Convenience stores, food trucks, a new on-campus food court called Houston Market and takeout establishments fill in the gaps for those who don't pack a lunch or make their own dinners. Our students come to campus much more knowledgeable and very, very independent. Healthful foods that cook quickly top his shopping list, supplemented by care packages of baked goods and convenience products sent by his parents. Cheung uses a rice cooker with a steamer basket to prepare rice, vegetables, bean thread noodles and precooked meats. Other residents keep Stouffer's seven kitchens humming from early morning until after midnight, making quesadillas, sausages and peppers, pastas, Chinese dishes, cookies and brownies.
Students give various reasons for choosing to cook.
Some have class, lab, athletics or job commitments that conflict with cafeteria hours. Another likes to prepare kosher meals for himself and his brother. Some foreign students pine for familiar foods. A few said they enjoy cooking for friends. Others, such as Lori Sass of St. Joseph's University, learned to cook at home or during a summer job and continues to experiment.