I wasn’t a great cook by any means in college but I grew around a lot of spices. And apparently all the kids loved my cooking. They bought food and washed dishes any time I mentioned I would cook. I felt guilty because all I was doing was adding spices (oh they chopped as well, though I was the only one who could mince garlic and ginger right). But they loved it. I got free food most of college that way.
I was a master at getting free food in college. I’d just walk into events, sometimes ones I wasn’t invited to, grab food, and leave. Oftentimes my college wouldn’t post bouncers at every entrance to the buildings, so getting into private stuff was ridiculously easy.
There was also a time where going to the career fair would get me extra credit for a class. You had to pay to get in, though. I just walked in the side door, got the proof that I was there, took some food they were serving, and left.
You can do so much if you act like you belong.
10/10 would recommend doing this as much as possible.
My university gradually replaced all the affordable on campus place with over priced prestige brands. The coffee places all got swapped with Starbucks and doubled in price. The on campus taco mayo got replaced with a chipotle.
I just ate whatever my mom cooked the day before or went to the Chinese restaurant during lunch. 🧐
When I was in college there was a bowling alley with “$1.50 a scoop Chinese”, for 5 dollars you could get a Togo clamshell that would barely close and get 2 or 3 meals out of it.
In college we had a spot we would go to, sold Chinese and donuts, so that’s what we called it. Actually pretty good Chinese and they would Stuff the Togo clamshell absolutely full. I also got at a minimum two meals, usually 3, though the 3rd was just based on the fried rice, just add an egg and whatever other leftovers I could scrounge up.
