Thursday 6 September 2012

Student Sustenance.


When I was a student, my diet (other than at weekends) consisted mostly of beer, with the occasional bag of 'chicken and chips' from the local chippie. I suspect that most students survived on something similar.... possibly even just the beer. (One friend had to be repatriated from Art College in Bristol, to his parent's home in Surrey, on account of malnutrition) 

But there were highlights. I remember going to a 'dinner party' where all the guests were asked to contribute a course costing less than 50p (or was it 5p?). Mr Tom Stephenson (yes, he) arrived with a plateful of finely rolled Nasturtium leaves, the insides of which had been lightly coated with Marmite; I don't remember what we took, but it was probably 'gruel', or something equally meagre.

A favourite 'home cooked' meal at the time was Lady Magnon's infamous 'bomb' of rice mixed with leeks and tinned sardines. I would have difficulty eating that now, but at the time it was 'haute cuisine'.

Another rather 'sophisticated' dish (which was for guests only) consisted of Cheap-o Chocolate Cup Cakes (The sponge bit upwards), sprinkled in Rhum, and topped with thick cream.

Otherwise all I can remember eating was mixed steamed vegetables (hot compost) with unleavened wholemeal bread. Atkins would have choked on his T bone!

I enjoyed being a student, even the dreadful food had a primitive charm. But thank goodness for those weekends at home, and my mother's pukka Sunday Roasts. A filled belly would almost see me through the whole week (other than the beer).



21 comments:

  1. Given that "cheap as chips" is no longer accurate in our post-VAT Cartel-spud-price-fixing world, Tesco's Value Range Beanz I suppose, if they went to the free induction lectures on use of tin-openers, saucepans and cooking-candles. There's a government leaflet floating about (intended for OAPs) describing how, if you eat enough baked beans, you can build a shelter out of the tins and make blue and white striped curtains out of the labels.

    I suppose you have to know how to rinse them out properly though at tuppence a litre from the mains supply, if it's not been disconnected.

    Do McNasties perhaps have some sort of reverse burger lay-away plan for shtoodents? "Eat" now, work for minimum wage forever later, that sort of thing?

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    1. I'm sure if you mentioned it to the McBoss, he'd work out some McScheme. Vomit now; vomit later! Yup, has a ring to it.

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  2. I was lucky, doing my 'apprenticeship' as a trainee nurse at a large metropolitan hospital where the meals were delivered 'in bulk' to the ward and the ward sister served out the portions for each patient ('as to what he could eat'). When she was finished serving she would stride off to her little partitioned ward office leaving the likes of me to fall upon the left overs - Oh what joy! Mashed potato smeared on bread and covered with cold gravy. The female trainees (who were fed in their dormitory messes) would turn their noses up at the likes of us poor starving males.

    I too looked for my weekly trips home to be fed by my mother!

    Later, I finished my training at a military/veterans hospital and every now and again we could sneak into the dining room for a hot cooked breakfast at 6.00 am as the duty NCO did not realise we were not 'service types'.

    Other than that, winter's fare was a big pot of stew cooked up in my 'digs' at the beginning of the week and shared with two others.

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  3. I do remember cooking a student spag bol for about 10 people using a quarter pound of mince.....which was luxurious as we normally just used a tin of tomatoes. That was mid 70s....the mince cost 6p.I remember thinking that at 24p a pound....nearly 5shillings....my mother would be shocked at our extravagence.

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  4. Having never been a student other than a student of life and sent to work before and after school at 14 and then leaving school at 15 to work I listened to the stories of our daughter whom I was determined to have a full education,over here she lived on 2 minute noodles,I believe a very common Uni student mode of survival lol,5 years of that and she is not a lover of noodles...wonder why lol.I can only imagine the fun you all had in those times,thanks for sharing cro.

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  5. I had forgotten about the nasturtium and Marmite. An intense combination, I seem to recall. Your diet of chicken 'n' chips with beer is still the Essex girl's staple, so I am told.

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  6. Macaroni cheese, broccoli with cheese, frankfurters with cheese, baked beans with melted cheese, cheese toasties, crackers and cheese, grilled tomatoes with cheese and Italian herbs on toast (poor man's pizza), toasted nan bread filled with lettuce and cheese; every single dish served with Branston Pickle and hot pepper sauce.

    Don't believe everything they say about dairy products and cholesterol, I am 53 and have had only two heart attacks.

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    1. That sounds like a pretty sophisticated diet. Cheese, Branston, and Chilli sauce, with whatever was in the 'fridge!

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  7. I bought my children a meal plan when they went to college only to find out later that they seldom used it. They said it did not fit in their schedule. I guess they survived on Raman Noodles, pizza and beer.

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  8. Mmm, chips, mmmm! Makes me think of my dear old Dad's chip pan. Sardines make me think of my mother mashing them on toast for me. Ugh!

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  9. I had a meal plan when i was in college, and i used it most of the time. My last year of school, when money was very tight, i opted for the 5-day rather than 7-day plan.

    A favourite was to have smoked sausage, port wine cheese and crackers. The school was very near the coast, so we'd sometimes go down to the fishing docks and get lobsters for $2. Once, when we had no money and were absolutely starving, we went periwinkling. They are very, very small snails or snail-like creatures.

    I also had the ubiquitous jar of peanutbutter, and i often simply fasted one of the two days. It was easier for me to eat enough six days and skip the seventh.

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  10. Around here it is ramen noodles. They are pretty good until you get the scurvy.

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    1. All you need is a kettle and some water.... perfect student food.

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  11. I was on the meal plan at school, so the food was pretty good, even if we didn't always know what we were eating. Mystery meat was what we called it. The dining hall was closed on Sundays, though, so we were on our own then. Ate a lot of tuna fish salad and little burgers. A place within walking distance of our dorm sold burgers at ten for a dollar. They were tiny, but a bag of them was plenty for my roommate and me.

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  12. MMmm leeks and sardines!
    You guys really knew how to live!

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  13. I can eat anything as long as there's a big puddle of ketchup to do with...

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    1. Tess, I'm the same about steak, pork chops, and chicken!

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  14. I remember covering ramen with catsup and calling spaghetti and my al time favorite ramen in taco shells sprinkled with taco sauce and calling them??????? Mexican????? Well the next morning it was Mexican sh..

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