2017 Sep 4
If you are leaving to study abroad and you don’t have aunties and uncles to make food for you every day, you will have to get used to the idea of preparing food for yourself. That’s right, you will no longer be able to cozily relax with your laptop and shout “Amma hungry!” when it’s lunch time. Hear that? That’s the sound of bubbles all over Lanka bursting. But let’s not panic too much. With these simple hacks, you will discover the strategy to not starve or experience massive weight gain while in university (Yes it could go to either extreme. I lost 2kg but my friend gained 5kg).
1. The Importance of Variety
Most of my friends and I experienced that moment where we discovered our new favourite meals for breakfast, lunch and dinner. In my case, breakfast consisted of baked beans, bread and sausages, traditional English style. And this tasted pretty good! So good that I repeated this menu almost every day. But then… things changed. Never make the mistake of having similar meals too often or you will end up unable to even hold a can of baked beans again (yes I’m that fed up!). Make sure you mix up the menu; Pancakes on Monday, rice and curry on Tuesday, noodles on Wednesday and so on. Don’t bother having a favourite cereal because eventually you will want to run away from it (much like an overly clingy partner)
2. Creating Your Own Combos
Here’s to the lazy cooks. If you get creative enough, there are plenty of ingredients you can combine to form good enough meals that take very little time to cook. Take a creamy pasta for instance. Traditionally, you would have to boil your pasta, stir-fry some chicken and then prepare the cheese sauce (Warning: the store bought sauces don’t always taste that great). However, there is a simpler way. Find a can of cream chicken soup in your supermarket. Boil the pasta the same way, drain some of the water and throw in the soup. That way you end up with a creamy pasta minus the time taken to make chicken and sauce. This is exactly why Bill Gates famously said “I always hire a lazy person to do a difficult job. Because he will find an easy way to do it.”
3. The Discount Hour
If you are an economical person (as most of us Lankans are :P), then know that most supermarkets will slash prices ridiculously at certain times of the day. When I mean slash, I mean a whole roasted chicken is going to come down from £6 to less than £2. You’re basically saving around Rs. 800! Like sushi? It’s usually about £1.50-2 which is way too much given how small the portions are. But at the right time, you can get it for just 75 pence. That’s about Rs. 150! However, the trick is figuring out which time the store will offer the discounted prices. Grab a friend and stake-out your local supermarket. Remember, if at first you don’t succeed, try and try again!
4. The Beauty of Bulk Cooking
Back at home, most of us are lucky enough to get fresh food for most meals. But that’s a luxury you can’t afford to have when you’re abroad studying. Trust me you’re about to be neck deep in assignments, so cooking every meal would be a complete waste of time. So here’s what you do. Buy one or two massive cooking pots and prepare large quantities of rice, chicken and other curry (Btw, stirring all that will be a great work-out. But make sure to use both arms if you want to look even!) Then just store for as long as you don’t get sick of eating it. Oh don’t whine about the rice getting a bit crunchy after three days or so. You came here to study not for fine dining.
5. Carrying the Goods Home
Ok so if you’re cooking in bulk, you need to buy in bulk as well. Never ever try to use plastic bags to carry a massive quantity of goods. First off, there’s a good chance those bags are going to rip. Secondly, no matter how built you are, your fingers are going to hurt like hell. Most foreign students aren’t rich enough to get cars so believe me you do not want be walking home with aching fingers and ripped bags. Best thing to do; grab your hand luggage and pack everything in there. That way you can even save the 5 pence you must pay to buy shopping bags.
6. The Necessity for Occasional Take-outs
Realistically speaking, you won’t be able to prepare every meal on your own. Hence, don’t feel bad for giving yourself a break and ordering food once in a while (emphasis on the ‘once in a while’). In my experience, the best kind of take-outs are the little mom-and-pop shops as opposed to large chains like McDonalds’ or even the campus food. At least in the UK, university meals are rarely worth the money you pay. So, kick back and enjoy a long week with some cheap chow-mein and a good TV show. (Tip: If you know any Chinese friends, get them to order. Chinese food shops give their people discounts. Racist 🙁 ?)
7. The Dessert Temptation
Compared to Lanka, most western countries like the US or the UK have an amazing variety of desserts. Oreo doughnuts, Cadbury cupcakes, KitKat ice-cream and Reese’s Puff cereal… heaven! But for those of you who lack self-control, know that you could easily end up with a cart full of chocolates and puddings. This will invariably earn you a weird look from the cashier plus brand new love handles (which is about the only kind of love you’re going to get if you’re not careful with your sugar intake). Sometimes you just have to learn to walk away no matter how loudly that Nutella pancake is calling your name.
So as you can see, balancing a university course in a foreign country plus eating well is not completely impossible. No matter how busy you get, remember to be healthy. If not, you can look forward to your Amma weeping as soon as she sees you in the Bandaranaike airport. This could either be because you look stick thin or because you’ve gotten too chubby to be hugged (Seriously, KitKats will do that to you!)
Just to help you out a bit more, try these amazingly simple recipes brought to you by Pulse!
