“What can we do when it’s freezing cold or pouring down rain, and I’m not allowed to eat in any other building besides Mac, which is always packed when I have time to eat? I don’t have the time to run back to my apartment and eat between classes.”
Dear Anonymous,
Great question! Firstly, I hope you’re eating a good breakfast in the morning! In the instance that it’s nearly impossible to eat lunch, a filling breakfast can be a lifesaver to make you feel full until you can eat. I recommend Jimmy Dean breakfast sandwiches or bagels with a spread (cream cheese, nutella, or peanut butter). They’re quick, easy, and can be eaten on the run while you’re getting to class.
Secondly, try having a small snack with you! Maybe eating a full lunch is out of the realm of possibility due to time constraints, but snacks can hold you over. There are also a ton of snacks you can eat with a mask on. Aldi has snack-packs that come with dried cranberries, almonds, and small cubes of cheese that you can pop in under your mask to ensure that your mask is staying on. If we’re allowed to drink out of straws under our masks or grab a piece of gum, there seems to be no reason we can’t slide a cube of cheese and almond under our mask as well. I’d advise to keep away from eating in class, but if you can sit away from people in a lobby of some sort, popping in a bite of something with your mask still on is possible.
There are several locations on campus that are outside but covered so if it is raining, you can head over to one of those and eat something quick. Dukes, Dicke, Heterick Library, and a few locations around the Science Annex, Raabe, and Mathile have overhangs that can help you keep out of the rain while staying outside.
Finally, if it is freezing outside, which it often is here on the Tundra, I suggest grabbing something somewhere other than Mac. WOW, Cosi, and Taco Bell are all within walking distance and may give you a quicker (and warmer) alternative to grab lunch. Not to mention, you can always grab a small snack from WOW’s convenience store and sit in a booth to eat quickly.
The life of a college student already isn’t always conducive to eating healthily and at a proper time, and while COVID-19 restrictions have made it none the easier, there are available options that might work for you. Good luck!
Always, Kayla