Undecided/Undeclared Anteaters Blog

Archive for January, 2011

Colorful~! ^^

Do you ever feel like a plastic bag… err… I mean eating some really yummy cheap food without hopping onto the bus or driving around? Then UTC is your answer! I already reviewed one of the places located there (Golden Spoon) last quarter and I think it’s about time to blog about a new place that I just discovered – Lee’s Sandwiches!

I pass this place every time I walk over to UTC because it’s right next to Watson Bridge but I never bothered to try it until this week. I’m not a big sandwich fan so it never crossed my mind to go there until my friend insisted we go. Considering the fact that he’s paying I couldn’t resist.

They have a wide arrange of foods there, namely Asian Fusion and European-style sandwiches. But that’s not all! You’ll find other things like hot wings, danishes, and ice cream!

If you’re feeling adventurous I’d definitely recommend this place. There’s a plethora of flavors of Italian soda like “banana” and “raspberry.” Where else can you find that? What about “daring durian” or “jiving jackfruit” ice cream? They even have “taro” ice cream – one of my favorites~

Pork and egg steam bun, ham and cheese croissant, and baguettes? My life is complete!

That visit we decided to get a ham and cheese croissant and a pork and egg steam bun. The steam bun seems just like a food known as “siopao” in the Philippines so I just had to get it, especially since I was craving it after thinking of my dog (whose name is “Siopao” haha.) Sadly, the contents of the pork and egg steam bun were nothing like the siopao I’m used to. While it was still delicious, I definitely wasn’t a big fan. I honestly preferred the ham and cheese croissant.

We visited again the following day and got one of their specialty items, deli manjoo! Looking at them I thought they would be rather hard – kind of like the consistency of a moon cake – but they weren’t. They’re actually soft cakes with cream inside. I wasn’t particularly hungry at the time so I didn’t eat much, though they were definitely good. For .25 cents each it’s definitely a steal!

As for the sodas, I’ve tried banana and cherry. Banana was pretty good but cherry… was just AMAZING! I don’t know why but I seriously loved the taste of it. And for those of you wondering, no it doesn’t taste like carbonated cherry flavored medicine. I’m definitely going to try their other flavors the next chance I get.

But that’s not the greatest part of this place.. The gold award goes to their baguettes! Baked every 30 minutes you can bet that they’re usually nice and warm and for only a dollar you can eat to your hearts content and keep your wallet happy! Seriously. Baguettes for only $1?! They’re perfectly crispy on the outside and nice and soft on the inside – baguette perfection.

Deli Manjoooo!! They're shaped like corn. (:

That’s where a downfall is though. During our second visit we decided to get some baguettes to take back on the drive home for the weekend. The cashier told us it’d take about five minutes to finish baking. Five minutes pass, we inquire, they tell us to wait another six minutes. They’ll call our number when it’s ready. Ten minutes pass. Nothing. I go up to them inquiring again about our order and the cashier rather rudely tells me that we should pay attention to when the baguettes are coming out of the oven and come up to tell them that we’d like to pick up our order because they can’t possibly remember something so far back. What? You just told us to wait for our number to be called. Never did they say that we had to keep our eyes fixated on the oven. And they can’t remember our order? Isn’t that their job or something? As you can tell, I was pretty put off by this incident. Still, to each their own. Perhaps some of you think it’s perfectly understandable but for me… I was already in a bad mood and she just escalated it. Regardless, we got our nice warm baguettes so whatever. I’m sure this is just an isolated incident anyway – or at least I hope so.

Well there you have it! Lee’s Sandwiches has deliiicciouuss food but I had a semi-iffy experience. Still, don’t let that put you off from chowing down and buying some ridiculously cheap baguettes for the road~!

That’s all for now! Watch the oven and tell me when the baguettes come out…?

~ Charmaine (◕‿◕✿)

Hello everyone!!

How have all of your weekends been thus far? I really don’t want it to end yet. I’m enjoying the nice cool weather in the comfort of my home. I hope you guys enjoyed last week accompanied by all of its Homecoming festivities.

So this week I am glad to talk to you all about PACT. PACT stands for Physician Assistants Coming Together. From what I remember, the first time I heard and learned more about this club was Welcome Week. That sounds like such a long time ago now that I am surprised I’ve remembered their name this long. That week, week zero, was very exciting for me. It was when it finally hit me that I was actually going to start college now. So naturally I wanted to find out as much as I could about the campus and the type of things it offers, such as the ones that Maria, one of the zot bloggers, covers in her posts. But what I really was interested in were the clubs, and this club really caught my attention. Even though I came into UCI as Undecided Undeclared, I already had an idea of what I wanted to go for, which is probably get a bio major, become a doctor, a physician assistant, or something of that type, and go to med school before that, too, of course. And this club seemed to be just what I needed.

The PACT meeting was very interesting and had a great surprise for me! This Monday I learned for the very first time that there is actually a physician assistant school!! :O I had not known this before. I had always thought that to become a physician assistant, I would need to go to medical school, just the same as if I wanted to become a doctor.  Luckily for me, PACT had Jesse, a UCI alumnus from last year, come over and share with us all he knew about applying to Physician Assistant School, since he was already an expert at it after having applied to three PA schools last year. It was really great of him to do so because I found it very helpful, especially as I had never heard of a PA school before. He even had a power point set up showing us how to apply using the physician assistant school application, which is something similar to that of the UC application, and giving us some helpful tips. If you guys want to learn more about this club or becoming a physician assistant and how to apply to a PA school, PACT holds their general meetings every even week (which I guess going by the quarter weeks, means week 2, 4, 6, etc.) at 5pm in HOB2 131. I hope some of you found this very helpful and look forward for my next post next week!

Wish you guys the best on midterms!

~ Ivonne

Photo courtesy of http://www.ucirvinesports.com/sports-med/sportsmed-club.html

My fellow ‘Eaters,

As an Undecided/Undeclared student, I’m still figuring out what I want to basically do when I graduate. I’m still looking out for my interests, and I still want to have a wide perspective about all types of majors and schools here at UCI.

One day this past week, I found a nice opportunity for students like myself, who are a little confused when it comes to figuring out what we want to do and be when we “grow up.” Working as a student manager for the basketball program, I couldn’t help but notice an intern helping an injured basketball player ice his knees on the sideline during a practice at the Bren Events Center. After the practice, I talked to the intern about how he started and what he did to become a sports med. intern, and I found out that he has joined the Sports Medicine Club. So, of course I looked up the club and found the Official UCI Sports Medicine Club website.  This club is perfect for people who love both sports and science! Let’s say one student has always wanted to become a doctor, but at the same time, that same student has a passion for basketball. Then that student should definitely look into sports medicine, or at the very least, its club.  As it states on the club’s website, it “is designed as a service to UC Irvine students interested in areas including sports medicine, physical therapy, athletic training, nutrition and other health associated areas.”

I think it’s a great opportunity to figure out what you want to do in the near future. Not only does it give members some hand-on experiences, the club also provides some guest speakers, and social events that include hanging out and watching some exciting UCI athletic games.  So come out to the Crawford Hall Classroom every Wednesday at 6:30 to check out this fun, helpful, and hands-on club!

So today is a bit of a more lax type of art: the art of fashion/shopping.  What is a UCI student to do on the weekends, other than study, hang out with friends, enjoy the beautiful campus, and go to the beach?  That’s where the 5 shopping centers around UCI come in handy. Well, when I say 5, I’m exaggerating a little, so let’s count them as we go along, shall we?

1) Most popular and most accesible: The Irvine Spectrum.  On Saturdays, there is a bus that will pick you up every hour, by In N Out, and take you to the Spectrum.  This is a pretty awesome outside shopping center, filled with great places to eat (Cheesecake, Chipotle, Red Robins, Dave and Busters, Subway, Johnny Rockets, to name a few), great places to shop (The usual H&M, Forever XXI, Pac-Sun, Hollister, Urban Outfitters, American Eagle, etc), and cool places to hang out and just chill (Ferris Wheel, Ice Skating Rink (I don’t know for how much longer it is up however), Edwards Cinema, a random fountain, and open plazas).  So, if you’re looking for a fun way to spend a Saturday, go to the Spectrum to buy, eat, and even catch a movie or two, if you have the money. Another cool quick fact about the Spectrum: It is privy to many exclusive premieres, as exampled by when a Japanese movie, only showing in 300 theatres in America, premiered there for the world premiere event. Obviously, I went. Ahahhaha. So yea. Spectrum=cool fun.

2) A little less popular, but still filled with LOTS to do: The District.  No bus takes you here, and it’s too far to get to by walking (unless you have LOTS of time on your hands), so you need a good friend or two to drive you there in their car.  It’s similar to the Spectrum, being an outdoor shopping center, having a theatre, and basically the same type of stores (ones I visited: Barnes and Noble, Pac Sun, Tillys, and Target).  The only difference was the food places (the place I went to was a spicy thai place), and the size and ticket price of some stores. Some are bigger here than they are at the Spectrum, while others are more downgraded here, and there were a few more brand outlets than at the Spectrum. I didn’t really get a chance to explore this place, but I remember the night I went, there was a band or something setting up in the main plaza, with some neat heat radiators and lights and stuff. So this place is probably just as fun as the Spectrum, but just a little harder to get to.

3) The much more expensive and harder to get to: Fashion Island.  Again, no bus (buses only take you to the Spectrum), unless you’re counting the OCTA, Orange County Transportation Authority, and again an outside shopping mall, though some stores are under encloves and awnings, so it could be considered….semi-outside? The time I went here it was under construction, so I can’t really tell how aesthetically pleasing it is, but I do remember it being relatively spacious and spread out.  It had the same type of stores as the above-mentioned malls, but it also housed a few more pricey outlets (Nordstrom, Bloomingdales, Neiman Marcus, and other brand names) that most college students wouldn’t be able to afford with their measly, nonexistent allowance. For some reason, all of these malls that I’ve been to (don’t know for sure about District) had a PF Changs and a Cheesecake. And they were always right next to each other. Oh! Quick nice fact: this is so close to the ocean, that when eating from the Cheesecake, you could make out the boats docked there. We thought of walking down there, but it was getting too dark.

4) The most expensive of all the malls around: South Coast Plaza. It is also up the 405, some ways away from UCI, so it would probably be an all day thing to go there. LOTS more designer and brand names here, but still enough cheap college student stuff to be able to go and probably gawk at all the displays the places like Girogi Armani and Versace and D&G have. From what I can tell, this place is both an outside AND inside mall, with the main mall having 2 stories, a side mall having 3, and some offshoots, known as ”the village” and “the arts center” being outside and one story. I haven’t personally been there yet, but who knows: it’s by UCI.

5) Just to actually make me right, the fifth shopping center will be….the University Town Center and other small food areas! Also known as the UTC. It actually doesn’t really have any clothing outlets, and is more oriented toward food places than anything. It has an Edwards, which only plays independant films, which is not always bad. Some other places I’ve been to, not associated with the UTC, are off campus and can only be reached by car. I don’t know the official name of these places, but they are sporatic and have good enough snack places and little things to keep you busy. One by the District had a place called “Sticki Picki”, which is basically a Cue or an asian photobooth.  If you go with friends, it can be a really fun experience, as long as one person semi-knows what is going on. The pic I posted is from there.

So that’s it! count ‘em! 5 odd some places to go to to shop and whatnot. Yea, the 5th one didn’t really count, since it was a collaboration of different little shopping centers, but it doesn’t matter cause I guessed right. Somewhat.

Screenshot taken from http://www.urop.uci.edu/about.html

Hey guys! This week’s campus resource is UROP, the undergraduate research opportunities program. UROP is the place to go for anything research related. 70% of students here at UCI do research, making them even more competitive for future jobs and to graduate schools. One of the main reasons so many students actually take the effort to do research is because of our program. UROP helps with every step of the process of research, from writing out a proposal to giving grants to students for their various needs. Basically, UROP makes the arduous task of research seem much more doable.

I am a freshman, so I have not had too much experience with UROP, as it takes much research and relationship building between

Screenshot of students presenting their finsings at research symposium taken at http://www.urop.uci.edu/about.html

professors to really create a solid research opportunity. Also, it usually helps to know what you want to do, so you can focus on that subject to do research in. But don’t be discouraged! I’m applying to a program called the Multidisciplinary Design Program (MDP), which takes 5 students and allows them to work with two professors on a certain project, ranging from health care to culture. I’ll keep you all updated on what happens. See, I’m already applying for research, and I get tons of other emails telling me about other opportunities.  Although the usual route is to create relationships, as I stated above, there are also programs for students, like MDP, all listed on the UROP site. Also, don’t think that research isn’t doable for freshmen, because it definitely is as long as you’re willing to try and put yourself out there. Hey, you might get rejected, but at least you tried, right? Plus, after doing research, more opportunities make themselves available to you, so why not get them earlier in your college careeer?

Another very cool thing about UROP and research in general is that in May when you have completed your research, UCI holds an Undergraduate Research Symposium where you yourself get to present your findings. This is the real deal, guys. I know it seems way too early to be thinking about research, but take baby steps. Go to a seminar that talks about UROP, cruise through their website, and then maybe you’ll find a program or professor who sparks your interest. Research is doable, especially with a program like UROP, specifically designed to help us, the undergraduate students of UCI. See you next week guys.

Screenshot taken from http://www.asuci.uci.edu/

Hello everyone! So yesterday ended homecoming week here at UCI. You’ve seen the food, the entertainment, and the blog about the game itself so now I’d like to talk about something my fellow blogger Ivonne posted on. I wanted to talk about ASUCI, the backbone of UCI student involvement.

ASUCI, standing for associated students of the University of California Irvine, as Ivonne stated, is the student government of UCI. The students that head the program are elected by their fellow students and deal with the various concerns and issues that need to be voiced by students. ASUCI is partly a club and partly a campus resource because it is such a huge part of the school. They are a campus resource in that they provide students with things such as shuttle drivers, vendor fairs, and free legal clinics at no cost to the student body. Their main job, however, is to be the voice of the students . For example, ASUCI decides who to bring in for live music performances, what activities should be held, basically anything that deals with the extra little bonus parts of going to college, ASUCI has a hand in.

ASUCI actually mirrors the United States’ government in that they have an Executive, Legislative, and Judicial branch, each made up of students. These three branches help to create a completely fair method for the students to decide upon various issues here at UCI and how the students want the money allotted to ASUCI to be spent. They decide what they want on campus, be it healthier meal choices or more parking spaces.

This pertains to Homecoming, as ASUCI sponsored the event, from the food that was brought in, to the events the Homecoming Court participated in. They are in charge of making events as fun and entertaining as possible by listening to what the students want. There is so much more I could say about ASUCI and all of the great events they sponsor, but there is a small taste of our associated student body here at UCI. Happy Homecoming week!

This week was UCI’s HOMECOMING! The whole week was filled with different events and things to do around the student center, music always playing and at least one event happening each day.  I was usually busy when most of these things happened, so it was only my luck that I found some time on Friday to capture a few of the nominees for court showing off their talents.  I took some video so you could enjoy it like I did.

Sadly, I did not catch the nominee’s names, but what I did catch, was the little things like what they were doing and what not. So the first nominee here, the girl, was painting a waterfall UPSIDE DOWN, and then she flipped it so everyone would see it.  The words she wrote, if you didn’t catch it, was “HC 2011″ and “Come at me bro”.  So, I am guessing her talent was not only being able to paint/create an art piece in less than 4 minutes, but also to do it UPSIDE DOWN. Ahahah like a cake.

I caught this nominee’s name, but I did not write it down since I was busy holding the camera. forgive me.  Anyhoo, as you can tell, he is a really fun guy, whose talent was not only being able to quote a scene from mean girls and act it out all by himself, but also overreacting and telling funny random stories. And yea, that’s me laughing in the background. I really like to quote mean girls, especially this scene, so I couldn’t help but laugh. Sorry ahahahah.

I did not catch video of another nominee before these two, but I saw that that nominee was on a contraption that was made up of a board and a barrel, the board being the thing he was standing on, and the barrel the thing that the board rested upon, making it so that he had to balance to stay upright. That one was pretty cool too.

So overall, this week was filled with some fun events, with everyone bringing out the best of their abilities and artistic skills to show to UCI why THEY should be Homecoming King and Queen.  Congrats to all of court, just on the fact of making it! Hope HC weekend and week was a blast!

Hello everyone!

Ahhh, it’s been such a long weeeekkk! Even though we had a shorter week because of Monday, but, I don’t know, is it just me, then? Or was it all the events going on throughout the week that tired me out? I’m sure my midterm yesterday had to do some tiny bit with it too. Yes, you read right, a midterm! Already! Sheesh, in the third week! But it all went well and here I am getting back to my dear readers about it, so it’s all good.

But seriously, pushing all that academic stuff away now, what did you guys think of Homecoming week? Personally, I loved it! Did any of you have the luck to bump into any of the Homecoming Court? Would be such an honor! Hahaa There were so many things going on, everywhere you looked, oh, but especially if you’re walking down Ring Road by the Student Center Terrace, that’s where most of the action happens. And coincidentally, that’s also where the ASUCI office is located, right off of the Student Center Terrace. Coincidence or not? So if you guys did not know who to thank for all the action going on this week, it is ASUCI! ASUCI is basically the ASB from high school, but in college. Most of the things you saw this week came from the hard work and great planning of our ASUCI leaders. But ASUCI has so much responsibility on their shoulders throughout the whole year that they have different offices and even committees, I think, so if you really want to share your Anteater spirit and plan ALL types of events on campus to get involved and make great friends, then ASUCI is definitely the place for you!

Some of the exciting and entertaining things that went on throughout the whole week were the Rap Battle hosted by DJ Felli Fel, the Scavenger Hunt and Karaoke, and of course the Anteater Bloc Party and the Cupcake Wars that Charmaine already talked about. And I definitely cannot leave out the Talent Show on Friday! Of these events, I could only really make it out to the Anteater Bloc Party and the Talent Show, which was really great! Some pretty good live entertainment while having lunch on Friday. All of the Homecoming Court and their friends did awesome. If you missed it, some of the talents performed were singing, rhythmic gymnastics by Ernie (you really needed to see this!), some strange talents of remembering movie lines, unintentionally injuring people, and hating stepping on snails – I know, really weird, right? But that’s why you had to see it. It was very funny watching this one. Other talents were writing poems, painting, dancing, and non-professional dancing, but which was still very innovative. Unfortunately, I don’t have pictures or videos of these. :( Sorry! It seems that I’ve misplaced my camera in my own room, so I was very upset about this. I’ll come up with something next time, just for you guys! …BUT I did find these videos from our Homecoming Court, they are truly awesome. These guys are so creative! Hope you enjoy! ( It’s not all of our Homecoming Court, just the ones I could find.)

And today of course is our Homecoming! Whoooh!! Don’t forget, today at 4pm outside the Bren Events Center is the fair, where I am sure there will be many more performances and entertainments. I hear many of our dance crews will be there, too, like MCIA and Kabba Modern, so you DON’T want to miss out! Let’s go support our basketball team versus Long Beach! I also heard a guarantee that we would win tonight, and I have no doubt we will! Our team is great, and what better incentive to own the night than by playing our rival and winning on our Homecoming.

Hope you guys enjoyed my schmell on ASUCI, and expect to hear from me again soon!

Truly yours,

Ivonne!

Sophomore guard, Mike Wilder, scores a game high 24 points to lead UCI over CSULB, 86-76

I just got back from watching the UCI Men’s Basketball game against CSU Long Beach, and let me tell you that it was the highlight of Homecoming week!  Hundreds of students attended the last Homecoming event and made the Bren Events Center the spot Saturday night.  It was crazy seeing the Bren Events Center packed… I was truly proud to see the team and its fans supporting one another.  Timeout after timeout, UCI head coach Russell Turner, looking to hype up the crowd, waved his hands high up in the air. And with great enthusiasm, the HUGE crowd yelled and cheered on for their fellow ‘Eaters out on the court.  Of all the games I’ve been to so far, this game against rival CSU Long Beach was by far the most exciting game of the season, and it’s all thanks to the fans.  Last week, Coach Turner, shared his opinions about the energy of games, hoping more and more students would come and help fire up his players throughout the game.  His message was definitely answered as hundreds of students stood up on their feet at the end of the game as the team beat CSULB, 86 – 76.  Three players on the UCI team scored 20 or more points, including sophomore Mike Wilder (pictured) who scored a game high 24 points.

Oh, I almost forgot to mention that Glee star Matt Morrison (aka Will Schuester) enjoyed the Homecoming game as well!

Glee star Matt Morrison (aka Will Schuester) enjoying the game with friends

There were many other events that occurred before the game also.  The street festival started at 4:00 pm in front of the Bren Events Center, which included live music, performances by students, delicious BBQ, and even a Greek Village.  But the main event of all happened during halftime of the game, as the Homecoming court came out on to the court, was introduced, and performed a hilarious group dance.  All in all, the day was filled with everything; from food and music, to entertainment and the bright lights of the gymnasium, there is no doubt in my mind that today was a great ending to Homecoming 2011!

All is fair in food and war! ♥

Of all the events going on during Homecoming Week, I have to admit that the one that caught my attention was the Cupcake Wars! The reason being… it dealt with food of course! Yum!

Sadly, I had class during the time when the entire “war” started so I wasn’t able to get any footage of the various “cupcakes” before they were consumed by the starving mass of Anteaters I can only imagine were watching. I was, however, able to get a few snapshots of the remnants of what appeared to be a serious (and delicious!) battle.

The event summed up? The candidates for the Homecoming court had to bring in their baked goods and decorate them onsite with something UCI-themed. Each entry will be judged and the one with the most spirit wins! As far as I know, all the results haven’t been released yet but in the end, I’m sure they were all equally scrumptious~!

I had yet ANOTHER class right after I took the pictures of the baked goods (they weren’t all cupcakes!) so I wasn’t able to sample any of them. ): The court was giving out slices of their mouthwatering cakes. Most of them appeared to be chocolate-based too! Though some of them were rather disheveled after numerous Anteaters tried to gobble them all up, they still looked delish~ I’m sure they looked even more drool-worthy when they were newly decorated.

CHOCOLATE!!!

The one on the left is Ring Road! haha

Looks like one was already eaten by starving Anteaters!

So cute!

The remnants of a long battle...

Also occurring right now is the Anteater Bloc Party. On my way to the Student Center there were a WHOLE BUNCH of various clubs and organizations selling food items along Ring Road. If only I didn’t have class in a few minutes (and had brought my wallet with me – I keep forgetting!) I definitely would have bought something. You could seriously smell the mixture of the good foods they were selling. From Korean barbecue, boba, even popcorn! I’m sure there was something that would have satisfied even the pickiest eater.

Anteater Bloc Party!

All in all… the only thing I have to say is YUM! For once I actually didn’t end up eating anything in order to write this post. ): But really, just looking at all the yummy food items was enough for me. Of course, I would have rather been sitting there, eating all that I can but alas, I guess it’s better that I didn’t. I haven’t been to the gym in a while! o__o I’m definitely going to work out soon – I need to avoid the Freshman 15! But all the foods here in Irvine are so delish~ I’m not saying that the foods back in L.A. aren’t as good, but when you’re pigging out with your friends, it always tastes a little better, right?

Well then dear Zot Blog readers… I’ll see you next week! I know this post is pretty early for me but I wanted to make sure I write something soon so that for those of you that are hopefully stumbling upon this this Thursday night, you have time to check out the Homecoming events tomorrow! (＊´▽｀)

Now to go work off these extra pounds I’m certain I’ve gained just from reminiscing about… food. （_′ Д｀)/

Meet me at the ARC…?

~ Charmaine ミ☆

Hey guys! Sorry for the late post, the three day weekend messed with my head. So today I decided to cover another method of transportation. I’ve covered the more long distance transportation given by the shuttle system, but what about travel from class to class? Some classes are quite far from each other and there may be a time where you have to rush across campus within a ten minute time span. For times like these, I recommend ZotWheels.

ZotWheels is a resource offered by the school that lets students rent out bicycles for up to three hours at a time year round. There are four different locations where you may both pick up and drop off the bikes, and the fee is $40.00 annually. Because of the four locations, you won’t have to worry about going out of your way to either return or obtain a bike to use, since the locations are equally spread out. Also, the price is absolutely amazing, in my opinion. If you were to buy your own bike, you would pay at least $100 dollars and would then have to worry about where to keep the bike to avoid theft. With the ZotWheels bike, you get a pristine condition bike, and can use it whenever without paying for the bike itself. These bikes are not only good for just campus use, you can also use it to explore the Irvine area in general. Areas that are much more difficult to walk become more manageable on bikes, and they provide a great work out in the process! Of course there is a time limit, but much can be seen in three hours, and it is of course a method of green transportation.

This is a really great resource, especially if you do end up with classes 10 minutes apart and at the opposite side of campus. Having to speed walk across school to arrive in class sweaty and out of breath is never fun, and there is always the possibility of one professor letting the class out a bit late. ZotWheels something that can help you, and that is there specifically for UCI students. So definitely check it out. Until next week, everyone.

So I haven’t done a post on places to eat on campus in a while, have I? Well good news is, I actually ate something on campus this week that wasn’t your typical dining commons… technically!

There’s this great service (if that’s what you want to call it) at Brandywine Commons where you can get to go lunches. Usually you’d think that these to go lunches aren’t all that great, but boy are you wrong. Trust me, when you’re in a rush or the lines inside just seem way too long, just get a to go lunch and you’re golden!

All packaged in a plastic bag~!

The times that the whole to go program is active is from 11 AM to 2 PM. Usually a line will start forming outside the doors (to the left of the main Brandywine entrance) a few minutes before then so get there a little early if you want to beat the line.

But what’s in these little to go lunches? Well it all depends on what you get – they’re all equivalent to one meal swipe. I can’t remember all of them from the top of my head, but you’ve got your usual fair of sandwiches ranging from “ham and cheese” to “turkey” and… I think I may remember seeing a chicken in there. You can also get salads – either chicken caesar, or just plain ol’ caesar. Aside from the chicken-free caesar salad, there’s usually another vegetarian option available. I’ve only taken advantage of getting myself a to go lunch twice and on both occasions they were a vegetable-filled sandwich.

The vegetable-filled sandwich I had the first time was absolutely delicious! I’m not sure if it’s just the bread that they’re using but I was surprised at how good such a simple sandwich could be. I honestly wanted to get this again this week, but since I went around 1:20 PM they were all out! D: I ended up getting a caesar salad instead… Lesson learned? Get there early if you want the best foods!

I’m not a big salad fan. I went through this whole phase during Sophomore year of high school where I ate salad EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. For some of you it’s perfectly fine, but me? I get tired of food easily. Ever since then I rarely crave salad nowadays but I honestly wasn’t in the mood to eat meat so… a caesar salad it is.

These are meant for those on the rush... But for me, that means using my laptop while eating!

Surprisingly it was pretty good! I know it may be because I drenched the leafy goodness in dressing (thus defeating the purpose of eating vegetables!) but I almost finished the whole thing. I only stopped because I got full. ):

Along with the main entrée you also get a water bottle to quench your thirst, a piece of fruit, and your choice of chips. The both times I went the fruit I got was an apple and the chips ended up being a contest between Sun Chips and Ruffles. Of course, Sun Chips won! For the sandwiches, I believe you also get a small side. Last time I got a small pasta salad and cole slaw, though they forgot to include utensils so I couldn’t eat it. ^^ ;

All in all… In a rush? Want to avoid the lines at Brandywine? Too tired to walk to Pippin or anywhere else? The to go lunches at Brandywine is an answer to your prayers! Convenience and taste? I think yes!

Well then, see you next time dear readers! It’s Homecoming week next week and I hear there’s a Cupcake War going on. I’ll try my best to blog about that! Hopefully you’ll say hi to me if you spot me?

See you on the battlefront!

~ Charmaine ^^