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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 3, 1979)
indents ‘iron sandwiches rs ication £S THE BATTALION Page 3C MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 1979 Popcorn poppers, coffee pots, used to cook ‘legally’ in dorms By CAROLYN BLOSSER Battalion Staff ooldng is prohibited in Texas s dormitories, but as the say- eoes, when the cat’s away the swill play. itiiscase the cat is the resident adviser (RA) and the mice are «students who are not on board or those who are just tired of the same old cafeteria food. For them cooking in the dorm is a skillfull game where the main rule is to not get caught. And the veteran players rely on their resourcefulness to whip up tasty delicacies. The only kitchen appliances al lowed in dorm rooms are coffee pots, “hot pots,” popcorn poppers and blenders. But there are a vari- mrmns ropes IS * i tf DS ill enrick F our ■ for scie ptem is easy you needed a ADMINISTRATION: ‘ er, but you Office of the President — 845- >ry? To help 2217 1-0 oi-o como Vice n»-oci/toTir 6-i»- Aoorloroio A C_ low often have pus phone nuj dnt find a dire< the problem, ] ibers you ma; it Texas A&M. j dial on the to another pi use the last ober. An exa ill to call the m room. Off- e to dial the •2611. To call for a dial tone nber. To get < rator dial 7. lege Station tfor the tone, •ampus 111. The nber for fire or ^ <y / CADE MIC DEA griculture — 845 chitecture and ign-845-1221 Vice President for Agriculture cam- and Renewable Resources — 845- on campus, 4417 e digits of the Vice President for Business Af- ple would be fairs — 845-1911 ittalion from a Vice President for Development students -845-7123 tire number: Vice President for Student Serv- dial 9, ices — 845-4728 dial the GENERAL LISTINGS: on-campus Admissions — 845-1031 Corps Guard Room — 845-6471 Health Center — 845-1511 Housing Office — 845-4744 for on cy number is campus and 845-1741 for off- emergency campus. 911. Finacial Aid Office — 845-3236 Fiscal Department — 845-6711 International Students Adviser —- •3711 Enviromental brmed a nittee a both a rvices ti tmarf, lis year, d first 1 States, usmess duration - ngineering eo sciences iraduate — iberal Arts edicine fence — ■ - 845-5821 Library — 845-3733 MSC Box Office — 845-2916 Personal Counseling Center Placement Office — 845-6551 Student Activities — 845-1134 Student Affairs — 845-3111 Student Government — 845-3051 Student Locator — 845-4741 Student Programs Office — 845- 1515 ety of ways to cook with these “legal” appliances. Many old popcorn poppers re semble a metal pot. With a little added grease, they are transformed into deep fryers to make biscuits and donuts. Most of the newer popcorn pop pers have a Teflon skillet at the bot tom. Some students use this handy “hot plate” to scramble eggs, fry ba con, toast bread, brown ground meat for tacos, and make nachos. The rules for cooking in the RA manual say that “popcorn poppers are to be used for the exclusive pur pose of preparing popcorn.” Coffee pots and “hot pots” can be used to boil water only for coffee, tea, hot chocolate and instant soup. Many students use their “hot pots” to cook hard-boiled eggs and hot dogs. One student, who wished to remain unidentified, gave her re cipe for “uncooked” cookies: Boil sugar, cocoa and milk together, then add crunchy peanut butter, coconut and oatmeal. Spoon it out to harden while cooling and you’ll have delici ous, nutritious cookies, she said. Other tricks of dorm cooking seem a little far out, such as “iron ing” a grilled cheese sandwich. This is done by putting a piece of cheese between two slices of bread, the top one buttered, and placing an iron over it. While the butter is cooking and browning the bread, the cheese melts in the middle. Some students have even tried cooking canned vegetables by run ning hot water over them in the sink. The real pros of the cooking game usually don’t bother with the “legal” appliances, though. They will smuggle sophisticated equipment such as broiler ovens, hot plates and grills into their rooms. Then any thing from frozen pot pies, cookies and fish sticks to steak and baked potatoes might be on the dinner menu. RA s can confiscate any illegal cooking equipment they see in a room. But without the cooperation of those involved, it’s almost impos sible to enforce the no-cooking rules. When an RA knocks, resi dents usually have time to hide their cooking appliances before opening the door. No matter how strong the odor, they can simply deny they were cooking, since RAs cannot search the rooms in some of the dorms. Sandy Rentel, an RA in Spence dorm, said that the majority of girls she has caught have admitted they were cooking even though their appliances were hidden. Most residents stuff a towel or blanket under the door and cook by an open window to minimize the smells. Nevertheless, cooking odors frequently linger through dorm halls. “I’ve gone down halls and smelled stuff but can’t tell where it’s coming from,” said Julia Humphries, head resident of Spence. She said some residents think they should be able to cook on window boxes, arguing that it’s cooking “outside the dorm.” Other residents say that popcorn poppers are messier than the little utensils specially designed for mak ing hamburgers and hot dogs. They argue that if one is allowed, the others should be too. “The more utensils you have in the dorm, the more chance you’ll have that something will happen,” Rentel said. “You have to draw the line somewhere. If you give people an inch, they’re going to find ways to stretch it. “They’re lucky they get hot pots and popcorn poppers,” she said. There are a variety of dishes and snacks residents can mix up in their rooms without cooking, including jello, pudding, fruit salads, green salads, tuna fish and ice box pies. So if you find yourself getting sick of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, try out some of these “legal recipes” to spice up your life: Cheese Popcorn - immediately after popcorn is popped, sprinkle grated Velveeta cheese over it and toss it like a salad to melt the cheese throughout the whole batch. If your tastebuds crave more flavor, pour in a dash of tobasco sauce. Bartlett’s Ice Box Pie - mix to gether frozen pink lemonade, con densed milk and Dreamwhip. Pour into graham cracker crust and chill. Graham Cracker Cookies - mix together condensed milk, lemon juice and powdered sugar to an icing consistency. Spread over graham crackers and chill. Share these cookies and you’ll make quick friends in the dorm. Soup s on Risa DeLosSantos, a senior in microbiology, uses her popcorn popper legally as she fixes herself an afternoon snack. Other residents have learned how to stretch the uses of the three “legal” appliances they may have in their dorms. Some quick dinners include grilled-iron sandwiches and ironed steaks. Battalion photo by Lynn Bianco if Hen athology :ate. as her she wet! as una e she nswer ti t doors ne in. ie foundj nts “scaii on all i my co overed » slowdt were ■e in placed, ork in I’ve ft' i rewi said, d the blr. Mil jods, I Butter AL ING NNE f my WELCOME BACK AGGIES COQCfiV /hop ~ mEny wearI c WATCH FOR OUR AGGIE VICTORY DISCOUNTS SERVICES include: SANITONE DRY CLEANING COMPLETELY FINISHED LANDRY OR WASH DRY AND FOLD. ONE DAY SERVICE ON REQUEST - NO EXTRA CHARGE SAVE 25-35% at these CAMPUS LOCATIONS Dorm Service Building Complete Washateria Washers 35c Dryers 25c Phone 846-2131 6 a.m.-2 a.m. Old Hospital Building Complete Washateria Washers 35c Dryers 25c Phone 846-1903 Open 24 hrs. (Victory discounts not offered at on-campus locations) 2617 South Texas Ave. 822-1583 Ridgecrest Shopping Center 3502 Texas