>>pk@columbia

9.16.01 - eating

Turkey with gravy, beef in beef sauce, rice, and corn - and that was just one plate from my usual dinner at John Jay dining hall. The rest of my meal included a bowl of beef stew, a bowl of pasta salad and a boiled egg, a plate of fettucine alfredo, and two slices of cake with ice cream cone for desert. I drank two cups of coke and a cup of orange juice. Even though I didn't finish every morsel of food, I ate enough to feel like a recently filled hot-air balloon.

I usually wake up too late each morning to eat breakfast, so I usually eat about 2 meals a day; however, college food has made my 2 meals into 4 at-home meal equivalents. It feels as if eating at our all-you-can-eat dining hall makes it imperative that I actually do eat all that I can. It's as if I eat destroy my hunger rather than simply satisfy it. An upperclassmen told me that he had gained 20 pounds as a freshman and had to work hard to burn off the excessive fat. I never thought that I would have a problem with feeling fat, but three weeks into my college life, I already feel conscious about the food and the amount of food I eat.

There is a late-night hang out spot in the basement of our dining hall called JJ's. It serves artery-choking fat foods such as french fries, cheesesteaks, burgers, and assorted sweets. In light of my concern for stuffing myself with unhealthy foods, I began to limit my choice of nourishment to a fruit smoothie. One night, as I came back from JJ's to my dorm, I saw someone standing at the front door, holding a plate of fried chicken. The plate was still half full and I could not help but to stare at it. The guy noticed my explicit interest in his chicken and asked if I wanted the rest. I agonized for about 15 seconds before declining the offer. I knew that I would have gladly scarfed down those wings, but I would display my strong will to stay fit instead.

College is not only a place for higher education; it is also a place of higher decision making. You get to choose what you want to study, what you want to do each night, where you want to be, and with relevance, what you want to eat. I personally think that eating is what keeps people happier in college. Even though the quality of food at my school is not the best, every meal induces some sort of smile from me. I eat when and what I want, and such freedom makes me very happy and also keeps me from being too homesick. On my recent visit to Cornell University, I talked to my friend about why Cornell had such good food. Besides having a catered, hotelier school, the place with the highest suicide number in the nation may be using food as a reminder to its students on why they should stay alive.  Got an F on the exam? Go get a plate of Mongolian, the very delicious noodle meal, and watch the worries go away.