Eating for Free in College
Eating for free was always in my blood, even before I knew what Freeganism was. Back in college, I usually ate two or four free meals a week. I’m sure that number would have been higher had I dumpster dived. That goes a long way towards saving money, which is always good, and especially good in college. This food wasn’t always going to waste, but it was always free.
Control F
Every day, my school sent out a daily email newsletter with announcements, initiatives, and events. While I am not at all one for being on mailing lists, I am one for free food. Control F became my best friend.
As soon as I opened the newsletter I would type Control+ F, then search “food” “free” “lunch” “dinner” “breakfast” “snacks” “appetizers” and “eat”. This would help me find events that were serving breakfast, lunch, dinner, or snacks.
Lunch n’ Learn something new
There was a catch. Most of the time, it was a presentation with lunch provided. This ranged anywhere from a lecture on a field of study to a senior thesis to an informational session on a study abroad program. Having to sit through these might seem like a bit of a pain, but I actually grew to like them quite a bit. It offered me an opportunity to learn about a new subject and was a fun way to break up the day.
Even though I had to commit an hour, it really wasn’t much more of a commitment than a normal lunch. I didn’t have to shop, cook, or clean. Didn’t have to carry my lunch around with me and didn’t have to stop at home to pick anything up. Not all of these were hour-long lectures. Some I could stop in briefly and grab food. The format varied quite a bit. And did I mention I wasn’t paying for it?
The food was usually pizza, which in my pre-vegan days worked just fine for me. I didn’t care what the food was. It was free and in my stomach. Gone.
French Club
A few times I found myself out of place. Senior year, I attended a lunch and learn put on by the French department about study abroad. We had to go around the room announcing what programs we were interested in and why we were interested in going. I was a Math and Spanish major with zero intention whatsoever of studying abroad in a French-speaking country. I bullshitted completely.
“My name is Freddy and I study Spanish and even though I’m graduating, I’m thinking about learning French and going abroad after college.” God, I felt like an idiot. Shockingly, the French professors loved it. They loved my fake curiosity and ambition. I loved their pizza. Was it unethical? Maybe.
Free Food Fraternity
After a while, I started seeing familiar faces. About ten of us were in on the food hustle. My friend, MF, was a beast. MF and I filled out a roster of our free food friends, like a basketball team. MF was the small forward, an absolute star with a range of abilities. I played power forward, relishing in the dirty work.
It was always a funny feeling to show up to a random lecture from a random department like Anthropology and see one of your Free Food Friends. A smirk and a nod in appreciation of our free food hustle. There were some priceless moments.
Gaming Club
One Saturday evening on campus, Gaming Club was putting on a tournament and there was free dinner in the Humanities building. I am horrible at video games but figured I would go, probably lose quickly, and eat a free dinner. Funny enough, MF was an actual club member.
MF’s reaction when he saw me was priceless. He burst into laughter. Not too many people hang on campus on a Saturday night, let alone in the Humanities building. The event wasn’t well advertised and was pretty obscure. He couldn’t stop laughing. Here we were, in the least likely of places, eating for free. It was a beautiful moment in our friendship that we’ll cherish forever.
I have some fond memories of eating free in college. Unbeknownst at the time, it laid a great foundation for what was to come. Of course, the money and food waste that I saved was great, but the thrill may have been more fun. I never knew which building or department Control+F would take me to. And that’s F for Freegan.
-Freddy
I LOVE this! As someone who works in downtown Chicago I wish there was a service that could pick up “uneaten” corporate meals and get them to people who could use them, i.e. keep the food out of landfills! As a college graduate you probably need to relocate near a major university so you might stay active with h “adult education” and cultural food programs. Keep up the fine work.
Hi Gaucho Panda
Thank you for the kind words! I wish there was a service like this as well. I met someone who checks to see if meeting rooms were booked from 12-1, likely lunch meetings. She makes a note of those rooms and walks by at 1pm. She said she gets freegan lunch every day.
There is an app called Olio but it is not commonly used in Chicago. What seems to be the case is that most people are looking for apps or services where they can quickly get something. Giving something is harder without a benefit (besides feeling good about doing a good deed). If you find anything interesting like this, please let me know and I’ll put it on the resources section of the website.
-Freddy