My Three Ingredients

Hmmm… three items that I couldn’t live without. First off, let me say that I try not to be too attached to any particular item, so I would never say that I couldn’t live without an item. In any case, let me describe three items that are central to my cooking and eating habits.

First and foremost, eggs are by far my most eaten food item. In fact, I had two eggs for breakfast just a couple of hours ago. When my refrigerator is egg-less I feel a sense of lack that makes doing my homework nearly impossible. Well, that may be a bit of an overstatement, but I really can’t imagine life without eggs. What would we eat for breakfast? How would we continue making the thousands of countless foods/recipes that call for an egg? Not only are eggs an always-reliable source of nutritious delight, they are also incredibly versatile. Over easy, in an omelet, scrambled, pouched, in a burrito, in a sandwich, hard-boiled, soft boiled, etc. I could talk about eggs like Bubba talks about shrimp in Forrest Gump. Additionally, because I’ve grown up eating eggs, preparing them in a style that my mum or dad once cooked for me provides a strong sense of nostalgia. Overall, eggs provide an extremely tasty source of nutrition, while also being easy to cook, versatile, and a way to remember my roots.

The second food item that I can’t live without is an essential staple and the best-proven way to repel vampires. Garlic is by far one of my favorite foods because it can add a kick to almost anything that I cook. In fact, I’ve chopped more garlic over the past semester than I have throughout my whole life previously. I find myself adding garlic to a wide range of dishes, and when I forget or neglect to add it, the meal just feels incomplete. One way to eat the beautiful bulb that I’ve recently discovered is roasted and spread onto a piece of bread. In fact, my infatuation with garlic has pushed me to plant cloves into the Berkeley Student Organic Garden, which unfortunately, will be harvest while I’m studying in Argentina. Regardless, I’ll definitely be cooking with garlic for years and years to come. Also, please do share garlic-based recipes.

The last food that I would take with me to this hypothetical deserted island would be pasta. As mentioned in previous posts, pasta is one of the first items that I learned how to make upon leaving home. In addition to being incredibly easy to prepare, pasta, like eggs, evoke a strong sense of nostalgia when eaten. As I’ve said, my Italian mother used to serve me pasta fairly often. Also like eggs, pasta is pretty versatile, as it can be eaten in various forms and with a host of different accompanied foods. For instance, I love pasta with a pesto base, as I’m a sucker for all things basil. Spaghetti and meatballs is an old time classic that I’ll always have a soft spot in my heart for. Pasta and veggies. Pasta alfredo. Linguini and clams. Ohhh, I just can’t get enough pasta, now I’m hungry.

So, there you have it: eggs, garlic, and pasta. While they are all pretty basic food items, they are present in my favorite foods in one form or another, and I just can’t imagine going on cooking without these always-reliable comfort foods.

A Typical Day

You may be asking yourself, “What does a typical day consist of for this newly independent young man?” Well, first off let me say that I am by no means “independent”, as my folks support me financially in various ways, e.g. paying for my cell phone, making payments on my credit card bill, etc. Additionally, the great state of California and the federal government supplement my non-existent income with about $14,000 in financial “gift aid” each school year. Scholarships, grants, and, rather unfortunately, loans, plus a bit of frugality, allow me to remain unemployed. I haven’t had a job for about eighteen months, which is partly due to a desire to concentrate solely on my studies, and also because working could possibly infringe on the level of fun that I might have in these precious college years. Basically, I choose to be unemployed, it has nothing to do with our current "economic downturn".

Okay, back to my description of a typical day. I usually wake up around sometime between 10:00am and 12:00 noon, which is actually quite pleasant. I don’t usually set an alarm, unless I really need to wake up early, because I prefer to get a full eight hours, as opposed to forcing myself to wake up early and walking around miserable all day. However, I will say that our apartment’s thin walls mean that I am often awoken prematurely by the conversations of Harrison and Simothy, two of my roommates that happen to be “morning people”, as they say.

After waking up I usually spend about thirty minutes laying in bed, listening to my roommates’ conversations, checking emails, wasting time on Facebook, and pleasuring myself in general. If I’m able to get all that stuff done with time to spare I usually do some reading for school. Usually that gets boring really quickly so I roll out of bed in search of breakfast.

I have a few typical breakfasts that I rely on quite often. If I have the time to do so, which I usually do since most of my classes start around 2:00pm, I prepare a hearty breakfast of two eggs (cooked over-easy), some type of breakfast sausage, grilled mushrooms and/or hash browns, a bagel with cream cheese, and possibly a glass of orange juice or coffee. I usually enjoy such a meal as I rub the sleep crumbs out of my eyes and browse Reddit.com. Oh, and if I'm rushed for time I'll scarf down a bowl of cereal and a banana.

After breakfast I jump into a hot shower and then quickly get ready for class. Upon doing so I hop on my bike and enjoy the ten-minute bike ride to campus sufficiently full and scrubbed.

School is usually my least favorite part of the day. I take notes and try my best not to zone out too much during lectures. On a good day I’ll be out of class around 4:00pm, at which point I bike home and try to find something edible in the refrigerator. Usually, I end up making a sandwich or a burrito for a late lunch and then I try to do homework until dinner, trying my best and usually failing to not get distracted along the way.

Depending on the day of the week I’ll either have to make dinner for my roommates, or I get to enjoy their delicious cooking for dinner, which usually takes places between 7:30 and 8:00pm. No matter who’s cooking, dinner is usually my favorite part of the day, as I’m able to hang out with three super cool roommates, while enjoying good food, music, and a break from homework.
Upon completing dinner and washing some dishes I return to my studies for a couple of hours, usually taking a tea break at some point between readings. After I’ve had enough of all that boring academic stuff I usually inquire with my roommates to see what their plans are for the rest of the night. Depending on the day of the week we might go out and look for something to do, we might have people over for drinks, or we might just stay in and waste time together.

I normally get tired around 2:00am, and if I’m able to, I try to be sleeping soon thereafter.

That pretty much sums up a typical weekday. Weekends are much the same, except that I’m forced to waste more time since there’s no class on those days.

Lastly, my roommates and I have devised a system by which we each cook for the house once a week. My assigned day is Wednesday, and I’ll elaborate more about what such a day consists in later posts. That is all for now. Don’t forget to follow on the right hand side, thanks for reading.