What are some quiet and odorless options for mid-day snacks during class?

[Math Is Hard]

Thursdays and Fridays are hard. I'm at my job at 8:30, then run to go to class from 11-2 and then have to be back at work from 2:30 to 6:00. I am seeking a solution to that mid-day starvation. I was thinking maybe a thermos of soup would do. I could sip that during my 1:00 class. What else could I consume during class that is quiet and fairly odorless? I don't want to be disruptive.

 

[Moonbear]

Dried fruits (i.e., raisins, dried apricots) are quiet and fairly odorless to eat and would give you a boost of nutrition. Sandwiches are quiet, and unless you're having tuna or lots of onions on it, generally odorless too.

Most faculty don't object to students eating in class, especially if they do so quietly and they're not getting pizza delivered or unpacking an entire Happy Meal on their desk. I wouldn't suggest sitting up in the front row if you're going to be eating during class, as that could be a bit disruptive, but instead sit near the middle or back.

Alternatively, eat half a sandwich on your way to the 11:00 class, and the other half on the way to the 1:00 class. You may not feel up to eating your whole lunch so early or so late, but if you eat a little before your classes and a little during the break between classes, or just after the classes end, you might make it through more easily.

Bananas are a good snack for boosting energy, but then you have to deal with the peel. Other fruits don't usually work as well, either being too crunchy (apples) or too juicy/messy (plums, peaches) or too scented (oranges). Then again, I used to appreciate when someone else ate an orange in class; even if I couldn't eat it, the citrus smell would help wake me up.

I've never tried them, so have no idea how bad or good they are, but a nutrient drink like Ensure might also suffice to get you through that mid-day stomach growling.

 

[Math Is Hard]

Thanks, MB. Maybe I will try bringing some dried fruit. That sounds like a good idea. I hate when my stomach growls in class, but it's so embarrassing to unpack a sandwich! I have tried eating while walking to class, but I am usually not hungry then (and it's difficult to eat and walk).

 

[Cyrus]

Last summer, I would always buy this little thing of tuna. It was a packet of tuna and some crackers with mayonnaise. You mixed the two up and you had a snack, it was great. Everyone would complain about the smell. I bring my lunch from home and heat it up in the engineering lounge, people complain about the smell. Then I start yelling at them and tell them that all you eat is Tacco Bell and think that crap with no taste/smell is food, and its NOT. This is what food smells like, so get used to it!

My lunch taste really really good, because its leftovers from my moms dinner last night. Cry all you want, I am still going to eat it.

Its funny because when I bring my food, all the middle eastern and indian people think its something from their country.

So I say, have no shame and eat away!

(Actually, since your thread is about eating in class, I usually eat a sandwich in class, never hot food.)

Its hard to say really, I like hot food. I am not one for sandwiches all that much. There are those campbells soup that you just heat up and then they have a top like a coffee cup. You can just drink them straight.

 

[Danger]

I find that Ensure or Boost work very well. They're both essentially entire meals in milkshake form, in easy-open cans. They're not really great for entirely removing hunger, but at least they take the edge off and do provide all essential material. The original products were strictly for hospital use (to tube-feed patients), but they're widely available in great flavours now.

 

[dontdisturbmycircles]

Tuna in class? Oh man, lol.

I agree with Danger. I have had a can of ensure in the past, they are pretty good. Sandwiches and soups are also good options.

 

[NeoDevin]

A few things that have worked for me:

Sandwiches (no crunchy vegetables, or eat carefully to be quiet)
Smoothies (you can make it at home, or buy one)
Leftovers (even easier if you don't mind eating it cold)
Banana (bring a ziploc bag for the peel, toss it in your backpack)
Cookies
Vegetables and Dip (no carrots, too loud)

Personally I like smoothies, I make it at home in the morning or night before, put it in a water bottle, and bring a straw. It's quiet, easy to eat(drink), fills me up, and is healthy. I can drink it in class and no one will complain, and I'll still be able to take notes (hands aren't full of food).

If you're not a big note-taker, and there are food outlets near your class, you could take a little money with you and buy some hot food. If you rely heavily on notes for the class, then I don't recommend this, as you either will be too busy taking notes, and your food will get cold, or you'll be too busy eating, and will miss the notes.

 

[Cyrus]

Dont they sell food? Usually, each of the engineering societies sell hot dogs or some other food in the main lobby each day. The best is the women engineers society. They have grilled chease sandwiches with tomatoe soup to dip it in. Its yummy.

 

[Lisa!]

You know if it was me I'd eat energetic food like fresh dates, ajil,... I hate milk but I see so many people eat it with banana when they don't have time and they want to have enough energy for doing their work!

(and it's difficult to eat and walk).

That's what I do(and like to do) whenever I don't have to sit at table with other people for eating! You know I even sometimes drink my tea while walking. I think that might not be good for my health but well that's the way I am.

 

[BobG]

Last summer, I would always buy this little thing of tuna. It was a packet of tuna and some crackers with mayonnaise. You mixed the two up and you had a snack, it was great. Everyone would complain about the smell. I bring my lunch from home and heat it up in the engineering lounge, people complain about the smell. Then I start yelling at them and tell them that all you eat is Tacco Bell and think that crap with no taste/smell is food, and its NOT. This is what food smells like, so get used to it!

My lunch taste really really good, because its leftovers from my moms dinner last night. Cry all you want, I am still going to eat it.

Its funny because when I bring my food, all the middle eastern and indian people think its something from their country.

So I say, have no shame and eat away!

I agree. I find it annoying when other students sit too close anyway. I like lots of room to work. Plus, notes in black and white are boring. A few splotches of color make them interesting enough to review before a test.

Although, I admit, answering "tomato soup" to the question, "What was the primary export of the ancient Greeks?" usually only gets partial credit, at best (less if the professor realizes tomatoes originated in America).

 

[turbo]

MIH, you can get quite a lot of nutrition (with very few calories) by taking a thermos of cold V8 juice every day. I have a big glass of that every day instead of eating lunch. It's quiet, relatively odorless (no hot vapor) and it's good for you.

 

[Moonbear]

Thanks, MB. Maybe I will try bringing some dried fruit. That sounds like a good idea. I hate when my stomach growls in class, but it's so embarrassing to unpack a sandwich! I have tried eating while walking to class, but I am usually not hungry then (and it's difficult to eat and walk).

What's embarrassing about unpacking a sandwich? We're not talking sloppy joes here, just something simple like ham and cheese or turkey or PB&J. Something that won't fall apart and make a big mess on the desk.

I've never had a problem eating and walking...have had to do a lot of that...but sometimes it depends on how full your hands already are.

Oh, cereal bar type things are good too, as long as you remember to open the wrapper before class starts so aren't crinkling the wrap during class.

Cyrus, kids who eat things like Taco Bell are complaining about the smell of tuna? As if Taco Bell doesn't smell?! They aren't really complaining about the smell of home-cooked food...they're just jealous you have something better than dining hall food and you're making them hungry.

As for food, don't think I've ever seen any student organizations selling food outside classrooms before. The closest we ever got was the med students at Cincinnati who had coffee and pastry type things one morning a week for funding their student organization. That fell apart when they 1) closed the entrance from a parking garage that was being demolished for a new building so disrupted the steady traffic flow past the students' tables in the lobby, and 2) opened a Starbucks in the hospital (I'd still have rather supported the students, but I guess they just couldn't compete with those who wanted half caff, non-fat, mocha lattes with cinnamon sprinkles). I thought it was a great fundraising idea, especially when they did it regularly so you knew there would be coffee waiting for you as you got to work every Friday morning. Other than that, by the time I was in grad school, they opened a snack shop in one of the academic buildings, which was great, though the line for coffee could be pretty long just before large lectures started.

 

[arunbg]

If you are not diabetic, you could have a bar of chocolate, or cookies and finish it up with your favourite powdered or concentrated fruit drink. Always worked for me.

 

[Astronuc]

My wife uses a drinkable lowfat yoghurt.

http://www.stonyfield.com/OurProducts/Smoothies.cfm

I don't know if they are available on the west coast, but one should be able to find similar products. Or just take your thermos to the local Jamba Juice, or preferred equivalent.

 

[Math Is Hard]

Thanks for the advice everyone.
Turbo, my French teacher loved HOT V-8 juice. I might give that a try.
Bob, I guess I should make sure that what I eat matches the lecture theme!
And LOL at you and your tuna fish, Cyrus!
Lisa, I eat a banana with my cafe latte every morning. I love bananas. Maybe I should eat something else for breakfast and have the banana for lunch?

I wish I was a bigger fan of smoothies and jamba juice drinks. I've just never developed a real liking for them. I love soups, though, so that's why I was thinking about maybe taking a thermos. I've tried those little Cambell soup to go things, but wasn't very impressed. Everything in the soup is very tiny so it can fit through the little sippy hole and it reminds me of eating pureed stuff after I got my wisdom teeth out.

 

[turbo]

Well, MIH, hot V8 is very good, especially with some grated Romano cheese and some black pepper, though when you uncork your thermos, you might engender some belly-rumbling in your fellow students. That stuff has a savory aroma when it's hot. I have cold V8 for lunch every day and it is a vital part of my day. I have some microwaved left-overs for breakfast every morning with a big mug of expresso, V8 for lunch, and a hot meal for supper. It works out.

 

[Pythagorean]

Bringing tuna into a classroom is unacceptable!

 

[Cyrus]

Too bad, Ill eat my tuna whenever and whever!

 

[Pythagorean]

There was one kid that did that through both semesters last year, and he made all kinds of disgusting sounds as he horked down the tuna. It was pretty distracting and inconsiderate. Needless to say, he didn't get hired this summer, since in a small physics department, your professors are your potential employers.

 

[larkspur]

Thursdays and Fridays are hard. I'm at my job at 8:30, then run to go to class from 11-2 and then have to be back at work from 2:30 to 6:00. I am seeking a solution to that mid-day starvation. I was thinking maybe a thermos of soup would do. I could sip that during my 1:00 class. What else could I consume during class that is quiet and fairly odorless? I don't want to be disruptive.

What about a wrap filled with your favorite ingredients...uh...except tuna?

 

[Ivan Seeking]

If you put enough sugar in your 32 oz cup of coffee, you don't need to eat.

 

[radou]

I hate when my stomach growls in class

Me too, since it's so damn loud. When it happens, I often quickly force myself to cough, but most of the time I do it too late, so I get double attention.

Lisa, I eat a banana with my cafe latte every morning. I love bananas. Maybe I should eat something else for breakfast and have the banana for lunch?

Or simply have bananas for breakfast and for lunch, since they are nature's ultimate energy bars.

 

[Math Is Hard]

hee hee
I'm just imagining a bunch of cats meowing outside the windows of Cyrus's classroom.

 

[scorpa]

I generally try to avoid eating in class but sometimes you just can't get around it depending on your schedule. Usually I will just bring a sandwich with non smelly ingredients...although I agree with you I hate unwrapping them because I think everyone can hear the sound of me unwrapping it. Dried fruit, or even a trail mix type thing would be ok. If I'm lucky enough to be in a lecture hall with large table type desks I may bring yogurt mixed with fruit and granola, or some sausage cheese and crackers to eat. It can be so hard to think of decent things to bring to eat in class, people with food in class can be so distracting depending on what they bring! I once saw a person bring hardboiled eggs to class...the whole lecture hall absolutely reeked of eggs. Cold pizza is ok, when it's cold it doesn't smell much and tastes good.

 

[Moonbear]

Usually I will just bring a sandwich with non smelly ingredients...although I agree with you I hate unwrapping them because I think everyone can hear the sound of me unwrapping it.

What are you folks wrapping your sandwiches in that makes so much noise? I didn't think sandwich bags were all that noisy.

 

[Evo]

I love chewy bagels split and spread with cream cheese. They take no time to make at home, put it in a little baggie, no mess, no noise, no smell and very satisifying.

 

[Moonbear]

I love chewy bagels split and spread with cream cheese. They take no time to make at home, put it in a little baggie, no mess, no noise, no smell and very satisifying.

Yep, bagels are good. You can put whatever you like on them...butter, peanut butter, jelly...just not tuna!

 

[Pythagorean]

I don't like the sugar crash from bagels.

 

[Evo]

I don't like the sugar crash from bagels.

They're bread, you mean because they contain virtually no sugar?

 

[Moonbear]

They're bread, you mean because they contain virtually no sugar?

It depends on the bagels you get and where you buy them. REAL bagels aren't that bad, but a lot of these chains sell ones that are very high calorie and high sugar content, and don't taste much like a real bagel at all...sweeter and squishier. It's like the difference between whole grain bread from a bakery and Wonder bread.