The Origins Post

As the great Leo Tolstoy once wrote, "well-fed college students are all alike; each hungry college student is hungry in her own way." Although the story of the transition from dining-hall life with a side of Ramen to complete culinary self-sufficiency, in all of its under-seasoned glory, is hardly a new one, each person has to experience it for themselves. There's no way to download the hard-won lessons of those who came before you. You cannot stand on the shoulders of giants in a kitchen. For one thing, most kitchen ceilings are too low to accommodate that sort of nonsense. But more importantly, you just have to figure it out for yourself.

 Every food blog, commentary, or recipe we've encountered celebrates the joy and art of putting a plate together with finesse, or the practical business of making food your children will eat. Perhaps this is because the amateur cooking adventures that are currently captivating us are passé to anyone who is at least two years older and wiser than we are. But then, what about all those people who are exactly as young and foolish as we are? Who is blogging for them? Where is the voice for those of us who just want to get through dinner prep without burning anything? Who is depicting the marvel of creating something edible out of a complete vacuum of context, knowledge, competency, or experience of any kind?

That's right. We are. Claire (aka Bean) and Emma (aka Nugget), college food bloggers extraordinaire.

This is a blog about smart girls cooking dumb food. It's about ruminating on eggplants in the middle of your English lecture, and passing off clean-up duty to your friend because you haven't finished your homework yet. It's about trying to schedule in a meal between your 4 o'clock staff meeting and your 7 o'clock class. It's about learning through experience what you had never absorbed any other way.

Our culinary experiences are defined by the unique challenges and rhythms of college life. So an accurate portrayal of one necessitates a description of the other. Also, we are nerds who like writing about school. So in addition to telling you what's for dinner every night, we'll also write about our classes, the crossword, and whatever else comes to mind.

But whether we're tackling academics or appetites, the same spirit of celebration prevails. Because this is college, and every meal's a triumph.

That's the spirit, Nugget! Appreciate that cupcake!

LET THE RECORD SHOW:
Full credit for being the first one to say, "Hey, you guys should have a blog," goes to Domi. Domi shall henceforth be known as Domsicle, because you can't be on our blog if you don't have a food nickname. Full credit for having all of our best qualities, and also one extra year of credentials as a 90's kid, goes to Nutmeg.