College Destroyed My Foodie Status

Mackenna Ryann

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Hi, my name is Mackenna and I used to be a foodie.

"Hi, Mackenna," the support group says in monotone voices, unaware that this statement holds more weight than anyone will ever think.

I'm not afraid to admit I'm one of the girls people mock online. I have a theme for my Instagram account which I follow religiously; iced coffee has become eighty percent of the substances inside my body; and I referred to myself as a foodie.

Yep, the unforgivable, atrocious, and less badass "f word."

Before you mock me further, notice that I'm using the past tense to describe myself. Yup. I'm in remission, but not because I want to. College made me stop being a foodie and here's why.

Freshman Mackenna, like most girls coming into college, was naive enough to believe she would be living life as depicted in "Zoey 101." Well, that is not the truth. As much as it pains me to crush your dreams, college is no place for a foodie. Unless you're an influencer with a blue check mark, eating high cuisine gets expensive and the work study job that beats on your will to live is simply not gonna cut it.

So, I went from Taco Tuesdays and French Toast Fridays to Microwave Mondays. From the way I see it, every day is a Monday when you can't afford good food.

Watching Instagram stories of my friends eating out in expensive restaurants and living the life I used to live is hard. Plain and simple. The only place my wallet could afford was the dining hall, and that's because I had a pre-paid meal plan.

Let me tell you, if there's an all-you-can eat buffet on a pre-paid meal plan, chances are your chicken is still moving long after you've eaten it. Ew.

Although, I learned to become crafty with food cooked in my dorm. Did you know you can make muffins in a mug? Or that a pepperoni Hot Pocket, cut into pieces and from the right angle, can pass as a Stromboli?

I might be a broke college student who can't afford the expensive sushi restaurant in town, but there's nothing a basic preset on Instagram can't fix. If you don't believe me, ask my followers. They think I deleted the word "foodie" from my Instagram bio simply cause I will eventually replace it for "vegan."

Hey, if life gives you lemons, paint them red and tell people they're apples. Welcome to college, kids!