Ten-dollar matchas, J2 mush, and an undercurrent of eating struggles. It can be frustrating when I try to talk to my peers about food. I often find myself wondering if anyone is “normal” about it. At the gym, my male friends confess that they eat one meal a day to stay lean, a population that I think gets glossed over when we talk about food issues. With my female friends, it’s a juggle of enjoying sweet treats, then shaming ourselves afterwards.
These encounters are exhausting. Trying to strike a balance of healthy, affordable, close, and good company when eating can feel like a fool’s quest. I can feel myself becoming more aware and critical of how I look, a backward slip from the progress I’ve made in the past. But are freshmen truly doomed to pack on an extra fifteen pounds or embrace eating problems in their first year? Here are my reads on the factors:Â
Recovery in the context of college is both a scary and liberating process. As a freshman, it’s been my first time completely on my own, with control over all of my meals. At first, the freedom was nauseating. I could have ice cream for breakfast, skip dinner if I didn’t feel like it, or try new places all over the city. It’s been a trial for my wallet too. I confess to you, dear reader, that I have slowly depleted my savings account one açai bowl at a time. Quickly approaching the end of my second semester, I have learned the very hard lesson that if you don’t budget, you will pay for it later.
Pressures in Austin also impact my experience around food. In San Antonio, where I grew up, an estimated 77% of the population is overweight. Moving to Austin showed me a starkly different standard. Even though the two cities are only an hour apart, the way people’s bodies look is different here. I think there are benefits, such as the larger emphasis on exercise and eating fresh foods, but when you move to a new environment, it’s normal to want to acclimate. When I see people walking around in SoCo in their size-zero Alo sets, I wonder about their relationships with food.Â
The quality of food in Austin is different from San Antonio, too. On campus, access to fresh fruit is limited. In the dining halls, you can choose between an apple or a banana, or various other frozen and canned produce. At Target, the only grocery store walking distance from me, a singular mango can cost more than four dollars. This has made it hard for me to enjoy the foods I’m used to in a financially approachable way.
Overall, I am still acclimating to the new beauty standards, restaurants, prices, and conversations around food in Austin as a college student. I encourage anyone struggling with food to seek help and support on campus.
