Looking Back at Dorm Life

It's going to sound absolutely cheesy but food has connected me with such memorable people, especially during uni. The first time I ever lived away from my family, I was in my 3rd year of university. Living in an apartment-style dorm with five girls was not something I was used to. Luckily, I was fortunate to have some of the kindest roommates in the world! Although there were moments of disagreements when it came to chores, food and being international students were what brought us together.

It all started when my roommates suggested we go to a pizza place nearby uni for our first supper together. Then one night, we were all up late so we decided to just hang out. Then the topic of snacks came about. It was such a coincidence how each of us had international treats tucked away in our rooms.

So these were the snacks that we gorged that night:

• Brazil's Maté

• China's Dried Goji

• Dubai's Chocolate Dates

• Japan's Shiroi Koibito (Chocolat Blanc et Langue de Chat)

• Mexico's Alegría

We spent the whole night snacking, gossiping, taking photos, and just being silly. It felt very much like that oreo and peanut butter moment in The Parent Trap. From that night on, it soon led to us roommates snacking on late night s'mores nachos to hunting down DQ's pumpkin pie blizzard.

One of my roommates is also an amazing baker. Out of all of us, she is pretty much the baking and dessert queen. She introduced us to brigadeiro, beijinho de coco, Romeu e Julieta, and pan de muerto. She even taught me how to make pão de queijo during a party. Because of our food adventures, I was inspired to see the fun and play around with food. I even baked pandesal for the very first time.

Pandesal - Attempt #1 (Too dry and chewy)

Pandesal - Attempt #... I wasn't even sure at this point (This was the good batch)

Of course, trying out odd food combos was definitely a right of passage for every student living away from home. As you can see, things started off pretty tame with spring onion cream pasta. But as we slowly shift to midterm and final exams, my yogurt with ground almonds soon turned into pistachio ice cream sandwiched between cheese rice cakes.

Although I only got to be with them for a semester, not only did I learn so much from them but I got to learn about food from other cultures that I would not have known if I had never met them.