I’ll take that with a side of mediocrity

As I wrote this column, I was mentally floating on a cloud made of the finest vanilla, my mother’s cranberry sauce, tons and tons of garlic and many other dishes that I feasted upon over break.

Oh holidays, how you spoil my inner culinary child. I savor those memories, having since returned to the dorms and readjusted to RPS cuisine.

One of my first days over break was spent with an old friend, baking batches of sugar cookies after eating the most delightful crab cake and almond chicken sandwiches.

The heavenly aroma of sugar cookies gracefully flowed through the house as I curled up under blankets later that evening, having caught a nasty bug.

But no illness could ruin my appetite. By Christmas Eve, my stomach was ready for anything. Because my parents and I had no company for the evening, it was no extravagant meal.

However, extravagance is never needed to prepare, or present, a good dinner.

My father, the griller extraordinaire, stayed out in the cold to perfectly grill a beautiful salmon. My mother stole a recipe from a present of mine, “Mastering the Art of French Cooking” by Julia Child, to make the most delicious spinach I have ever tasted.
The two dishes melted so superbly in my mouth that I was able to forget my bothersome cold for a while.

Christmas day was traditional as usual. My dad’s family has done a turkey dinner for Christmas ever since I can remember.

While everyone did a fabulous job preparing everything, from the glorious golden brown turkey to the perfectly mashed potatoes, we all yelped when we nearly forgot my mom’s cranberry sauce.

This cranberry sauce has cured me of colds and wintertime blues and is the most requested dish at our family get-togethers. Made from scratch with orange juice and fresh ginger, the sauce adds a zingy “pow” to every meal it accompanies.

Every other meal over break tasted so fresh and full of life. Even late-night snacks from my fridge were full of delight and happiness.

And now it appears as though my holiday cloud is beginning to break apart, as the more ominous dorm food clouds appear to make a storm.

Needless to say, I am not the biggest fan of the food served here on campus.

Sure, I could go out to eat every night, but like most I lack the ability to fund offcampus meals everyday. I love my dorm, but since I have inadequate storage and a questionable kitchen, I am not able to prepare my own meals.

Dorms don’t always have the worst food, though. The meals at Collins Living Learning Center are fairly well known for being the best on campus. The dorm serves a greater variety of vegetarian and vegan meals, as well as other culinary fare that satisfies my cravings better than the fried fast food delights served at Wright Quad Food Court or Gresham Food Court at Foster.

That being said, I’m not a huge fan of southwestern tofu or bagelplant parmesan or the inexplicably popular “calzone night.”

I’m happy to return to Bloomington and I’m happy to be returning to Collins, but it is difficult to become acclimated to my second home because my palate has been so attuned to the beauty of my parents’ cooking. Christmas was a tease, and now its back to reality.

Maybe someday I will find complete unity with the dorms and their food, but until then I will have to get by with grilled cheese and tomato soup with a side of mediocrity.