CULINARY SURVIVAL:

A Guide to Living on Collegiate Food


By Mathew Divaris

Has your appetite fallen and not gotten back up? Already sick of Marriot food? Let's face it-although the food service on campus puts that of other schools to shame (or so they assure me), institutional food is...well, institutional. Marriot has done its very best to satisfy our gastronomic whims with the addition of "Gyros Classic" to the Marketplace menu, but two months of unmitigated school food has to have taken its toll on even the most imaginative of diners. How many of those Mediterranean wonders, in all their gresious glory, can one stomach, anyway?

Never fear! jump! comes--once again--to the rescue, equipping you with the knowledge to take hold of your life and reintroduce satisfaction into your dining experience. This column seeks to furnish you, the famished reader, with some ideas on how to transform the same-old same-old into something delightfully different. All you need is a meal plan, some initiative, and some basic kitchen stuff. That is, if you can coax the age-old oven, inevitably tucked away in the bowels of each of ORL's prison houses (née dorms), into a semblance of life; an endeavor which, provided you can locate the knobs with which it was once adorned, should prove quite painless.

Rather than attempting to compose an entire meal, I have provided directions for two very easily-made, gratifying tidbits. These are perfect for munching while watching T.V. on a lazy evening, or as a midnight snack to help with writing that paper that was due a week ago. In fact, why not make your professor an in-class treat instead of doing that last-minute paper? Who would not rather have something upon which to nibble than read yet another treatise on how Hamlet is about a young man who has a problem with indecision, or how someone with no demand for anything might not need a supply? At any rate, these recipes could not help but improve your day.

Keep in mind that, in these uncertain times, the ingredients which I denote as being available in the Caf, Marketplace, or U.C. may not be procurable when you visit. Also, some components (which I try to keep to a minimum), may have to be purchased from a real grocery store. A meal plan obviously constitutes a major advantage in making these delectable dishes.

Crunchy Pizza Loaf
This simple dish fuses two of America's most popular snack foods, the pizza and the sub. However, it takes both one step further with a thrillingly crunchy crust, not to mention the fact that you have complete control over the toppings! I especially like the fact that the vegetables keep their vivacious crunch after cooking, retaining their fullness of flavor and nutritional value. I had great success slicing this toothsome, two-minute- miracle and serving it as a snack, although it is also delectable as a meal.
Tropical Chocolate Candies
These delights will inevitably remind you of growing up, and of making the rice- crispy and chocolate mess that once used to typify children's confectionery. Even if you were deprived of this sinful luxury as a child, you can make up time now with these unusual twists on an old favorite. The banana chips and the raisins blend together with the chocolate to form a most interesting flavor--more than any candy bar could ever deliver. You may also add your favorite nuts to the recipe, if you so desire.

Show us your stuff! Send receipies and test results to the Undergraduate Gourmand at jump@mail.wm.edu. Good luck!
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