I know what you're thinking when you see this title...it's a post about the latest foods in CS or even the newest class offered at UTCS?  Perhaps Dijkstra donuts, Turing tamales, or even Lovelace Lasagna are looming in the future? Don't even get me started on Babbage Cabbage. In all seriousness, yes this is a post about cooking, but not simply about recipes such that you find in periodicals, more how us CS majors don't have to sacrifice our nutrition in order to make it through the day.

This topic came up in conversation a few weeks ago upon grilling outside with a couple friends from CS where one of my friends confessed that he subsisted on primarily cinnamon toast crunch for 2 weeks!!! While I was amazed at how he managed to thrive off of cereal for so long, several questions popped up in my head: What would his mother think about this? Did he ever get bored of the same mundane food? For me cooking has always been a retreat. It has been an escape from the daily routines and the hustle and bustle of university life. From being surrounded by technology all day either at work or school, I've resorted to making culinary creations that please the pallet and the eye.  

What we should avoid

Look around the GDC today and you'll see some sights that are not so pleasing to the eye in terms of diet (similar to the pyramid to the left). From the "array" of food students are consuming (except in the lab of course), one cannot simply notice that the most popular source of nutrition found, the fast food from nearby campus eateries. While those fast options may satisfy your hunger for the time being, they aren't necessarily the healthiest nor the cheapest options for your lunch on the go.

So you're curious what we can eat besides fast food or Babbage Cabbage? For one, if you are living in the dorms here at UT, take advantage of the dinning halls. As the semester goes on, you may get tired of the same routine selections at the residence dinning halls, if so, shake things up. Try being innovative with the options they give you, through stations such as the salad or stir fry bar. For those of you living in an apartment, try cooking something. Even if it's your first time, I promise you it won't be anything like Mrs. Doubtfire's.

Luckily for those willing to fix their diets and make a change there are plenty of resources available on the web and they're free to view. For the apartment dwellers, consider recipes that are a "one pot concoction," where everything can be done systematically with a few amounts of utensils and economic ingredients. For those in the dorm with only a mini-fridge and a microwave, there are plenty of creative recipes out there that will put a spin on your eating habits.

So get to a grocery store, and inspect the options of your next culinary adventure. You'll feel a lot better after you explore your eating possibilities, I guarantee it!


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