For many of you, deciding to come to university meant moving away from home. With that came new responsibilities, like students having to do their own laundry for the first time. However, learning to cook for yourself is often noted as the largest challenge for new students. Those who lived in V1 or REV only postponed their inevitable dissent into cookinghood. Frosh living in UWP, MKV, or CLV needed to quickly learn how to make a decent meal. The process is easier and requires a smaller time commitment than most people think.
The first and most important step starts with what the meal is made of. The ingredients need to be fresh and of high quality and this can be achieve without depleting your bank account. Fresh fruit and vegetables can even be bought on campus. The UW Farmers Market sells fresh, seasonal fruits and vegetables sourced from the Elmira Production Cooperative, a group of farmers who sell wholesale fruits and vegetables to the community. The farmers market is located in the Environment 1 courtyard from 9:00AM to 1:00PM on Wednesday, September 28 and Wednesday, October 5. They recommend you bring your own bag.
If you are looking for something in between these dates or after the farmers market retires for the season there are many grocery stores in the UW area and many are on major bus routes. The Zehrs in Conestoga Mall is popular for many students since the 200 iXpress route frequents UW and Conestoga many times a day. They close at 11:00PM every day so going after class is not a problem. Another Zehrs, located on Fischer-Hallman Road and Erb Street is 24 hours. Both locations offer students 10% off on Tuesdays with the presentation of your student card.
For those living in UWP, Valu-Mart in Uptown is just a 20 minute walk on the path along the railroad tracks through Waterloo Park. This is a little more expensive and is open between 8:00AM and 10:00PM. There is also a shuttle service picking up students in front of Eby Hall every second Saturday between 12:00PM and 3:00PM running trips to and from Valu-Mart. The shuttle also goes to Sobeys at the same time and place on the opposite weekend.
Another shuttle service is available to students living in MKV, VeloCity, and CLV alternating between Food Basics and Zehrs every Saturday between 12:00PM and 3:00PM. They pick up at MKV in the Breezeway, at VeloCity and the CLV Community Centre. The shuttle service is only open to students living in the residence however.
People seeking Asian foods and vegetables are in luck. New City Supermarket is an Asian supermarket located in downtown Kitchener. The main bus terminal, Charles St. Terminal is a short walk to its location. They usually have fresh Asian vegetables, BBQ pork, a large meat department that is butchered on site, and large selection of rice. Although it’s quite a trek to get there, their food is very cheap, and is one of the only Asian markets nearby.
Once you have your ingredients it’s time to cook. Do not wait too long before cooking, or else your vegetables will spoil. Once the food is cooked, it can be stored for the week. I like to prepare a week worth of food and keep it in storage containers for later consumption. The correct strategy is to plan out your meals and grocery shopping to include the freshest of ingredients.
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