There are many things you are going to miss when you dorm in college. You can't just make the food you want whenever you want like you can while you were back home. As a Filipino student, I found it hard to find food that I often ate at home in our dining halls or even the restaurants that surround the campus. I have been craving these five foods desperately for the past three months.
1. Lelut Manuk (Chicken Rice Porridge)
One of the dishes I missed the most was probably lelut. This rice porridge, which also had pieces of chicken in it whenever my mom made it, is a staple during weeks when I'm sick. It was easy to eat, light on the stomach, and very appetizing even when eating becomes a chore during sick days. During my first three months in college, I found myself sick for two weeks, and I definitely longed for the comforting taste of this rice porridge.
2. Nasi (Rice)
Don't get me wrong, rice is available almost every day in various dining halls of my university. The problem is, they can never get it just right. Whenever I spoon myself some rice in the dining hall I find myself in, the rice is either too soft, too hard and grainy, or too dry. I definitely miss being able to make the jasmine rice in our rice cooker back home, just the way we like it—soft enough and never grainy or dry.
3. Various Soup Dishes
Some of the biggest disappointments I get from dorm food is the lack of appealing soups. I've tried some before, and they were mostly too salty or lacking a certain flavor. In those times, I miss the sinigang, tinola, or bulalo that my mom would make often back at home. I usually ate these soups without rice because they had enough meat and vegetables to keep me full, but their soup also tasted the best with a bit of rice mixed into it.
4. Lumpia (Egg Rolls)
Again, our college dining halls do have egg rolls in them, but they just are not the right ones. Dorm egg rolls are larger and stuffed with soggy insides, and you just get tired of them after a couple bites. Lumpiang shanghai, a (mainly) pork egg roll that is a favorite among my friends and family, is a food that I really do miss. Learning how to make them and making them for others to enjoy has really made me appreciate them more in my college life.
5. Longanisa and Fried Eggs
Something I learned to appreciate more during college is the ability to eat breakfast in the morning. With my nonexistent sleeping schedule and morning classes, I find myself just grabbing a granola bar before heading to class instead of heading to the dining hall for a quick breakfast. I miss eating breakfast in mornings, especially on the weekends when my mom and I would fry up some longanisa, a Filipino sausage, and some sunny-side-up eggs.
There are probably tons more that I can add to this list. I can't wait to be able to make and eat these dishes back home during the break.
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