Looking For Easy Indian Meals That Can Be Prepared In College Dorm

My friend has a kid who goes to college just 1.5 hrs away. I asked why doesn't she give him some home-made food since they meet almost every other week. She says washing dishes in the dorm is a hassle. The common kitchen area is far away, and washing in the common bathroom's sink feels yucky (to the kid) plus there are strict rules on no food to be thrown in bathroom garbage to avoid ants and rats.

 

Wise "back off" approach for the parent to adopt, but for kids who are vegetarian and/or grow up eating mostly Indian food at home, choices can be pretty limited in the already so-so dorm food. Add to that the humongous amount of study and work required, I don't know how much an 18-19 year old will look at possibilities. Eating out also gets repetitive after a while, and not all college campuses/towns have eating choices. The kids do their own laundry too. And are responsible for cleaning of their own room (not the toilet, but the rest like throwing out garbage and once in a while vacuuming).

Until the kid moves from dorm to apartment living, if there is a way to send food, and for kid to store it, heat it, and wash any dishes, worth it. I am thinking how I feel after 5 days of eating outside food on vacation, even in a cruise or resort. How badly I want Indian food, even start to long for my own homemade food (!) and how I used to search up Indian restaurant in the yellow pages. Used to search in the hotel room's desks for the thick directory (they had it in same draw as a bible), and then look for "Taj Mahal" or "Mughal.." in restaurant names as that was the only way to identify Indian restaurant. This was before yelp, before internet was so easily available.. I guess even before cell phones!

 

I get what you are saying, and believe in letting kids fend for themselves, become independent and learn. It is not about India vs US. Rather it is 25-30 years ago vs now. Spending time on studies vs cooking/laundry/finding alternates. We have had this same discussion with local parents. Very passionate discussions. : ) Often the dads are the "let the kid figure it out" and moms are keen to make it a little "easier" for the child.

Specific to the first 2-3 years of undergrad: Kids are super busy. Even the most organized and motivated ones never have enough time to do all that they can. Sleep is a precious commodity. Academic rigor, expectations and competition are intense. I would rather the kid spend less time and resources figuring out food alternatives. And, kid eating enough and regularly and eating healthy is important. Maggi/Ramen are the lore of college life, and sure they can eat those too. But, if there is a way of sending healthy food or paying for it to be delivered, why not. Esp. in colleges where food is extra horrible.

The independence and learning to fend for themselves and associated character building can come from other ways, and also at later times. I also feel a little responsible for the fact that the kids grow up eating mostly Indian food and then are thrown into an environment where the food is totally different. Not just watery daal, leathery roti, tasteless aalu subji, too spicy sambhar etc, but totally different fare.

This is the favorite argument we hear from some parents. "I used to...." "for life I stopped eating aalu gobi after eating it everyday in hostel ". : )

We travelled by train. I lived in a hostel where garbage used to be dumped in the hallways. Including used articles of feminine hygiene. Uncovered in any paper/plastic. We heated water in a bucket using a metal hanger. Bathrooms... I still shudder. : ) Our struggles and challenges were different. We only had to do well in the courses we were taking and keep a general eye out for internships, jobs. Contrast to now there is cut-throat competition to get to work with the good professors, choosing from the vast array of courses, and in some cases taking more courses to decide on a major or double major or minor. I would rather my child was spending hours in the lab or catching up on sleep/exercise or doing the courses to get a minor in a subject that interests her, than doing avoidable/outsourceable chores.

I used to think so too.. let the child tell you what she wants.. They will sometimes. But, children don't always have the dispensable time to do this research. They just don't. And, they are competing with kids whose parents do this instapot/mw kind of research.

My pov is a little different. Make sure the child knows how to do chores, how to eat when there are less choices, how to improvise, how to adjust, but don't require all that to be practiced in the first 2-3 years of undergrad if avoidable. In other words, and in more general terms, not all suffering is noble.

Along similar lines, I would prefer my kid complete college with some loans to pay off rather than work while studying. We can afford to pay the entire cost, but will take partial loans (for various reasons), that the child will pay off after college.

What does that mean? : ) I hope it doesn't mean I shouldn't respond. : ) Phir yeh chapter book ka kya hoga? : )

All said and done, my kids say, "homemade food belongs at home. if you send it to where we are, then, what is the joy in coming home to eat it". I have a feeling I don't want to dissect that too much. : )

 

Curious.. why doing laundry himself? No reliable dhobi service? I thought there would be one since it is a good source of business for the washerman/woman.