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Written by Tiffany Harianto

As a graduate student, you may already have plenty of experience with food prep. On the other hand, this may be your first time living away from home, and the past month may have been a struggle balancing cooking with other commitments. I’ll share my own journey with food, as well as resources that can help you find delicious meals without emptying your bank account.

I first started living independently in undergrad, and one of the first non-instant “meals” I cooked for myself was eggs in a blanket. Essentially, I used a glass to cut a circle out of bread, fried both pieces, and cooked an over-easy egg in the hole. I then drizzled honey onto the circle part of the bread. Not all of us start out as gourmet chefs—and that’s okay. Starting simple builds confidence and instills a sense of fun in cooking.

Generally, my cooking style tends to be “put it in the oven.” If something can be baked, I’ll bake it so it frees up more time to do other work. On days when I want something fresher or genuinely want to cook, I buy meat or fish on sale and fry it. My go-to marinade for chicken is a blend of soy sauce, orange juice, and honey, and for salmon, I use sesame oil, soy sauce, and maple syrup as a treat. I also keep a stock of frozen vegetables for stir-fry; my favourite combination is beef with broccoli and mushrooms.

You may be wondering, what about when I don’t want to cook at all? Lucky for you, Kingston has the ! Although food inflation makes eating out less feasible for many, there are still hidden gems with good deals. Personally, I recommend Wok-In, a curry place with generous portions at reasonable prices. There are also eateries on campus; some, like Common Ground Café, are run by students, for students. Queen’s University also has initiatives aimed at addressing food insecurity. For example, PEACH (Providing Equal Access, Changing Hunger) Market is located in the New Medical Building and provides packaged food using a pay-what-you-can model. And through Swipe It Forward Queen’s, students with a meal plan can donate part of their weekly allotment of meals; students can contact a program partner for a referral to receive up to 25 meals per semester. Queen’s Hospitality Services also partners with various community organizations to deliver food from cafeterias and some retailers to shelters in Kingston. Some of their collaborators include:

• AMS Food Bank
• Partners in Mission Food Bank
• Salvation Army
• Martha’s Table
• Kingston Youth Shelter

And many more!

Ultimately, food is meant to be celebratory, not a chore. There are many festivals and events in Kingston that involve food. For example, I recently attended the Intercultural Arts Fest, which featured amazing performances, captivating merch, and delicious food from different cultures; I tried Cadue’s Indian tacos and bought red bean and pineapple bread. I’ll also be checking out the night market hosted by Queen’s Asian Students’ Association. I hope you feel inspired to try the various food that Kingston has to offer and seek out those good-deal gems!