While living in the dorms, a majority of NMU’s student population can agree on one thing: Northern Lights Dining sucks. Often there are long lines, undercooked food and a side of salmonella. Not very appetizing, especially given it’s one of your only sources of food while living on campus.  

Now that I’m an off campus commuter student, I began to think and say things freshman year Megan would’ve never thought she’d say. I miss NLD.

When I started my schooling here at NMU, I was used to home-cooked meals made by my mom. They’d be ready for me after I came home from a sports practice. Much like the meals made by my mom, NLD was always, for the most part, hot and ready for me when I walked into the doors. 

This ease was something I didn’t recognize while I was an on campus student. And now that I’ve left the nest of NMU campus living, I’ve come face to face with the horrors of adult life. 

Now, not only do I have to cook my own food, I also have to drive to the grocery store and purchase it. 

When I made the decision to live off campus, I was aware that this was a factor, but naive me didn’t think about how much time it would take. Now I have to allocate planning meals, shopping for ingredients, prep work, cooking and cleaning into my schedule.

I’ve been living off-campus and out of my childhood home for over a year. I wish I could say it gets easier. Now I feel like I fall into the same routine of what I eat, I get bored of it, and then I have to brainstorm more ideas. 

Using resources like Tiktok and Google help sometimes, but most nights I simply don’t have time to make a creamy risotto that takes over an hour to make. I also refuse to look at food blogs that make me dig to get to the recipe, because the author goes into a background story about how their great grandpappy loved the recipe during the war. 

As I shop the grocery store aisles, I think back to a time where instead of scanning my debit card, I used my NMU ID card to get what I needed. 

While you’re an on campus student, enjoy the readily available meals you can access at any time, because some day it’ll be you in the kitchen saucing something up. 

NLD may not be the best dining experience, but it’s somehow better than Tech’s dining hall, so remember, things could be worse. 

And for those students who are thinking about making the transition to living off campus, remember, it’s great to have your own place, but with that comes responsibilities further than just paying your bills. Take some time to sit down with your parents, or even your roommates, to discuss how you can help better prepare yourself for meal planning and shopping. I wish I would’ve listened to my mom more when she said it’s harder than it looks. 

Of course, there are meal plans for commuting students, but I refuse to get one. The university is already getting an arm and a leg from me, they don’t need any more of my money.