20 Things that Bug Me When I Cook or Eat

 20 Things that Bug Me When I Cook or Eat

You are about to read the product of about one hour of critical thinking. The hardest part of coming up with this list was convincing myself that I wasn't being too nagging or persnickety when I labeled something as a 'bug'. I tried stopping myself from asking: Would other people think this is a bug? Because, sometimes, you just have to share what might only make sense to YOU.

Or in this case me... 

• I have to repeatedly clean my tasting spoon so that I don't dirty up the dishes

Because this small detail seems like it could be handled more efficiently

• I have to wait in line in a crowded food court, specifically the Reitz Union Food Court, where I like to meet a friend or two in between classes

Because this gets in the way of valuable social time and forces me to be uncomfortable physically

• I don't know how many calories I've eaten or expended in a day, and the apps I've tried using don't have intuitive ways to calculate homemade or ethnic food

Because this restricts my freedom of expression

• I don't have a way to compost the food scraps I make from cooking

Because this makes me complicit in environmental degradation

• Outrageous food prices in amusement/theme/whatever parks really drive me up the wall

Because this makes me feel like I’m a captive consumer

• I don't have a way to compost spoiled food

Another way to make me complicit in environmental degradation

• It's hard for me to tell when my milk is going bad

Because this can lead to either mental unease or wastage of milk, and, as the old expression goes, ‘Milk is Money”

• It's hard for me to find good snacks that I can eat while not making my fingertips or technology messy when I'm working/playing on my laptop

Because this ruins my productivity and self-image of refinement

• I find it hard to know what products at the grocery store are sourced ethically

Did I mention how I can feel complicit in environmental degradation

• Some of the parties I go to are on a tight budget, but, even considering that, provide a low quality and/or low quantity of food

Because this makes my quality of life worse, not meeting my wants for myself and my friends

• Sometimes I need to eat something in the dark without waking up my roommate, but I just can't do it

Because I can’t be polite and satisfy myself at the same time

• I didn't have space to bring any cooking tools with me up to campus, and I refuse to buy any more, but I still want to cook

Because I feel like I am deprived of an outlet for creativity

• I find it hard to optimize the use of a to-go box at a buffet

Because I want to get the most fat for my buck, but I am too lazy to spend much time on it

• Styrofoam and other non-environmentally friendly flatware and dishes in restaurants make my skin itch (metaphorically)

“Environmental degradation" (Ibid.)

• I'm really bugged by how hard it is to find good traditional Indian desserts

Because I feel like I am cut off from my heritage

• I don't appreciate the oodles of misinformation on which foods do what to my body

Because this robs me of control and confidence

• I would like to donate food to people who need it, but I don't know how

Because this robs me of the capability to act on my want to be a good person

• Sometimes I buy a special ingredient for a special dish, use a bit of it, and then a can of, like, Hungarian paprika languishes for months in my cabinet

Because this is an inefficient waste of money

• Sometimes, I'm out on the water, rowing, or taking a jog, and I'm taking a break, I want to eat something light to keep me going, but I couldn't bring anything since I was in workout gear

Because this prevents me from satisfying a desire which seems like it should be easy to satisfy

• I struggle to find vegan substitutes for many recipes, especially baking recipes

Because this interferes with my want to be a good host