
I donāt like it when I canāt cook, or when Iām staying in a place without a kitchen. Cookingās always been my āescapeā. I cook when Iām happy, when Iām sad, and when I just feel like it.Ā So imagine if I have to stay somewhere without a spatula or even a fridge?
My lifeās been turned upside down for the past month. I started work with this special project, its grown-up stuff⦠meaning, boring and really, not related to cooking. Ā I moved back to my old dorm and even though I feel comfortable in it, thereās one thing missing: the kitchen.Ā My dorm donāt allow any form of cooking, well, aside from the instant cup noodles that you just pour hot water in, thereās no way I could sneak in a portable stove without them noticing it, or smelling it.
Every day, I feel like Iām in a scavengerās hunt for the food that I want to eat and bring to work.Ā Yes! I prepare my baon because my schedule is weird and when I work, I usuallyĀ donāt like being bothered.Ā I live near a university, so food is really abundant.Ā But Iām also wary of the many possibilities that these foods are not properly prepared.
So, every day I try to look at the food, not caring if the customer next to me is annoyingly tapping her foot while waiting for me to finish my order.Ā I make a mental note of the food they offer that day, and if I decide to go back the next day, Iāll look at their menu and see if itās a re-hash of yesterdayās offering.
Iām really not picky, but I do know the look of food when itās fresh and itās already been a dayās old.Ā I remember when I was still in high school. I donāt like bringing lunch boxes to school. I had that period where I wanted to look cool in front of the other students, so I would line-up in the cafeteria and scout for whatever piping hot food they had to offer.
For moms out there, maybe itās added work if you pack your kidsā lunchboxes, but itās always better to be safe than be sorry later.Ā I know cafeteria food is not as bad as it seems, but thereās just too much junk food available to your kids, and you’re not always there to regulate how much of it they take in.Ā So, I suggest give them something nutritious to combat whatever junk theyāll put in their mouths come lunch time.Ā A packed lunch with some protein, carbs and a little amount of sweet will help your children get through the day.
Donāt worry, it might take time for kids to get used to having packed lunches, and they might even say that āitās so not coolā bringing lunch kits at school, but believe me, theyāll get used to it eventually.Ā And if theyāre hard-headed, just bring out your āmothers know bestā card. Iām sure they canāt argue with that.
This post was written by Rita Salonga.