“I could eat the apple in my bag, but that vending machine is full of chocolate. I’ll have the chocolate.”
Law students have the worst eating habits. Don’t believe me? Take a look at how we eat our way through the semester.
The All the Time in the World Diet
It’s the first few weeks of semester and you’re feeling pretty chilled. Your first assignment isn’t due for weeks and you’re still in holiday mode. You’re catching up with uni friends over long pro@crastinatory lunches and cooking up a gourmet storm at home – any food that takes a long time to prepare and eat is ideal. The longer it takes, the less time you’ll spend thinking about studying.
What’s on the menu? Pretty much anything that’s rich, complicated, and takes much longer to prepare than a packet of two-minute noodles. Oh, and there’s a lot of baking going on too.
The Accidental Take Away Diet
You’re about a month into semester now, and the deadlines for those assignments are starting to look a little too close for comfort. Being the responsible student that you are, you decide to spend the time between classes working on those looming assessments. But on the way to the library you run into a friend with the same idea. You agree that you’re both actually pretty hungry, and a quick take away meal before hitting the books couldn’t hurt. Plus the Vegemite sandwich in your bag was looking pretty boring anyway. Take away is somehow followed by chips, ice cream, coffee, etc. You waste as much time as the All the Time in the World Diet and consume even more food. Oops.
The Vending Machine Diet
That assignment is due this week. You barricade yourself in the law library and decide that you’re going to spend every available waking moment there. You’re too focused on your assignment to have packed lunch, so every meal comes from the faithful vending machine downstairs that conveniently accepts credit card. Surely some of the options are healthy?
The All-Nighter Diet
That assignment is still not done and it’s due tomorrow. Must. Stay. Awake. So it’s Red Bull, coffee, tea, Powerade, Coke, energy bar, Berocca. Maybe a Twix or a handful of red frogs too. Let the combination of caffeine, sugar and pure stress sustain you.
The House Arrest Diet
Your assignments are over but now exams are almost here… and you’re feeling pretty under-prepared. Locking yourself in your house for several blissful weeks devoted to study seems like a good plan. No time for cooking, it’s peanut butter toast and two-minute noodles for you.
The Post Exams Diet
Does it have alcohol in it? You want it.
The Post-Post Exams Diet
Combine one pair of sunglasses with quiet environment, two litres of water and paracetamol tablets. Greasy breakfast optional. Expect to find yourself thinking “detox”.
FROM THE ARCHIVES: This story was first published on Survive Law on 10 June 2011.
Enjoyed this post? Sign up for the Survive Law weekly newsletter for more.
Comments