Category Archives: Food & Travel

ATX / UT, Food & Travel

A Rant About Gluten-Free Dining

If you have a severe food allergy, you’re probably used to not having the best dining options. The person allergic to peanuts is used to not being able to have the peanut butter cookies for dessert. The lactose intolerant person knows to get the sorbet if their group goes out for ice cream and the gluten-free person asks for a burger with a lettuce wrap at In and Out. We know how to adjust. Since being gluten-free for the past few years, I’ve learned to roll with it. Do my friends want Whataburger? That’s fine; I’ll get french fries. Are we going out for pizza? If they don’t have a gluten-free crust, I’ll just get a salad. It’s pretty simple, for the most part, to avoid gluten. 

Since coming to college, I’ve been on a dining plan. My dorm has pretty good gluten-free options. There’s always gluten=free bread for toast or sandwiches, and on pancake day, they whip up some gluten-free pancakes (usually). Some meals don’t have a gluten-free option which is frustrating if I’m in the mood for an actual meal, not just a sandwich, or if the meal is really good and I can’t have it, but hey, beggars can’t be choosers. This was my mindset until my friends without dietary restrictions began to pity me. 

My friends got frustrated with my lack of dining options before I did. They began to say things like: “What do you mean they didn’t have a gluten-free option today?”, “Why wouldn’t that restaurant have gluten-free options? It’s so common now,” and “That sucks that you never get to have the dessert.”  Eventually, after listening to all their pity comments, I became a little frustrated. I pay the exact same amount for my dining plan as they do, but I probably have half of the options they do. There are four types of bread and four types of bagels for them every day. I have one. They can choose between ravioli, spaghetti, or penne on past nights, while I get the same gluten-free pasta that’s never cooked right and always a bit stiff and cold. I truly appreciate the options that I have, especially compared to the options five years ago, but still, it would be nice to have at least close to the same amount of options as everyone else.

Gluten-free food often costs more than the regular options, which is fine. I understand that the products can be more expensive and difficult to obtain, but it’s just ridiculous at times. For example, I used to get chicken fried rice from a place that charged an extra $5 for gluten-free. Want to know what they did to make it gluten-free? They just didn’t add soy sauce. So I paid $5 for them to remove an ingredient. 

Let me reiterate: I am so grateful for the options that I do have. When people go out of their way to make sure I have something to eat it means the world to me. I don’t mean to sound ungrateful because I’m not. I just want to be able to have a hot meal option for every meal at the dorm, where I pay for a hot meal option at every meal, and I don’t want to have to pay so much extra for a simple modification. 

Featured Image By Allison Geddie

Food & Travel

What You Favorite Flavor of Ice Cream Says About You

With summer just on the horizon, many will be heading to the ice cream aisle. Perhaps you already have a favorite or want to try something new. Whichever one you choose all depends on you (and your personality).

Strawberry

Photo Courtesy – TheCulinaryGeek on WordPress

Even if it’s a basic flavor, it takes maturity to like strawberry ice cream. Although, maybe you just love strawberries. Either way, it’s quite a unique choice since many people don’t like it and refuse to eat fruit in a dessert. They’re most likely children (at least mentally), which you are not. Congrats on growing up!

Coffee

Photo Courtesy – Veganbaking.net

I wouldn’t be surprised if you were reading this at Starbucks. If not, you just added “get coffee” to your to-do list. Not only can you not function without coffee, but you also need it as a soft-served dessert. I hope you aren’t sleep-deprived, but maybe you’re already sipping on a latte after last night’s exam cramming. 

Matcha

Photo Courtesy – Leng Cheng on WordPress

Matcha is a very distinct flavor, which not everyone’s taste buds enjoy. You’re definitely open to new things and aren’t afraid of risks. You also appreciate food from different cultures, enjoying all types of meals. Maybe you’re picky about matcha lattes. Although, can’t blame you for wanting the right, authentic matcha taste.

Cookies and Cream

Photo Courtesy – pkingDesign on WordPress

You haven’t let go of your childhood favorite, bringing you comfort during troubling times. You give me “chicken nuggets” vibes when you order from a new restaurant. Ordering something new is a risk you just can’t take. Hey, better safe than sorry, right? Nobody can stop you from choosing what you love.

Mint Chocolate Chip

Photo Courtesy – gordonramsaysubmissions on WordPress

You have a strong personality, clapping back at mint chip haters. You’re also laid-back, not caring about what others think. You grab the mint chip ice cream with ease from the freezer, happy about your decision. Will your friends and siblings judge? Maybe. You gladly enjoy every bite, no matter the evil glares. I salute you, mint chocolate chip fans. 

No matter which one you choose, I hope it helps cool you down during the hot days ahead of us. But, just know, I might be judging just a little. 

Featured Image By Andrea Arias-Zarate

ATX / UT, Community, Food & Travel

Top Snacks For College Students

Snacks are an essential component of the college experience. Whether you have a stash of  Oreos and popcorn or yogurt and almonds in your dorm, I can almost guarantee every college student has their favorite snacks on hand right now. I asked UT students to share their top snacks, and I got a multitude of responses. So, if you’re looking to add some variety to your snack collection, then this is a great place to start!

I was not surprised to discover Oreos, chips, gummy candy and goldfish were popular answers among the students I spoke to. All of these snacks have a wide range of flavors to choose from, which makes them appealing to a larger audience. In addition, these are the types of snacks that never get old because the second you get tired of one flavor, you can switch to the next one.

On the more nutritious side, many students said they keep a healthy supply of Greek yogurt, trail mix and granola bars. Greek yogurt can be more of a hassle to carry around, but trail mix and granola bars are great to take with you on the go. 

Again, depending on your preferences, you can choose different toppings for your yogurt, switch out raisins for m&ms in your trail mix or go for a fruit-filled granola bar instead of your usual chocolate chip and peanut butter combo.

There were definitely some outliers in the responses that are worth an honorable mention. Some people specifically mentioned lucky charms, peanut m&ms, Milano cookies and dried mango slices.

I can’t end the article without sharing some of my own picks for snacks. Of course, I always keep cashews, brookside chocolates and white cheddar popcorn. I’m definitely excited to use my research to diversify my snack selection the next time I’m at Target, though!

Featured Image By Matilda Herrera Ramirez

ATX / UT, Community, Food & Travel

How to Budget Your Dine-In Dollars

At this point in the semester, most of my friends are either dangerously close to running out of dine-in dollars or have more money than they know what to do with. I’m somewhere in the middle with around $150 dine-in dollars out of $300. 

Even though I drink copious amounts of coffee and have trouble resisting the urge to grab peanut M&M’s every time I pass Kins Market, I limit myself to a weekly budget.

Here are my tips for creating and sticking to a budget so you can ration your dine-in dollars to last all semester.

First things first: determine where you typically spend all of your money. For example, I spend most of my dine-in dollars at the different Starbucks locations around campus. 

I could easily see myself grabbing a coffee before classes in the morning and another one to keep me motivated during my afternoon study sessions. However, I try to limit myself to three coffees a week. That puts me at 15 dine-in dollars a week. With about 15 weeks of classes in the semester, I spend about $225 on coffee each semester. 

That leaves me with $75  of non-coffee money. I can use this to grab an energy drink from Kins Market or fries and lemonade from the Union Chick-Fil-A on my way to class. I can also usually sneak in an extra coffee every other week and the occasional chocolate croissant.

This budgeting tactic can apply to any amount of dine-in dollars you have left. So Whether you have $50  or $450, figure out one place where you do/can spend most of your money and budget it out every week. This’s the easiest way to both save your money if you’re running low or use it up if you’ve got cash to spend!

Featured Image By Liliana Garcia

ATX / UT, Community, Food & Travel

The Ballroom at Spider House

Almost every day, I pass by The Ballroom at Spider House on 29th St. Under the light bulb-rimmed sign that reads “BALLROOM” are the words “Bar and Cafe; Come on in.” I was intrigued by the seeming randomness of the building, so I googled it a few times, but I still couldn’t really tell what this place was. Could you sit and do homework there? Is it more of a bar or a coffee shop? At what point in the day does it switch from a coffee shop to a bar? So, finally, my friends and I decided to venture in. 

As we walked into the bar area, sunlight flooded through the front door, lighting up a usually dimly lit room. Seeing a bar in broad daylight doesn’t seem right, but the atmosphere was pleasant nonetheless. We ordered our drinks and sat in the Ballroom to get some homework done. I definitely recommend the dirty horchata with cold brew if that’s your cup of coffee. If not, they have all the usual coffee drinks. My friends enjoyed their cold brew, both plain and with oat milk. The coffee and alcohol prices are reasonable, and I feel that it’s worth noting that when they said my coffee was five dollars, they charged me five dollars flat. That was just a nice bonus.  

The Ballroom is, first and foremost, not a study space. Most of the tables inside are small hightops meant for the night scene the area usually accommodates. There is a nice patio with picnic tables and Wi-Fi access, but it has no coverage. Instead, it’s an event venue meant to host comedians and bands. Inside  you’ll find a stage with a movie screen where they play cult classics all day and three arcade games in one of the room’s corners. Lights strung across the ceiling reflect off a spinning disco ball in the center, softly lighting up the room. This is a space meant to be seen at night, but you can absolutely enjoy it at any time. 

The Ballroom used to connect to Spider House Cafe, which opened in 1995. And sadly, it closed in March 2020 due to the impact of COVID-19. The cafe used to be a funky place to enjoy coffee, food trucks, and a nice patio, but now lives on through The Ballroom. You can still enjoy Arlo’s, a food truck on The Ballroom’s patio that serves plant-based burgers and tacos if you need some food with your coffee. For more information about upcoming events at The Ballroom, visit their website here.

Featured Image By Matilda Herrera Ramirez