Austin reflections | foodie-adventures

Austin Update, Jan-Mar 2015

A brief reflective piece:

Monotonous school work, midterms, and papers have been nothing to write home about, but have kept me away from Eatemup. Visiting friends and exploring Austin, however, have been worth a few written words.

This semester has been more about experiencing life as a college student and seeing/eating my way through Austin on foot.

To the spirits who actually read this, I’m writing to provide a brief update and to express gratitude to my homies.

Hipster Lyft Drivers, Hot Pot, and Rainbows

We decided to take Lyft to try a popular hot pot place near North Shoal Creek. Our Lyft driver was wearing a lined jacket and multiple rings and sported two thin braids down to her shoulders. As I was sitting in the back seat, I watched Austin’s mix of glass condos, organic markets, Sonic drive thrus, and tattoo parlors fly past me to the eclectic sounds of trance-like rock and country. I felt my cumulative experience in Austin center around this moment. Surrounded by that vacuum silence you can only get in a car with the music thrumming in the background, my mind relished in the present and dreamed about the future.

She drove past her favorite out of the way bakery, but warned us not to share its name; she didn’t want it to get overcrowded with rowdy college students. She also called Hopdoddy’s out, saying that their burgers weren’t worth the line.

Over a messy and non-traditional serving of hot pot, we shared stories, crushes, and Walmart shopping habits.

Calling Sports out on their Shit

My friend and I played in a pickup game the other day. The game only deserves three sentences in order to understand and move past the social constructions that influence the sports world. (*note: this is purely based on my experience) 1) There are certain races expected to perform well on the court; if you do not fit into this category (socially defined), then you, my friend, are inferior in capability. 2) If a man does not have high athletic performance, he is accused of being (simply) effeminate or less masculine; inherently, this implies female inferiority in sports. 3) Combining these experiences into one body falls under the term intersectionality, because your experience is colored by both your race and gender, which are defined based on physical appearance (as our society dictates). To conclude, there is a common theme of categorization, which force the individual to represent the whole minority.

The Metaphorical Pipe

After the aforementioned game, we finished up at a Thai place north of campus around 10 o’clock with our hearts and stomachs set on gelato. Without the assistance of motorized wheels, we walked, skipped, and danced our way there. Our night was filled with bad singing, amateur photography, fireplace seating, and existential questions. All this was accompanied by a large waffle cone filled with creamy gelato, a great treat by association.

I couldn’t have asked for better friends to escape that school grind with.

Thanks! <3

Cuisine: Chinese, Italian

Austin, Texas

January - March, 2015