And so it begins...

Autumn, in day-to-day life and the natural world alike, is a time of great change. Children leave home, leaves fall. For anyone educated in the US, it's also the much anticipated time to start school, and in my case, college. It's a big move, as anyone who has done it, or thought about doing it, or watched anyone else do it could tell you. New surroundings, new friends, different classes... and dorm food.

I've been on campus for almost a week now, and I have relegated myself to eating in the cafeteria once. "Lemon Pesto Tortellini" and a house salad. Nearly unbearable. I struggled through not even half of the pasta and picked what little fresh-looking lettuce there was out of the salad. The rest of the time I've been either eating off campus or hungry.

But I have a concept. For my Anthropology of Food class, we have to keep a food blog. (Hello.) And sitting in class today, listening to Molly Wizenburg of the food blog Orangette, talk about her views on food and her love for homecooked meals, I got extremely hungry. Ravenous. But not for dorm food. For real food. Homemade food, healthy food, fresh food. Growing up in the Bay Area means having access to the best food in the world, whether it be fresh local produce or ethnic food as good as you could find in its home country. I miss it already. So, to have a running theme for this little blog, I am going to attempt to cook. In a dorm kitchenette. One pot, one pan, one spatula. Hopefully I'll be able to track down fresh, local produce-- after all, I'm in Seattle! Some olive oil, some balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper. We'll see how it goes.

It will be a challenge- I'm not even talking about the logistics of cooking in a dorm. Finding the time to slow down, think about what I'm eating, put the time and effort and love into cooking real food... That will be the real challenge. Not to mention grocery shopping on the bus.