Current students have lost a significant part of the typical college experience over the past year due to the pandemic. One of the less talked about issues is what meals now look like for college students.
The perspective I share is that of a student living in a dorm at Emerson College. Our dorms do not have kitchens built in, but rather communal kitchens, which have been closed for the entire school year. While this is no doubt a safety precaution, this means that students do not have the option to cook meals in their own homes.
The dining hall offers a solution at some times for some people. However, not every student has a meal plan, not every student is available to eat when the dining hall is open, and some students would rather cook a specific dish that they want to eat that day.
This leaves many students with limited options. They can eat out, which can quickly become expensive. They can make a friend who lives off-campus and possibly has a kitchen, which is also not always possible since we have undergone “stay-in-room” orders during COVID spikes here on campus, meaning students cannot travel to visit these off-campus friends during these times. Last but not least, they can attempt to traverse the treacherous endeavor that is dorm cooking.
Dorm cooking, which must follow the rules of a college’s living agreement, typically means no stove, no oven, no hot plate. Usually, students are allowed nothing except a microwave and a mini-fridge. Of course, the list of foods you can make in a microwave is not nearly as expansive as the options available to someone with a full kitchen at their disposal.
Nevertheless, some students rely on frozen meals and snacks since that’s what’s best available to them. It’s important to remember that COVID affects every aspect of life, no matter how big or small. Hopefully, the communal kitchens will open again next year and students will be able to cook to their hearts’ content!