living, cooking, keeping safe and opening a jar

Parent Cafe
1

<p>[Haha. I bought two jars of pickles yesterday ago and I can’t open them. Pickle jars hate me. :frowning: It’s funny because the same thing happened in late December when I was furiously sending my applications in late December, and I have to say one jar kept me busy for a few days. I’ll have to try all the techniques again. :p]</p>

<p>Anyways, I am going to college next year. Let me just say everything, by the grace of god, turned out well. And I firmly believe for the best. BUT there are so many new things that I have to deal with, ahhh!</p>

<p>I decided not to live-in-a-dorm/buy-a-food-plan for next year. Instead I am going to be living independently in a foreign bilingual large city with no one I know living thousands of miles nearby. I’d be afraid, 'cept that I thrive on challenges. Meanwhile I realize that as my mommy’s precious and protected baby I have a lot of growing up to do, and I am hoping to learn at least some survival skills before I go away. </p>

<p>One of my concerns is nutrition, I don’t really eat properly at home and to my worry (and my mom’s -great- worry) I am afraid I am going to starve myself, drown in chocolate (happens usually around exam/application time), or poison myself with moldy food during first year (exam nights!). So I am going to spend all of summer learning to cook, trying new recipes, and learning quick but nutritional fixes. Any further ideas would be awesome. :)</p>

<p>Another, even bigger concern for me is safety. I think it’d be good for me if I had a room-mate, I might find one once I am there, but right now it hasn’t worked out, also I am definitely getting a cell-phone. But for anyone who has had the same experience I’d appereciate some ideas on how to keep safe.</p>

<p>Also, I am going to the college by myself (and hopefully I won’t get lost or kidnapped since I am not familiar with the city – montreal). I can only take two bags, so I am taking a laptop, but I am really stuck on what I should take, and whether I should buy some essentials over there and pack my books and take them with me (I can’t let go of my babies). </p>

<p>Finally I am looking for any advice for doing well academically during the first semester which I know tends to be the most stressful, and any other ideas or suggestions you have! </p>

<p>Thanks parents and fellow students! :)</p>

2

<p>You should ship a lot of your stuff - 2 bags isn’t enough for a week vacation for me, much less a year!</p>

<p>Sorry but that’s all I have to say other than good for you for learning to cook - it can be very relaxing.</p>

3

<p>Food - buy and consume food from the “edges” of the grocery store. More fresh fruit and veggies, dairy products with little modification, fresh meats. Requires less knowledge of cooking. Learn a couple of recipes for baking chicken, buy a grill pan and learn how to make grilled chicken on top of the stove, and master the perfect hamburger for those nights you want to splurge - you will be well on your way. Remember, the margins of the grocery store.</p>

4

<p>To open the pickle jar: poke a hole in the lid. I use an ice pick(yes, one very small hole should do the trick) but anything that will poke a small hole in the lid will release the pressure inside and the jar will open. Of course then the lid is no longer good for reclosing the jar. My son taught me this trick.</p>

5

<p>Turn on the Food Network. You’ll learn alot about food prep from some of their shows. They also are online with recipes. </p>

<p>Does your mom or dad do the cooking? If so help and learn. I learned from my mom and in turn I’ve taught both my kids the basics. One went off the meal plan last year (Saving $3000) and ate well and healthy foods. A crockpot is a must. Plan several meals out of one days big meal prep. plastic containers and ziplock baggies are your friends. </p>

<p>Keep fruit and veggies in your diet. Avoid prepared foods as they often have hi fat, calories and sodium levels. It isn’t hard to learn to cook, actually it’s fun.</p>

<p>Oh, to open the pickle jars, tap the rip with the back of a heavy knife and dent it slightly to release the seal. Hard enough to dent a bit, but not so hard as to break the jar.</p>

6

<p>You know, there are these little grippy circular pads that I’m sure you could find in some stores or online that make it very easy to open jars and will keep you from having to poke holes in the lid.</p>

<p>Another option would be something like this: <a href=“http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00004OCIV/102-9347913-1128906?v=glance&n=284507[/url]”>http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00004OCIV/102-9347913-1128906?v=glance&n=284507&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

7

<p>Pickles are not nutritious (thought you should know :))</p>

<p>To open a jar: bang on the sides of the lid, all around, with the handle of a knife. Then try to pry open the lid by poking between the lid and the jar with the blade of the knife until some air is released. I also sometimes use a rubber thinggy that allows me to get a better grip on the lid. Another possibility is to run the jar under very hot water for a while so that it expands a bit.</p>

8

<p>A friend of mine keeps a blog – [Better</a> than Ramen](<a href=“http://betterthanramen.blogspot.com%5DBetter”>http://betterthanramen.blogspot.com) – about how to eat healthy on a limited budget.</p>

<p>There are also a lot of good cookbooks geared toward college students… I’ve picked up two or three in the bookstore and expanded the things I’m able to cook. (I have lasagna in the oven right now. :D)</p>

9

<p>From my 93 year old great aunt way back in the '60’s I learned to slam the jar (on the edge of the lid) ON THE FLOOR. Sounds scary but it isn’t - takes a second and works each and every time.</p>

<p>Edit: That is for NEW jars that have never been opened. Don’t try it on jars which have already been opened or you will have a mess on your hands!</p>

10

<p>You will find that Montreal is a fabulous city for eating – including eating on the cheap! If you are going to McGill (?) and living in the “student ghetto” you will discover lots of great sources for good basic groceries. Atwater Market is fabulous. If you venture east of St Laurent into the more Francophone part of the city you will find even more off-the-beaten-track treasures. Montreal also has a great (if small) Chinatown, and a thriving Jewish quarter with terrific delis.</p>

<p>The Montreal Metro is your ticket to learn and navigate the city. It is a wonderfully diverse metropolis, and my family and I have always felt comfortable, at home, welcomed and safe – I think you will be too.</p>

11

<p>A variation of hereshoping’s suggestion to open the pickle jar. Turn the jar over and bang the lid flat against a hard surface a couple of times. Opens every time.</p>

12

<p>Surefire way to open tough jars: turn on your stove at low heat and turn the edge of the lid over the flame for about 8 seconds or so. Then use a towel (or your shirt) to open the jar.</p>

13

<p>I wondered if the city was Montreal.</p>

<p>Brave explorers find roommates and flats via craigslist. Not sure how tight the market is. You might have to move into a hostel beofre you find a suitable flat.</p>

<p><a href=“http://montreal.craigslist.org/roo/[/url]”>http://montreal.craigslist.org/roo/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>I recommend living with a few cooking roommates to figure out how to feed yourself properly. The other tip is to MAKE yourself do a weekly grocery shop. You’ll find that you will eat healthy food if you have it.</p>

14

<p>lol. They make jar openers of various designs. Cheap, and they work better than those rubber pad thingies or the old hot water and tap strategy. I have one that is basically a handle with a wedge that you fit onto any size lid and twist. Ask for one for a graduation present. You could also ask a relative who might have sent kids off to college for either a very basic cookbook or if they could put together a loose-leaf binder of kitchen advice for you. A friend of mine sent her son off with one that basically started with how to boil water.</p>

<p>Montreal is a fabulous food city and going to the fresh markets there is not only nutritious, but fun. I would suggest you try for roomates at first, especially if you can find some familiar with the city. Craigslist is great, you could start looking now and even post yourself. Also, I’d be surprised if there isn’t someplace at the university where people post notices for apartments or seek roomates even at the last minute.</p>

<p>My husband survived a year of grad school on peanut butter, banana and honey sandwiches on whole wheat. There’s instant oatmeal and fresh fruit. There’s yoghurt and granola and fresh fruit. I predict you’ll discover your own favorite, instant meal. And, I’m with you, there is a place for chocolate.</p>

15

<p>The type of pickle dictates how you will beat this challenge.</p>

<p>We, Assume we are talking cucumber pickles?
Dill: comes in spears, big whole, Big Bombs, and turpedo whole, sliced, baby. Hot, Mild, Kosher and non K.
Sweet: Comes in baby gerkins, sliced, relished with musturd, and without musturd. </p>

<p>Hunts, Heinz, Steinfields, Nalley’s, DeMonte, and the refrigerated kind which slips my mind.</p>

<p>Hard to describe the proper technique without more information.</p>

<p>(I am getting close to that number, don’t make me post again)</p>

16

<p>“Oh, to open the pickle jars, tap the rip with the back of a heavy knife and dent it slightly to release the seal. Hard enough to dent a bit, but not so hard as to break the jar.”</p>

<p>I just give it to my wife. ;)</p>

17

<p>Mini:</p>

<p>So do I. :slight_smile: Aren’t wives wonderful?</p>