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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
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you needed a ADMINISTRATION:
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CADE MIC DEA
griculture — 845
chitecture and
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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
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- 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
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WELCOME BACK AGGIES
COQCfiV /hop ~
mEny wearI
c
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