1) the feeling of being confused or overwhelmed
2) the feeling of lightheadedness when hungry
$18.90 LUNCH SPECIAL, the sign read. And my mind went back to Friday when, with a grumbling stomach and low blood sugar, I left Building 1 and beelined to Breadtop for a snack. My usual BBQ pork bun wasn’t there, and most of the savoury foods were now probably in the pits of full stomachs. So, I made my way to a popular sushi place, but after one glance, I was headed for the station, head spinning, hands shaking. $5 for one sushi roll! Remember when it used to cost $3? Dizziness, that’s all I felt. Perhaps a bit of numbness too, as my legs burned and pounded on the pavement, the Grand Concourse a blur of beige in front of me.
In the middle of a long uni day, students need quick, healthy and affordable food to sustain their bodies and their minds. The problem is that most places don’t offer food that has all 3 of these qualities. Often sleep-deprived from working on assignments or distracted by things going on in our lives, we need food to give us the energy we’re lacking. Even if we bring food from home, we still may need to eat something else before we leave. Our brains use up so much energy, and before we realise it, we’re hungry again. However, all too often I hear, or I say: I’ve been spending so much money on food.
How is it that we’re ashamed to spend money on food, when it’s a basic necessity?
Something needed for survival?
The antidote to the dizziness I felt on Friday?
The concerning thing is that if we really think about the food we buy, it’s often not a large quantity of food for the amount we’re paying.
1. We need quick food.
Uni students are often on a time crunch. So many of us are speeding from one class in Building 5 to the next in Building 11. Sometimes, we only have half an hour between classes, and during peak lunch traffic, that could be the entire time you’re waiting for your food. Too many of us are getting Maccas - satisfied but not fuelled. This leads me to my second point – what’s the difference between those two?
2. We need healthy food.
Healthy food is not necessarily a leafy green salad. It’s a balanced meal with at least protein, complex carbs and vegetables. Protein propels your metabolism, meaning the food you eat can be processed by your body into energy, and supports a strong immune system, which is vital for keeping you healthy during assessment and exam season. Complex carbs (e.g. wholegrains, beans and potatoes) fuel your brain, give you energy and boost your mood, which can help you focus better. Vegetables are a good source of minerals and vitamins, helping maintain your health and immune system, especially as we approach winter, and can help reduce blood sugar, which may spike as a result of eating refined carbs (e.g. pasta, bread, cereal).
3. We need cheap food.
Most uni students cannot afford to pay for food that is worth their hourly wage. Especially for students that have morning to evening classes every day, packing three full and healthy meals every day OR buying three meals in this economy every day, is NOT sustainable. Many students also live out of home in order to attend UTS, and these students have to pay for rent, go to uni, pay for uni, cook for themselves, pay for groceries…you get the picture. If the physical time constraints aren't enough, the mental strain of having to independently care for yourself while so many other things are grabbing your attention is enough. Money worries, especially for food on or around campus, should be mitigated. I’m not saying that everything should be less than $5, but for food to appeal to uni students, the price should also be accessible and realistic.
4. We need a good portion.
Linking to point 2, we eat so that we can work to our full capacity, so that we can pass our classes, get our degrees and get jobs. Therefore, we need to be full and sufficiently fuelled. Linking to points 1 and 3, if we’re paying for food, we want that food to fill us for a while, so we don’t waste time buying food more frequently or waste money on food that doesn’t fill us. Have you noticed that time and money are often our biggest concerns when it comes to uni? I need to stay home and work on this assignment. My uni subjects are so expensive. I need to work more so that I can pay the rent. I’ve been spending so much money on food. So basically, a full stomach fuels your career.
In light of this, here are some places that graciously meet all 4 requirements, in order of walking distance away from UTS!
UTS Underground* (UTS Campus; Building 1, Level 3) - $5.50 lunch special EVERY DAY 12-2 PM (Different cuisines and great portions each day – go check it out!)
Spice Alley Outdoor Food Court (4 mins walk from Building 1; 18-20 Kensington Street, Chippendale) - $10 selected dish, changing each week, at every Spice Alley vendor (except Happy Endings Thai Dessert Bar) (offer ends December 31!)
Marrickville Pork Roll (12 mins walk from Building 1; 16 Steam Mill Lane, Haymarket) - $10 banh mi (There’s often a long line. It moves quickly, but if you can, go early!)
Chon Siam Thai Restaurant** (12 mins walk from Building 1, 5 mins walk from Central Station; 83 Campbell Street, Haymarket) - $8.50 for boat noodle soup (thin rice noodles with pork or beef, Chinese kale and a spicy broth!)
Baba Wu’s Dumplings (14 mins walk from Building 1, 4 mins walk from Central Station; 230 Elizabeth Street, Surry Hills) - $5 for 12 dumplings (Go early or you most likely will have to wait 15 mins - but it’s worth it!)
Honourable mentions are Chef Chen’s Dumplings in Haymarket, Dumplings & MoMo House in Surry Hills, UniBros at the UTS Campus Food Court (Building 2), and, of course, for a quick snack, Breadtop in Ultimo!
*recommendation taken from @utsengage
**recommendation taken from @seeshots
Has that dizziness melted away? Do you feel your head swivel back into normality, into safety, away from the $18.90 lunch special and into the warmth of $5 dumplings and the sun-drenched walk to get them?
I hope so.
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