Apologies for my recent hiatus: I’ve still got a raging pharyngitis. It’s always fun when a doctor literally says, “I’m worried about you,” and you realize that you’re currently speaking in the “hot potato voice” you’ve heard reference to but never understood. And when your midterm evaluation turns into a physical exam where it’s documented on your records that you have “exudative pharyngitis and cervical lymphadenopathy x 1 week” and that you should get more rest, it’s probably time to stay home. But anyway, easing back into routine with an easy blog post: all about food in medical school. I’ve alluded to this before: eating in medical school gets a little bit tricky, especially in the clinical years. Between a tight budget and a busy schedule, cooking and grocery shopping aren’t always high on the priority list, but eating out costs pile up quickly. So I’ve decided to dedicate this post to my tricks of the trade: how I’m managing to eat in medical school. The Art of the Free Food Medical school is a wonderland of lunch talks and snack breaks and leftover food from staff meetings abandoned in the lobby. I used to have friends who ran a sort of patrol around the school, looking for opportunities to eat and sending out mass texts when they found a jackpot (including one time when they crashed a staff Christmas party). And let’s be serious: any mention of free food sets med students into a frenzy, kind of like this: Last one there gets the vegetarian option! So here’s how it works: No interest in otolaryngology? It’s okay, you’re probably interested in free burritos, and if you’re lucky, you’ll stumble upon a great speaker at their lunch talk. (True story.) Normally not into picking up sandwiches from who knows where abandoned on a table for who knows how long? You’ll quickly get over that and learn to be grateful for good timing. (Somehow, even hypochondriac med students are able to overlook the food poisoning potential on this front.) Not really into Indian food or the vegetarian sandwich? But it’s free. Everything tastes better when it’s free, and I’ve found I’ve gotten a lot less picky when it means I’m not going to have to cook or buy food. 2. Speak softly and always carry tupperware. Toward the end of first year, I realized something: many events with free food have leftovers. Leftovers that get abandoned in the lobby for lost souls to stumble upon… or worse: they get thrown out. But not on my watch. I learned to start carrying a Tupperware in my bag at all times, just in case there was leftover food that I could take home for lunch the next day. It saved me so much time and money, and I knew that portion of the food wasn’t going to go to waste. It’s actually pretty funny to watch the eyes of first years light up when they realize how ingenious the idea is. My non-medical school friends tend to ask me all the time if I’ve brought Tupperware to various events. I always deny, but secretly, I either have it or I wish I did 3. Cook Enough to Feed a Small Country One of my most convenient tricks is to plan a week or two worth of meals, do all of the grocery shopping at once, and then dedicate an afternoon to cooking all of them. I always make sure to make portions large enough to provide multiple meals, and it’s kind of nice to do all of the chopping and baking and cooking together so that I can come home to home-cooked meals in my fridge or freezer. And it means you can cook nicer meals, and not get stuck eating quick frozen food or take-out all the time. The result of my efforts a few weeks ago: Pineapple Fried Rice, adapted from a recipe from Closet Cooking (click image for link!) 4. Except, I have to admit another go-to: Frozen Foods. Because sometimes you need something quick and easy that you can inhale and fall into bed. I guess it’s better than the week I ate Oreos for dinner. 5. Granola bars. The best way to survive a long day on the wards is to find something pocket sized to sneak bites every once in a while. Because let’s face it: sometimes you never leave the OR long enough to eat that giant portion of fried rice in your locker. 6. Spaghetti is flammable. Because once, I had this idea that I’d just throw together a quick dinner, so I dropped my long spaghetti noodles into the pot with the dry ends hanging out, like I have several times before. Except this time, the burner had a mind of its own and sent fireballs shooting up, turning my pot of boiling pasta into a bright, fiery mess reminiscent of the Olympic torch. This is solely a re-enactment of this event. (Credit: Liberty Fire Dept.) That’s right: I set spaghetti on fire. Applause and compliments not necessary. And those are my words of wisdom for today. Happy eating! source
