YouTube Video
Source: “5 College Dorm Recipes // Easy Meals to Make in a Dorm” by Katie Golan (college student) Sep 8, 2017
Text: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oYX1tR5wW1U
Texture: Katie provides recipes and real time tutorials for five items that typically those living in a dorm could make. She begins with eggs in a mug and only uses eggs, salt & pepper, and milk. This basic staple recipe provides an easy way for individuals to have a protein filled breakfast. Next, Katie teaches viewers how to create a yogurt parfait with a yogurt cup, granola, and fresh fruit. She then shows students the way to make a classic meal, pizza, in a mug. For this recipe, Katie includes flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, milk, olive oil, marinara, Italian seasoning, and cheese. The pizza requires a wider range of ingredients but most of which are kitchen basics/essentials. Katie also notes how this meal can be customized with depending on extra toppings available. Katie follows up with her simplest recipe of the bunch, popcorn. For this she recommends using popcorn kernels, butter, and white cheddar seasoning; Katie also uses a brown paper bag for mixing and microwave cooking. Katie’s final recipe is for avocado toast where she states you need bread, avocado, lime, pepper, butter, and egg (from recipe one) if desired.
Context: Katie’s chosen video title explicitly indicates her recipes are for college students, specifically those living in dorms. She uses the description box to explain how those without a kitchen, appliances, and plentiful ingredients can still make these recipes by only using a microwave. She recognizes that students have limited access to dining halls because of restricted hours and difficulty accessing off campus restaurants without a car. Katie’s experience as a student herself reveals her knowledge concerning the specific context; she knows that on top of all these kitchen constraints, students also have busy schedules and require quick, easy, and simple meal plans to stay on track.
Interpretation: Katie’s recipe YouTube video demonstrates the core concept of community. Her content is targeted at a very specific demographic, college students living in dorms with limited access to kitchen equipment and ingredients. The people she creates material for share a distinct brand of folklore; they can relate to one another because of their shared struggle and transfer recipes for each other to share and try. College students arrive already feeling lost and in search of social groups, receiving advice from others experiencing the same situation or those who have endured it in the past can feel comforting and relieve some of the transitional stress.
Final Thoughts
For my ethnography collection, I found it interesting to research college foodways, while attempting to focus on dorm recipes. Without access to plentiful kitchen equipment or supplies, students living on campus must get creative with what they have. One common thread I picked up on through my interviews was resourcefulness. Several students invested in niche cooking products that may seem simple but got them through their dorm years. Some examples were a silicone omelet device, a ramen cooking tool, an electric skillet, and a mini waffle maker. This equipment was seemingly designed for individuals requiring assistance in the kitchen when lacking typical amenities, perfect for the dorm-living college student. I also found it interesting to discover what eating habits or tendencies college students tend to share. Several informants mentioned the idea of proximity prominently affecting where they got their meals, like if it was easier to assemble something in the dorm or walk to the nearest dining hall. Students seemed to need the most efficient options to keep up with the intense demand of college life. With my information, I obtained a better understanding of how college students survive dorm life while gaining the responsibility of establishing new cooking and eating habits.
Bibliographic Notes
Branen, Laurel, and Janice Fletcher. “Comparison of College Students’ Current Eating Habits and Recollections of Their Childhood Food Practices.” Journal of Nutrition Education, vol. 31, no. 6, 1999, pp. 304–310., doi:10.1016/s0022-3182(99)70483-8.
This journal entry seeks to explain how the food habits of college students evolve as they enter their new space and how their previous childhood eating experiences may influence their decisions. The authors include several important food practices such as “eating all food on the plate, using food as an incentive, eating dessert, and eating regularly scheduled meals” which may all carry into dorm living and alter how students invent recipes and make essential meal decisions. Relating it to the work in my ethnographic project could prove helpful by providing an understanding into how prior knowledge can benefit or harm students as they set up their new lifestyle. Certain experiences may lend more helpful to dorm cooking creativity and resourcefulness depending on a certain student’s background.
Food Safety Tips for College Students. Revised July 2011. [Washington, D.C.]: United States Department of Agriculture, Food Safety and Inspection Service, 2011.
This material discusses common concerns and questions regarding food brought forth by college students when entering dorm life. I could apply this information to my research by considering how students typically learn certain food safety procedures. While transitioning into their new environment, students must consider responsibilities related to grocery shopping, meal prepping, packing lunches, and cooking for parties. This article provides relevant information that can help explain what unknown, unlearned factors may go unanswered and consequently affect the establishment of eating habits.