Hallelujah! It’s finally break! Finals are over, and now it’s time to go home, eat, and sleep the days away. After a whole semester in Berkeley, we’ve really missed home cooked meals because there’s nothing quite like having your favorite foods prepared for you.
But after a few days at home, we start missing the Berkeley food scene, especially when it’s late and we’re hangry. Here are just a few food things we miss about Berkeley.
1. Lack of fast food joints on every corner
Photo by Irene Kim
Berkeley is full of mom and pop stores. In fact, pretty much every restaurant is family or locally owned. But once you’re home, restaurant chains and fast food joints take over. McDonald’s there, Olive Garden here, Burger King a few blocks down, and oh look, there’s Kentucky Fried Chicken.
2. Late night eats
Photo by Anna Hirschorn
Why must everything close at 9 pm? Just because it’s past midnight (or even dinner time), doesn’t mean our stomachs go to sleep. We promise you, they’re awake and very hungry. Take us back to Berkeley, land of the late night eats.
3. Boba in walking distance
Photo by Jocelyn Hsu
“I want boba.”
“Me too.”
“Let’s go!”
There’s no such conversation when you’re home. Boba might not even exist in the area, much less be in walking distance. We’re pretty blessed to have a number of boba shops a few blocks from campus.
4. Variety of ethnic foods
Photo by Irene Kim
Unless home is Southern California or New York, you probably don’t have a lot of ethnic food options available in your hometown. Berkeley’s blessed with a wide plethora of cuisines (in varying stages of authenticity) from Thai to Mediterranean to Italian, and you’ll definitely crave pad see ew and gyro plates sometime during break.
5. Ease of finding vegetarian and vegan restaurants
Photo by Mujahid Zaman
Folks with dietary restrictions love Berkeley for good reason. It’s pretty easy to find vegetarian and vegan-friendly restaurants here, and most menus have a dedicated vegetarian section or clearly label vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free dishes. Sadly, the same can’t be said for most other cities.
6. Meals under $10
Photo by Jocelyn Hsu
When a burger meal costs $12, a chicken salad is $15, and grilled salmon is $14, we really start missing the delicious, cheap eats around UC Berkeley. Honestly, nothing beats Pappy’s $5 student meal or Tea Press’ bento box.
7. Foodie friends
Photo by Luna Zhang
What’s the point in having a great food scene back home if you can’t enjoy it with your best foodie friends? Trying the best of the best just isn’t the same without your food-loving BFF. Besides, who else will wait for you to take pictures of all your food? #foodporn #spoonfeed