Here is the situation: My boyfriend and I are going to be spending a lot of time working for the next month, maybe 2 months. We’re talking like like 80-90 hours a week. But the main thing is that this is also going to involve lots of weird hours, pulling all nighters, working through standard meal times, that kind of thing. This started this week and I’m a little confused how to deal with the seemingly basic problem of feeding myself.

Some info: We live in a European city where eating out regularly is not really an option. It’s very expensive. Also, we will (with the long work hours) be working well after things (restaurants, grocery stores) have already closed. So we can go to the grocery store maybe 1-2 times a week. We’d like to eat at least kind of healthy. I don’t want to feel ashamed if my mother asks me what I had for dinner. Our fridge and freezer (especially freezer) are small. The reason I mention where we live is that when I lived in America this was easy. There are late night restaurants/fast food joints, grocery stores are open late, convenience items are a lot easier to come by (decent frozen meals available even at regular grocery stores), and I had a comparatively massive fridge and freezer. But now I don’t have those options, so I don’t know what to do.

I guess what I am looking for here is a sort of novel solution about the food problem. I mean, we do have to eat. But it literally feels like there is no time, not just for preparation, but for actual purchase of food as well.

What do you do to avoid cooking? Any specific meals that you turn to? Or do you have a good system of avoiding cooking? I thought about freezing meals but our freezer is small and we basically have 1 day off. I don’t want to spend it slaving together in the kitchen to generate food for the rest of the week. I would love ideas on at least somewhat healthy meals that can be made in less than 20 mins without a ton of chopping or shopping. 1 pot-bowl-plate meals also appreciated, since it’s fewer things to wash. We’re not picky eaters.

And if you have some tips on keeping the apartment reasonably tidy you can throw those in as well.

Oh, and I would really appreciate strategies or meals that you’ve actually tried, not just a recipe off the internet!

I’ll be living here over the summer, and I want to know the local dives like:
affordable Grocery stores,
bars,
restaurants,
and cool things to do.

Thanks for the help!!!!

I’m 18 and moving to New York City to attend FIT. I’m sooo nervous about moving to such a huge city. I’m looking for an apartment in either Brooklyn, The Bronx, Queens or Manhattan. Particularly SoHo and the Tribeca area. Where are some districts you would recommend to live? Also restaurants and grocery stores etc. Any other advice on living NYC would be great.
Thank you:)

So, states all across America are possibly going to have a tomato shortage this year due to cold weather in Florida. I don’t understand why each state doesn’t just grow their own tomatoes? I understand some climates are cooler than others, but greenhouses maintain a growing environment all year round. Tomatoes in grocery stores and restaurants are just replicas of the real thing anyways so I don’t think it’s a taste issue preventing states from growing their own. I just think it would make more sense for each state to sustain their own produce market within their means. Please help me understand.
Dr. Dew, I am obviously not speaking in terms of everyday people growing their own produce. I am talking about the commercial market.
@TheAcaciaStrain and that’s really sad. I know there are food safety laws that probably come in to play with that, but it would seem better for the market on both ends to buy locally produced vegetables. I know Florida is set up for it, but maybe it’s time for that to change. ?

I have an uncle who tips $1 at restaurants when their total bill comes out to be $20. His wife (my aunt) admires him for that because he stands for something he firmly believes in and is not embarrassed. My uncle works really hard and use to be lower class, so he understands the value of money. Now he is upper middle class, but still goes to grocery stores with cargo shorts, ripped shirts, and a baseball hat. My aunt loves him for always being the same person he was.

I have another uncle who likes to wear nice clothing wherever he goes (even grocery shopping) and he would put an $5 tip for a $20 bill. Of course he has a wife too, but my aunts have two completely different tastes.

Which personality do you choose?

Sometimes they’ll do it from far away, other times like tonight when I was eating they’ll find a table and sit right next to me when there are tables everywhere around me open. Doesn’t matter the place: grocery stores, restaurants, etc I catch girls all the time out of my peripheral staring at me. And I mean like long glances..5 seconds. Then if I turn my head and our eyes meet, most the time..immediately will look away. Very rarely will I come across a girl, but it happened tonight, that will hold eye contact. Anyone able to shed light on this whole topic. Why they’re staring when they think I don’t notice..why they look away…

Why do you bring your noisy, squealing, screaming, crying, tantrun-throwing children to the following places: libraries, movie theaters (to movies children should not be seeing), nice restaurants, coffee shops (destined to those of us going to school and trying to study), airplanes ect? I can put up with it at grocery stores ect, but not at the others. Some places require peace and quiet, plain and simple. Why is it that people get so offended when they get asked to leave a restaurant or theater because their child is disturbing other paying customers?
as far as movies: i’m talking about very age in-appropriate subject matter (and yes, paying $10.50 to see a movie, and not be able to hear it b/c this 4 yr old keeps screaming “mommy” the whole time is annoying) as far as the library, i’m referring to the reference section..not the kids section!
LOL, no, I am not studying childhood education And no, I don’t have children, after years of being forced to babysit, I made up my mind I would NEVER have children.

David Haley We should call a Nationwide Strike. Open to all. I will close my business for one day. Not spend any money in grocery stores or restaurants etc.Maybe that’ll get their attention if we freeze our economy one day.

okay I really dont have money and am really considering dumpster diving for food. I just need to know what places throw out good food. what restaurants, doughnut shops, grocery stores throw out perfectly good food, or maybe with a little mold I would just cut that part out. if you were currently an employee of one of these places that would be great. thanks

The latest Consumer Price Index from the federal government showed that price inflation rose faster for food away from home as compared with food at home, a trend that could push more consumers away from restaurants and toward grocery stores.