everything I found that actually sounded edible, turned into this:
First, soak the noodles in warm water (however warm you can get your tap water to become) for about 2 minutes. This will slightly soften the noodles, but most importantly get all the milk powder and other disgusting stuff off the noodles.Be sure to fill the water up to the "Fill to Here" line, to ensure that all the noodles are being properly soaked.

Next, strain the noodles. This is where the strainer I picked up (in Why I Should Pay Attention to Warning Signs) comes in handy.

Then, fill the cup to just below the "Fill to Here" line using ACTUAL MILK (which can be picked up from your cafeteria, if you don't happen to have milk in your fridge).

From here on, comes the hard part. Unfortunately, in order to make Easy Mac taste good, it no longer gets to be easy. However, it's still a single serving of mac n' cheese that you can make on your own (which is the important part anyway).

Microwave the cup for about 30 seconds. Then stir.

Then another 30 seconds. And stir.

Another 30 seconds. Stir.

And yet again, 30 seconds. Stir.

Continue this until the noodles are soft enough to your taste. *NOTE: the milk will eventually start to bubble over. For this reason, try to let it cool completely between each round of microwaving, microwave for no more than 30 seconds at a time, and keep LOTS of paper towels handy. Also, be sure to watch it carefully. Once it starts bubbling over, take it out and clean up the mess immediately. Let it cool completely as you clean the mess because you'll probably need to put it back in for at least another 15 seconds after this point. Try to limit how much you let it boil over, though, because you do want to keep as much of the milk as possible.

Once the noodles are soft enough to your liking, immediately add all of the cheese packet, and stir completely so that there are absolutely no chunks of cheese powder (these taste disgusting, so avoid them like the plague).

Allow it to cool and let stand until it is thickened.

Then, eat, enjoy, and clean up the mess. Luckily, there's no bowl to clean up after this. Unluckily, the microwave will need to be washed thoroughly after you are done with it (I recommend doing this while you let it cool).

The final product should look something like this:

Easy Mac is still not the tastiest of mac n' cheese, but by following this preparation process, it is at least edible. Using the ones that come in cool shapes (mine were SpongeBob) makes your taste buds 10X happier. After all, ma n' cheese is a children's dish, so being a little silly with it is completely acceptable.
For more tips on how to make Easy Mac taste better, I recommend checking out the Yahoo Answers page I cited earlier, as well as this post by JPDsmiley.

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The Italian Grinder Sandwich

It's Thursday! Which can only mean a couple of things. It means the week is almost over; the weekend's almost here. It means tomorrow is Friday, full of infinite possibilities. It means that today I only have 2 classes: Intro to Ed and Speech (I should probably practice my speech that I'm giving today, actually...). It also means that today I get to spend time with my favorite fifth grade class. But more importantly than any of that, it means that today is Italian Grinder Sandwich day.

The Italian Grinder Sandwich is available every day of the week, but I've decided it is only to be eaten on Thursdays and the occasional Tuesday. It is also always, always, always paired with chocolate milk. This makes it the best lunch to prepare me for spending time with the fifth graders. Seriously, it is the best sandwich ever and it can be made rather simply.

All it is (and I mean really all it is, no mayonnaise, mustard, pickles, nothing) is ham, salami, pepperoni, provolone, and lettuce on bread. That's it. The bread, of course, is amazing because I'm pretty sure the school makes their own bread, but even so, simply the combination of meats, provolone, and lettuce...mmmmmmmmm. Honestly, I'm salivating right now. I LOVE THIS SANDWICH!

And when paired with the deliciousness of chocolate milk, really nothing could be better for lunch than this. 

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Why I Should Remember My Previous Lessons

So, you remember the post I did about warning signs? (Why I Should Always Pay Attention to Warning Signs) And I decided that I would never buy anything that contained meat but didn't require refrigeration? Yeah, well I did anyway.

I was really in the mood for burritos Monday night but I didn't feel like walking all the way to the cafeteria. So, luckily, I purchased some premade Mexican over Fall Break. Old El Paso just came out with a new line of premade burrito stuffers. I read reviews of it online and it sounded like a good idea. It was easy enough to make and I could keep the leftovers in the fridge while I finished eating them throughout the week. To make it, all you have to do is rip open the top of the plastic package and put it in the microwave for a couple minutes. Then, put it on a tortilla (folding tortillas is an easier task if they have been warmed in the microwave for about 15-20 seconds), and maybe add a little cheese or lettuce or whatever, so that it looks like this:

It's already got rice, beans, and meat in it, which makes it quite convenient since to make burritos the normal way, you would need a different pot for each of these items. Once you have your inners on the tortilla (on one half only, fold the burrito. To do this properly, you must first fold the two ends so that each end of your string of insides are covered (this ensures that your beans and stuff won't fall out while you're eating your burrito). Then, roll the burrito starting with the half that has the insides on it, going towards the blank part of the tortilla. It should end up looking something like this:

Then, in theory, you should eat it, enjoy it, and clean up the mess.
Here's where the problem lies: I did not enjoy it. It was super salty, a tad bit spicy, and underlyingly bland. I dumped the leftovers in the trash and it stunk up our whole room. I couldn't take more than 2 bites of it. So, in the end, I walked all the way to the cafeteria and picked up a burrito anyway. Where I learned that, while I really love their chicken burritos, I am not a fan of their beef (it's rather spicy and I'm just not fond of spices).


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Sometimes I Wanna Be Like Martha Stuart Without the Jail Time

My family (or at least the extended part of my mother's side) gets together about once a month to celebrate birthdays and catch up on everything from political gossip to our actual lives. This month happens to be the month of both my mom and grandma's birthdays, so on Saturday we celebrated that by getting together at my house. Which meant several things. It meant I could see my grandparents and aunts and other assorted family-friends-almost-relatives. It also meant that our house needed to be prepared for everyone to visit. This is where the girl who has nothing better to do (aka me) comes in.

Though cleaning and shopping for food are quite boring, I did create two wonderful things. The first: this bouquet of flowers:

This started with a couple sunflowers from the store, but turned into oh so much more. I added more sunflowers from the garden (which I planted back in June and was quite excited to see still in bloom when I returned from break), as well as geraniums (I think?), a branch of Japanese maple leaves (which were becoming, but still had a hint of green left in them), some hydrangea leaves (which were closer to an orangy red with a green undertone), and several pieces of red barberry bush (I think?) around the outside. I'm quite proud of this floral arrangement, especially since it is mostly composed of flowers I cared for.

The other thing I'm quite proud of is the cake. I used a Betty Crocker brand French Vanilla cake mix and Pillsbury Whipped Vanilla frosting, but I'm mostly proud of the design. I learned over the summer how to do lattice work on a cake as well as cool borders (though I couldn't do a very cool border because the tube I was using to pipe the frosting was not cooperating). This simply takes the proper tools and a steady hand, which I've been working on. I also learned a couple weeks ago how to decorate the sides of a cake (which has been bothering me for years because it looks so cool but I never could figure out how to do it properly). Apparently, all you do is wash your hands very well and dry them completely; then take about 2/3 of a handful of sprinkles, chopped nuts, or whatever and gently pat it against the sides of the cake. It's important to have some waxed paper beneath the cake to catch whatever falls off the cake. Using a cake pedestal helps as well. I found quite a few videos on youtube on how to do this actually rather simple technique. After the wonderful candles supplied by my aunt, this is what the cake looked like:

When I was finished with both of these (and in a clean-ish house), I felt Martha Stuart-esque, which is quite an awesome feeling. She and Bree Hodge are my power women with all her clever creations (though I do not condone either one's poor personal judgement...hem hem...prison...hem hem...alcoholism...hem hem).

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Going Home for the First Time

So, it's been about a week since I posted. My bad. My food adventures haven't actually been adventurous or dorm-related. Why? Well, because I've come home for fall break. So, instead, I'm going to tell you what it's like to be home.

I wish someone had told me before now what it was like to come home from college. I wish someone had told me I would feel like a space martian, wandering into some strange home and sleeping in a strange room.

Mom changed her amazing chili recipe so that her old daughter (Elle) and new daughter (my best friend who's now living in my room for the next year) would eat it; it's still good, but it's not the chili I have been craving for the past month (though at least there was some meat in it, unlike the vegan chili at school).

My cat no longer recognizes me; he cuddled with me once, after exhausting all of his other options, but beyond that I haven't seen him...not even when I feed the cats.

Our house has become disgusting (only the basement with our bedrooms, bathroom, laundry room, and game room). I kind of knew that if you left Elle without the guidance of her older sister, she would destroy everything and that my family (and my best friend) would discover why Elle and I get into fights so often (she's a disgusting, piggy brat). Literally, I cannot shower in my bathroom because the white bathtub has become black. Perhaps this proves that I was the only one to ever clean up around here. Perhaps Elle now appreciates all the things I did that she didn't even notice me doing. Perhaps that was a possible outcome, but no. Of course not. Instead, I'm pretty sure she became jealous. Or something. I'm really not sure what's going on with her, but it's definitely not all lovey dovey over here...she's been getting upset with me over the stupidest of things.

I spent the night at my boyfriend's house and my mom could care less. Ok, so we kind of expected this to happen anyway, my mom is one of those "do whatever you want, I'll support you" kind of parents. And, to be fair, I slept on the fold out couch upstairs while he slept in his room downstairs. And mostly what we did was watch Star Trek and play Nintendo. And my mom probably knew that's all we would do, knowing my boyfriend and me. But still. The fact that I've been allowed to make my own decisions for the past 2 months means that I'm allowed to make my own decisions now, which is pretty darn cool.

My parents are willing to pull out all the stops for me. My dad stayed home from work yesterday because apparently he's missed me (I'd miss me too if suddenly my only daughter at home was a total slob). And he's going to buy me a printer. My mom bought me baking supplies (so excited) and clothes and groceries and all sorts of goodies that I otherwise would have had to buy myself. I've gone out to lunch and dinner more often than having home cooked meals (though I actually really, really, really miss delicious home cooked meals). Oh, and, my mom is willing to come pick me up from a concert in Seattle (Death Cab for Cutie, which I have been wanting to go see since 6th grade but every time they tour, something happens so that I can't go) and drive me and Jonathon all the way home. Concerts, by the way, typically end rather late at night, so this is a huge favor to ask. And I didn't even ask it, she just offered.

Oh, and lastly, I have no required chores. I'm getting thanked for feeding the cats, taking out the garbage, and helping with dinner. It's kind of strange getting thanked for the stuff I've been doing for what seems like years that I've been on my own.

Unfortunately, now that everything's so different at my house, I'm still kind of homesick. Perhaps now I'm dormsick. Perhaps I will consider traveling during my month long winter break? Except for one thing...I don't really have money to spend on that.

I also have no idea where I should be studying. My study spots have all changed, been replaced with other people's stuff. And of course, I have a midterm left on the Wednesday after Fall Break (one that was not on my teacher's syllabus, one that we voted against having, and one that we are receiving anyway...merci Madame). And I've got a speech to give next Thursday. As well as massive amounts of French homework due on Monday, philosophy homework due on Monday, and math homework pushed back to be due on Wednesday. Hurray! Oh, but good news: midterm grades are starting to be posted and I have an A- in my history class (after a 100 point paper and a 100 point exam). I'm super psyched.

I write this simply because I feel some people need a warning. This is what coming home for the first time after college feels like. Or at least it does for me. Home is boring, home is different, and I just want to go home...er...back to college. I guess this is what happens when you choose to attend a college that feels more like home than home itself.

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I Should Be Studying

Sorry I haven't posted all week. Midterms. 'Nuff said.

Seriously, Monday night I was already upset. It's been nothing but midterms, papers, more midterms, and, of course, drama. I am so ready for a break. And luckily, I'm getting one next week.

So, now, a week in food:

Saturday: Saturday doesn't count because I didn't really have anything interesting. Or at least, not that I can remember. I spent much of Saturday writing papers, doing laundry, and studying for my history midterm.

Sunday: Jonathon (my boyfriend), Scotty (my best guy friend), and Elle (my sister) came to visit on Sunday. Elle brought me cookies (of which I've eaten probably about 20...most of which occurred on Monday). I showed them around campus and downtown Portland, which was oh so much fun. For lunch we went to China Town and ate in my favorite restaurant ever (because they serve hot pot, which is this really obscure dish from the Chinese countryside, that basically includes anything and everything in one giant pot and the entire point of it is to keep you warm during the winter...though on a drizzly day in October it's quite delicious as well). Then, after visiting Saturday market, Powell's books, and Jackpot Records, we enjoyed dinner at Henry Weinhard's (so basically, amazing root beer, and a decent burger). Then, when they all left, I stayed up until 3 AM finishing my history paper (which had already been started beforehand).

Monday: Monday was an awful day. Let's just leave it at that. I also ate 10 cookies. And a grilled cheese sandwich. And one string cheese stick.

Tuesday: A somewhat better day. I had a delicious sandwich at the Commons which I plan to inform you all about sometime after this mess ends...so possibly two Tuesdays from now. We'll see. For dinner I had: a pork-based cheeseburger with chili on top (which I didn't finish because it was nasty), seasoned French fries dipped in my bowl of chili, a German chocolate brownie (which was rock hard, again, so I mostly just ate the frosting). I also bought, at the same time, a package of trail mix-type stuff and a Naked smoothie. I seriously looked kind of funny with an overflowing tray of assorted food.

Wednesday: 6 classes in one day (4 in a row this time because workshop added an hour to the beginning). 2 tests in a row, as well as several study sessions. I tried cream of kale soup for lunch, it was ok. And I tried a pizza bagel, which apparently needs to be heated first because it doesn't taste good cold...but I bought it with 5 minutes to get to class so...yeah. Oh, and chocolate pudding for dessert. Goodness I am in love with their chocolate pudding.

And now, today is Thursday: massive midterm day! Who knows what I'll be eating today (perhaps the homemade chicken noodle soup with a salad?) but I have been looking at great recipes to try once I get back from break (and a few cookie that I'll be trying for Christmas this year). Now I'm kind of excited to get back from fall break (and it hasn't even started!)

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Celebratory Salad

Today we got back our graded math exams, which we took last week. I was confident about my answers last week, but you know how it is: you wait and you wait and then you start doubting yourself. Or you remember all those experiences where you thought you'd get an A, but it turned out you got a D (not like that happened with my Philosophy exam or anything...I got a C on that...). Plus, let's be honest, I've never gotten a perfect score on a math test. And this is college, how am I supposed to suddenly expect to be good at math now that I'm in college?

Yet, despite all these last minute doubts, I got a perfect score. Raising my grade from probably a B+ to an actual A. At which point, I realized: I definitely have an A in choir, I've got an A in Public Speaking, I have an A in Early US History, and now I've got an A in math - that means I have A's in half of my classes! Of course I've got a B- in Intro to Ed, probably a D in Philosophy, and probably a D in French...but, hey, I've got A's in half of my classes!

This called for a celebration. So, I gave myself a typical college student celebration. (You drank? - No, I did not consume alcohol.) I ate. (Oh, so like chocolate cake or something, right? - No, not exactly). I ate salad. (I know, you couldn't tell from the title or anything. And I know, I know, I'm a loser, but, seriously, it was good).

See, yesterday my lunch consisted of a granola bar and a string cheese. And I knew that, though I wasn't hungry, I needed something more. So after class ended at 4, I went and picked up a salad from the cafeteria. I nibbled at it a bit, and I picked out all the tomatoes and Swiss cheese. Then, I got a text from a friend asking me to join him for dinner. So, of course, I put away the salad, did some homework, and joined him for burritos at the cafeteria. Which left this salad just sitting in my fridge, begging to be eaten. And that's what my celebration today was. Eating salad. I didn't pick up salad dressing yesterday when I bought it, so I just used my own. The salad itself had lettuce, ham, turkey, hard boiled egg, black olives, cheddar cheese (and at one point tomatoes and Swiss cheese - ew).

So, I know what you're thinking. That's all she did to celebrate? The short answer is yes. The long answer is, no. I drank one of the strawberry-melon flavored drinks that I lifted from my family's free bagged lunches during orientation (which have been sitting in my fridge ever since). And I did my French homework (will be doing my French homework after I finish this). Oh, and I can celebrate by watching choir practice and taking notes on what I want to (and need to) be learning. Yeah, the true celebration is going to be put off for a while. But next week after all my midterms are done and all my essays completed, I will be heading home (after a short detour to the Washington coast), at which point I can truly celebrate. And before that, I'll be seeing my boyfriend, my best (guy) friend, and my sister on Sunday, which is its own type of celebration. That will be a "congratulations, you've started studying for midterms! Let's take a break!" type celebration.

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Good Things Come to Those Who Wait...

...and they come in cardboard to-go boxes, too!

Before I explain why I am quite so excited, I should tell you first about why it's been half a week since I last posted. First off, I apologize. I'm sure you've all been dying with anticipation to find out what's been going on with me lately (cue the sarcasm). But, really, I am sorry because my job as a blogger is to provide you with the entertaining details of my life. And I haven't been providing you with such entertainment. So here it is:

Monday I went to the health center (again). The blood results appear to be normal (a bit low on white blood cells, which was strange since most of the possible ailments I could have actually cause high white blood cell counts)...but it's not to any extent that I should be alarmed, apparently. Also, it has been twice confirmed now that I do not have mono (which apparently seems to be spreading around lately...thank goodness I didn't join that club). Also, my organs appear to be normal, according to the scans I did on Saturday. Which is good. I have all my body parts and they're all their normal sizes. Yay! So, pretty much, after all this we've decided it's quite probable that I strained my diaphragm muscle. (Wait, where did they come up with that conclusion? Well, a couple weeks ago, the day before I started feeling awful, I went actual swimming for the first time in like 8 months. And it's entirely possible that I just simply did something strange during this, which caused me to strain my diaphragm muscle.) Basically, what this means is that I cannot swim, lift weights, or sing for the next week (did I mention I'm in choir? Cuz, honestly, not singing for an entire week is already driving me insane). So, yeah, that's that.

Also, I've kind of been a tad bit busy. Next week is my first experience with mid-terms (cue excitement here!). Which means this week and next week, nearly all my classes have papers due. So I've been working on papers and studying for tests and doing regular homework assignments and trying not to sing and trying not to lift weights (ok that's not that hard) and trying not to go insane this past week. Combine that with the fact that I really only have dry ingredients and you now know my excuse for not blogging: I haven't had the time to eat anything interesting.

But today that all changed. Because today I got something I've been waiting all week for. Honestly, I have gone to both dinner and lunch just to get this one thing, only to find out that they're out every single time. But tonight for dinner (which I ate during my 7:10-8:10 workshop), I finally got what I've been asking for: porter crepes with wild mushroom and chevre cream.

For a $6 food item made fresh in front of you at the cafeteria, this wasn't half bad. For a $6 crepe, it was a little expensive. But, generally, it was decent. The cheese was a tad strong, the mushrooms were amazing, the spinach inside was a little unexpected but so delicious. I probably could have made a better crepe, but the filling inside was something I cannot recreate. And the sauce. Woah, the sauce. My mother would have loved that sauce. It was a tad too much for my taste, but I can totally understand why someone would love it.

So, was it worth waiting for half a week, waiting in several lines to order it (because that specific part of the cafeteria tends to have the longest line), and the $6 I paid for it? Yes. Because it was a treat. It was something I probably couldn't have otherwise (especially considering my lack of food in my own room). And it was something different from the standard food one purchases at the cafeteria. I must say, I prefer the sushi (my school has a sushi chef...yeah...we're that cool), and their soup is to die for, but this honestly wasn't that bad. It was totally worth the wait and I think it's entirely possible that they wait made it taste even better (though that could be bs that our mothers tell us growing up so we'll stop begging them for things...).

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Superstitions

Today is my first college choir concert. I want everything to go right. But of course, besides actually practicing and focusing in effort to make things perfect (which I've been doing, kind of), there's only one way to ensure perfection: superstition. So today when I woke up I knew one thing: I am not going to have any dairy today. Now, for many singers, this is not superstition. Milk, cheese, and other dairy tend to coat the throat and mess with any chance of singing well that day. However, I do not have this issue. Possibly because I sing low, but possibly, too, because it just doesn't effect me. Which is nice. But, still, I am superstitious. So I don't eat it anyway. I want everything to be perfect.

So, I woke up knowing I couldn't have cereal and milk, couldn't have a bagel and cream cheese, couldn't have toast and nutella...which left me with fruit. My happy little fridge happened to have pineapple and raspberries just waiting for such an occasion. Thus I made this:

Doesn't it look delicious? It's actually nothing fancy, literally just pineapple chunks and raspberries. But, man, I could just eat the entire thing right now.

I took my first bite.

Didn't taste quite right.

So I took my second. Then looked up how to tell if pineapple from the jar has gone bad. Guess what?

My pineapple fermented. And I wasted all my raspberries on this fruit salad. And by this point they are covered in pineapple juice and completely ruined.

So now I have no breakfast.

But my superstition above the one about not eating dairy is eating breakfast. Ok, so not really a superstition, I just happen to know all the important information about why you should eat breakfast in the morning. Like the fact that carbohydrates eaten in first hour of your day are used for building up and strengthening the cells in your brain (eating breakfast makes you smarter). And the fact that breakfast starts your motabolism - you cannot burn calories until you have first eaten them (eating breakfast makes you skinnier). And the fact that breakfast tends to be one of the most well rounded meals of the day, with carbs, proteins, milk fats, calcium, and fruit all at once (eating breakfast makes you healthier). But I get none of that today because my breakfast is: 2 bites of fermented pineapple, which makes me no longer hungry for anything ever again.

I feel like I've just wasted a whole heck of a lot. This darn pineapple was supposed to stay good until November. The jar said so! But, perhaps that means it'll stay good until November, if left unopened...which it was not. Shucks. That's probably what it meant. Well, I guess that's a college student mistake that everyone must make at some point in their life.

Dorm Food

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