Eating habits here

I don’t cook as much as I’d like here. Part of the reason is my kitchen is tiny and freezing cold and I really don’t like washing up with icy water. I also haven’t had time to go to the grocery store lately, as I leave school after the vegetable markets and supermarkets close. I eat out quite a bit, and recently, Korean food has been my staple.

Often right after class, a bunch of us head to food street to get some Korean for lunch. We’ve already figured out the good places to go. Squid fried rice student special on Tuesdays, other days spicy, steaming tofu soup with sticky rice. If I’m around the architecture building, stone bowl bibimbap for just 10 kuai. And banchan—kimchee, quail eggs, candied potatoes, pickled radish… Really, I could eat Korean for every meal. It’s pricier than Chinese food, but much cheaper than Himalayan/Indian food. I recently found out the Himalayan restaurant is just a 5 minute walk from my place, but unfortunately I do not have 60 kuai to spend on a meal all the time. But maybe that’s a good thing, because I suspect the paneer mutter curry is quite fattening.

I do make vegetarian "pasta" a lot. Basically I just chop up whatever is in my fridge (last week it was onions, mushrooms, eggplant, and green peppers), sautee with tons of garlic, and then stew it into a chunky sauce I pour over Chinese noodles. Highly unorthodox, and I think both Chinese and Italians would throw a fit, but it's a good way to cook several healthy meals for less than 15 kuai.

My mealtimes have also become highly irregular due to my schedule. My dad would be so angry...