Monday, February 9, 2015

That One Year We Learned to Cook...

Yum!
Family dinners with friends!
This past fall, I moved into Walsh Hall for my junior year and opted not to get a meal plan because each room in this apartment-style residence hall has its own kitchen. My roommates and I were eager to learn how to live like *real* adults and prepare each meal ourselves.

The challenge over the summer before move-in was coordinating who would bring what – we didn't understand what we would need and quickly realized we needed to figure out some system of dividing the purchases to avoid all bringing the same thing. Even so, when we settled in at the start of the year, we still somehow managed to each bring pans but forget to bring a paper towel holder…

Fresh pasta from Arthur Ave.
Staying cozy during the snowstorm.
My friends and I heard anecdotes from others about how difficult sharing an apartment could be, but we never really felt the stresses of having both private and public space to take care of, especially since we were already so close before moving in together. We quickly figured out a schedule as to when each person would be responsible for making dinners, washing dishes, cleaning various parts of the apartment, and even making the communal pot of coffee in the morning! It suddenly felt like we were our own little family, and, when our own families came to visit, they were always pleasantly surprised at how responsibly we managed our home away from home.

Dining hall trip!
Every so often, I still stop by the Marketplace – the buffet-style dining hall in McGinley – for a quick bite if I’m in a rush between classes or if I’m meeting a friend. In some ways, I really miss the convenience of on-campus dining (and I really did grow quite fond of the steamed veggies over rice at the vegan station!), but having my own kitchen and being able to make my own meals inevitably made me feel a lot more capable of taking care of myself. This year, my roommates and I learned to grocery shop, pick out fresh produce, make tons of healthy meals, and really bonded over this new level of maturity that we’ve reached.  
Burger night!

Sitting down for a “family” dinner at the end of a long day of classes will always be one of my most cherished Fordham memories.


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