I am a list maker. The only way that I can organize my thoughts is by writing them all down using the Stickies on my Mac. I have to-do lists, lists of books I want to read and movies I want to see. Instead of deleting things I accomplish, I just strike them out — meaning, for better or for worse, I have lists of things that date back to 2006, when I first got my computer the month before I came to Tufts.
The one set of lists that has been pretty consistent over the years has been my food lists — lists of restaurants, recipes, food blogs, etc. These are my longest lists, and the lists that I have done the most damage to since I started college. The first list I made when I decided that I was coming to Tufts was a list of dining experiences that I wanted to have, both on and off campus. I religiously asked every Jumbo I knew at the time for food tips, everything from restaurants in Davis Square and Boston to the best sandwiches at Brown and Brew.
I started crossing things off this list immediately. Within my first few weeks as a Jumbo I had Sunday brunch at Dewick, stir-fry at Carmichael and a Jumbo turkey melt at the Commons. I can confidently say that everything on the on-campus part of my list has been crossed off.
I wish I could say the same for the off-campus portion. I've never gone to Martsa on Elm, I have yet to eat at Union Oyster House, and I didn't get around to going to Lala Rokh or L'Espalier or countless other restaurants in the area.
But this is not to say that I regret any of my food choices over the past four years. I've gone to Anna's for burritos to catch up with friends, I've celebrated the end of the semester over sandwiches at Dave's Fresh Pasta, and I've ordered late-night crepes from Pasta Pisa to get me through long nights of studying.
The first list that I made when I actually set foot on campus four years ago was of ideas for a food column for the Daily. It took me two years to get up the courage to finally start crossing things off of it — writing had always been deeply personal for me, and I was petrified to share my food experiences with a public audience.
In the two years since then, in almost 50 editions of this column, I've expressed my opinion on everything from Rachael Ray to reform in the Food and Drug Administration. I've tried to explore the meaning of my moniker in various ways, looking at how food and culinary culture impact our everyday lives from different viewpoints. Something that I was so scared of at first has become almost comforting — a way to work out my thoughts in print.
Food for me over the past four years has been a source of inspiration, frustration, love and sadness. Even though I am graduating from Tufts, marking the beginning of a new chapter in my life, my relationship with food and my passion for writing about it will not change. The way I experience it, however, will. Without the safety of the dining hall or the comfort of knowing that I can order food on points at almost any hour of the day, I have to learn new ways to approach food.
Except this time, I don't have two years to work up the courage to do it.
Thank you to everyone who has gone on a food journey with me over the past two years with this column. As daunting as the changes to come that start today are, when I receive my diploma, I'm excited for the future, my forthcoming culinary experiences and the lists I have yet to make.
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Caryn Horowitz graduates today with a degree in history. She can be reached at Caryn.Horowitz@tufts.edu.
