"Crepes"

I'm discovering a couple things that help me feel good while living on a tight budget.  There's not a lot of money for extra activities or purchases, but I have to eat no matter what...so I've turned to the ritual of the meal as my main source of pleasure throughout the week.  Cooking and eating are extremely comforting, satisfying, and made to be shared with friends.  An automatic social activity :)  I eat a lot of beans and rice and regularly make a big pot of curry out of one vegetable, but every once in awhile it's nice to have a meal that's a little out of the ordinary.

A little while ago some friends and I watched To Catch a Thief; have you seen it?  It's an Alfred Hitchcock film set in the French Riviera starring Cary Grant and Grace Kelly, so every scene is shot amidst stunning landscapes.  I was thinking about it this morning, and it put me in a very French mood, so I donned some stripes and a necktie a la Grant, threw on a bit of french music, and decided I wanted crepes for breakfast.  Alas, the budget demands that eggs are saved for main dishes and butter is rationed.  Also, I don't currently own a blender, which is the best way to mix up crepe batter (Julia Child's recommendation).  So, I turned to corn tortillas as a crepe substitute.  Obviously not the same thing, but they were still delicious.  Actually corn tortillas have become a staple in my diet this month.  A big pack goes for about a $1.50, so they're a great substitute for bread, which is more expensive and doesn't last as long, and they're super versatile.  I topped them with ricotta (the one grocery trip splurge), peaches - which are way cheaper in Kentucky than they were in Wisconsin (awesome) - sauteed with water and honey so they got all thick and syrupy, and sprinkled on lemon zest and rosemary.  So good.

Stretch, Scrimp, and Spare

This month I have decided to embrace the spirit of the poor, graduate student stereotype.  I'm enjoying UK so far, but it turns out their administrative communication and organization are weak.  The other new TA's and I were informed we won't start receiving our stipend (which is essentially our income, especially as we've just arrived and haven't had time to find more work) until a month and a half after school started.  Yeesh.  Well, I can challenge myself to live a frugality-themed month.  There are a couple small things that would be nice to take care of...for instance, the front light on my bike broke, and instead of replacing it I had to tape a small flashlight to my handlebars.  I don't own a pair of pants without a huge whole in the inner thigh area.  Also, I don't own any forks.  I have four knives and one spoon.  Why?  How?  Who knows the answer to these mysterious questions.  But these small things can all wait.  Except the forks, maybe, because that's starting to get awkward.  I had a friend over for dinner the other night and we had to keep washing the spoon.  Anyway, when I first arrived here I felt super stressed about all this (I literally only had $30 one weekend) but the trick is to stay focused on the fact that it's temporary, because then it all just seems ridiculous and makes me laugh.   One morning I told Trish about my pitiful breakfast of a banana and half a tomato, and she replied "Wow, a veritable feast."  That really cracked me up, and I've felt fine ever since.  So!  For the rest of September I will be searching out all things that Lexington has to offer at free or low-cost prices, and also attempting to cook on a lower budget than usual without resorting to solely eating beans from a can.

It's great to be in this situation with student status because there are lots facilities and opportunities available for free.  Well, I guess the idea is that you're paying for them with thousands of dollars of tuition, but I'm not, so there you go.  The other day I went to hang out at the main library on campus.  My jaw dropped when I first saw this building, and I assumed it was something for athletics because it looked impressive.  It feels bigger than it is (it's very large) because it stands on top of a hill, and there's nothing immediately surrounding it.  It has a really cool glass dome at the top that lets in a lot of light, and is stuffed with books, comfy chairs, private desks and lamps, group tables, and a cafe area.  Cool!