One of the challenges of living off campus is figuring out what to eat. You may think you would never miss dining hall food, but where else can you get the convenience of several main meals, appetizers, fruit and veggies, and desserts? Meanwhile, I’m left with questions like: Where should I go grocery shopping? What should I buy? How do I cook this food? Why is my kitchen filling up with smoke? All these thoughts can really add stress to the collegiate™ life. However, as time has gone on, I definitely can see my meals improving. I no longer even have to worry about setting off the fire alarm. After trial and error, and a little research, I have figured out a few things that I can share with all of you.
First, where is the best place to go grocery shopping? I’m of the opinion that there is not one particular place that has the best of everything. So, if you want to get good food and stay on budget, you should be willing to try out different grocery stores.
Around campus, there are several options for food shopping, including Shaws (Star Market), Trader Joes, Johnnie’s Market, and, slightly further away, Whole Foods.
Shaws
Located at 1065 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston MA 02215 and 33 Kilmarnock Street, Boston, MA 02215
Pros: Best variety of food, fresh produce, and a good rewards program
Cons: Their frozen food and packaged goods tend to be on the expensive side
Trader Joes
Located at 1317 Beacon St, Brookline MA 02446
Pros: Amazingly cheap frozen food and packaged goods
Cons: Their produce and bread goes bad really quickly, meat is very expensive, and most of their fish comes frozen
Johnnie’s Fresh Market
Located at 1026-1028 Beacon St, Brookline MA 02445
Pros: Cheap but good meat, awesome deli and sandwich bar, and a good way to support local businesses
Cons: A smaller selection of food
Whole Foods
Located at 15 Westland Avenue, Boston, MA 02115 and 15 Washington Street, Brighton, MA 02135
Pros: Best place for fresh fish (both wild caught and farmed), and tons of organic food
Cons: Expensive
Finally, for resources on how to cook, check out www.allrecipes.com, which has tons of recipes along with ratings and comments from the online community. Remember, practice makes perfect, so get cooking.