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Meals are looking a bit different during the pandemic. Although dining at restaurants may be on pause, that hasn't stopped members of the Penn community from enjoying a good meal. Food is much more than a combination of ingredients; it represents memories of time well spent.
In quarantine, many people have leaned into the comfort of homemade food as well as the convenience of takeout and quick recipes. Here are a few meals Street's multimedia department has been cooking up.
"For Sunday lunch, I reheated half a Salsiccia pizza from Barbuzzo, courtesy of Center City's Restaurant Week, and three fried pork and chive dumplings from Dim Sum Garden. When I'm craving convenience and tasty food, takeout has been a great option for me to try out Philly's diverse restaurant scene," said Sophia Dai (C'21).
“Vegan fried rice is one of my favorite comfort foods to cook. Spending time alone in my apartment kitchen has allowed me to experiment, reflect, and create dishes with a wide palette of colors and spices during a stressful and chaotic year. My journey through food is constantly evolving and shaping me into the person I am today,” said Sukhmani Kaur (C'22).
"These are homemade pan–fried pork dumplings. I wanted to make something that reminded me of home and my family, since I'm currently on campus in Philly," said Raymon Shi (C'22).
"I had leftover tacos for lunch with soft shell corn tortillas, beef, corn, onions, tomatoes, and salsa—and a cup of chocolate milk on the side! My Mondays are also super busy, so I usually eat whatever food is leftover from the weekends for Monday lunch," said Sally Chen (C'21).
"This is vegan cha shao bao, a Chinese bun that’s typically filled with pork, but is filled with tofu in this case. While it takes hours to make, the pillowy dough and the sugar water–glazed top makes it a perfectly filling and delicious afternoon snack," said Kylie Cooper (C'22).
"For dinner, I had a fried chicken sandwich on a homemade brioche bun with French fries and beans on the side. My brother missed going out to places like Wendy’s for fried chicken, so he took the initiative to remake the meal at home, with some help from the rest of the family," said Hannah Lazar (C'21).
"I made a butternut squash grilled cheese, served with jalapeño chips and a side of tomato soup. My housemates and I went apple picking this weekend, where we picked up a butternut squash sauce that has been great to use on bread, pasta, or anything else we can think of," said Sudeep Bhargava (C'22).
"Over the past couple weeks of quarantine, I’ve been having a bagel with avocado on one half and a scrambled egg on the other half for breakfast. I used to just put cream cheese on my bagels, but I’ve gotten really into avocados and trying other things on my bagels like smoked salmon or scrambled eggs and honey," said Mona Lee (E'21).
"This is a simple dinner I whipped together between Zoom classes: farfalle pasta with tomatoes and asparagus, and a colorful salad featuring peaches and avocados. I’ve found that making my meals look bold and vibrant actually improves my mood, so I’ve been working towards making the most striking dishes I can every night so that I can have a few moments of bliss and tranquility before logging on to another virtual class," said Sage Levine (C'22).
