Ask the SAIS Guy/Ask the SAIS Girl

November 30, 2009 | Observer Staff | Comments 0

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Dear SAIS Guy:

I’m mired in my first semester at SAIS and I can’t find time to cook. Any ideas?
- Ravenous in Rome

Dear Ravenous in Rome:
They didn’t tell you in the SAIS calendar, but a serious (and common) side-effect of starting graduate school is cooking regress-itis. This is the technical term for regression to the state of a college junior who lives on cafeteria pizza slices and anything they can scrounge from events in the Kenney Auditorium. Those of us who can’t kick the problem by second term discover that empanada store on Connecticut and argue that a different filling constitutes an entirely different meal.

I’ve heard all the arguments. It’s the evening classes on Mondays and Tuesdays; I live way out in Bethesda; I only have a hot plate; the macro mid-term is coming up. The bottom line is that sophisticated, urban SAIS students preparing for future leadership should not be eating yogurt past 8pm, nor should we eat the same thing four days a week.

However, there is a rare breed of students out there who have found a path out of this quagmire. I’ve searched them out asked them their suggestions on meal ideas and strategies that can cure your problem. This ain’t your mama’s cooking, but it should be a step up from what you’ve been having.

Use that slow-cooker: These contraptions aren’t just for Sunday lunches with your family, they are actually a very simple way to cook healthily. You can mix the ingredients before going to sleep and turn it on before you leave for school. When you arrive home the next evening, supper will be ready to go.

Pre-cut your vegetables: Set aside a bit of time on the weekend to prepare vegetables for the upcoming week. That way you can do the clean up only once and have fresh food at-hand. These are also perfect as a substitute for those Doritos if you need a snack.

Cook larger batches and then store them for later: Just don’t use this as an excuse to eat the same thing Monday through Friday.

George Forman Grill: While they may be a bit of a pain to clean, the Forman Grill was invented with the student in mind. Why? Because the big man himself says so.

Canned Tuna from Trader Joe’s: Great tuna at a good price can be used to create salads, dips, and grilled patties (assuming you like tuna).

Curing your cooking regress-itis will take several weeks, and may only happen after midterms. In the meantime, my advice would be to stay away from Five Guys (food coma anyone?) and embrace the $2 discount at Baja Fresh (just remember to fill out that survey online and bring the receipt back!). If worse comes to worse look for the Southeast Asia studies lunch on Wednesdays, it’s by far the best. Strategy and Policy only has brownies.

Jamie Huckabay is a second year M.A. candidate in Canadian Studies

Dear SAIS Gal:

My first semester is going pretty well, but from what the second-years tell me, my workload is going to be like the cafeteria during cookie hour: caffeinated and jam-packed. During undergrad people at my college usually hibernated in the library to get all their work done. I will go crazy if I spend my whole week reading Arroyo’s Monetary notes alone in the newspaper room and talking to myself about intertemporal trade. What’s a girl to do? 
- Fearing Waking Up Drooling in the Library

“Being a graduate student is like becoming all of the Seven Dwarves. In the beginning you’re Dopey and Bashful. In the middle, you are usually sick (Sneezy), tired (Sleepy), and irritable (Grumpy). But at the end, they call you Doc, and then you’re Happy.”
- Ronald T. Azuma

Granted, most of us aren’t getting doctorates, but these stages definitely still apply. I myself am already into the Sleepy and Grumpy stage, and it’s only three weeks into the semester. According to the deluge of official Hopkins emails, my likely infection with swine flu–thus the Sneezy stage–is also right around the corner. I’m not going to discuss how you too can prevent swine flu. However, avoiding sleeping and grumpiness, as much as possible, is key to success in your academic work and your relationships with your classmates. No one wants to be shunned from their Corporate Finance group for snarling or falling asleep during your collaborations.

How to keep a little bit of joy in your life?

Many SAIS students enjoy kicking back with a beer (or several) at happy hour on Friday, which is definitely one of the best deals in the neighborhood. Where else can you go to get cheap drinks and eats? Wing Night on Tuesdays at the Big Hunt is a well-known classic for imbibing on a grad student budget. Cafe Citron, also on Connecticut, has cheap drink specials every night of the week.

Get a Zipcar, or a friend with a car, and get out of town for a while. Last year, I went to a Haunted Farm out in Maryland, and it was great to hang out with friends (and scream in the woods).

Set aside some time to exercise. Your body and mind will thank you, especially if you’ve been sitting at one of the eighth floor carrels all day long. Contact Richard Kaufman if you want to join the SAIS running club. 

This semester, I took the time to make a master reading list for all my classes, and a calendar plotting out all my work for the semester. Nerdy, I know. However, I’m much more on top of my game than I have been in previous semesters. Now that I’m starting to apply for jobs for next year, each extra moment counts. This method also allows me to schedule time when I don’t have to think about school.

Hulu.com. This free service allows you to watch tv programs on your computer. I personally like Arrested Development as a good distraction from reality.

Erin Kelley is a second year M.A. candidate in Middle East Studies and Development Economics.

Filed Under: September 2009