“Shotgun shells are cheaper than dining services.’

Although this may seem like an odd statement, to Austin Banks, sophomore in animal ecology, it”s just common sense.

Banks, a hunter since he was age 10, figures hunting for his food is a cheaper alternative to dishing out money for dining services.

As it turns out, others living in the dorms say cooking for themselves is the best option.

Roommates Christine Callahan, freshman in pre-journalism and mass communication, and Sarah Hartz, freshman in art and design, say they cook to avoid the monotony that is the dining center.

Rebecca Martin, sophomore in Spanish, says cooking for herself allows her to eat what she wants, when she wants.

Whether these students opt to kill, pluck and cook their own food or prefer to open a package and press start, they all have a few things in common — they cook most of their meals in their dorms, without the convenience of an oven or stove.

Hunting is a way of life

Roommates Austin Banks and Aaron Steffen, sophomores in animal ecology, are known to eat everything they kill. Their specialty is deep fat-fried pheasant.

‘You make it pretty much like a chicken nugget,’ Banks says. ‘You honestly can”t tell the difference.’

Their unique version of chicken nuggets is known to draw attention from their neighbors.

‘Last year you would start cooking it, and doors would open up,’ Steffen says. ‘You would probably get 15 people in there.’

The roommates” dorm room looks average at first, but soon you spot the animal horns hanging from the door — along with camouflage hunting gear hanging from hangers. A glance into their refrigerator reveals about 10 frozen pheasants waiting to become Sunday night”s dinner. The roommates have been cooking up their catch of the week for a little over a year now and say it is their favorite food.

‘We shot 265 between three of us this year, and we”ve ate probably all but 10 or 15 of them,’ Banks says.

Everything from rabbit, squirrel, pheasant, duck, quail, goose and deer has been cooked in some form during their time at Iowa State. When they are not in the kitchenette making pheasant nuggets, they rely on their Crock-Pot, where they have made rabbit stew, but most popular is a slow-cooked pheasant gumbo.

‘I”d rather eat what we make every day than eat dining services every day,’ Steffen says.

Cooking is a method of experimentation

When someone wants muffins or smoothies, they know where to go.

Roommates Callahan and Hartz are frequently seen experimenting with new food options and can make anything from quesadillas to European-style grilled panini sandwiches without ever leaving their dorm room.

With the help of a smoothie machine, sandwich maker and microwave, the girls are confident they can make pretty much anything.

‘We figure anything you can make on a stove or in an oven, you can make in your dorm room,’ Hartz says.

The roommates say the most unique thing they cook is muffins and biscuits in the microwave.

‘You just get the mix that is complete, and add water,’ says Callahan. ‘They”re not nice and pretty, but they taste just like a muffin or biscuit.’

Callahan says next she wants to try to make a cake.

Their most recent developments are puppy chow, hamburger bun pizza, pasta and grilled cheese.

The girls both have small meal plans, allowing them only seven meals a week, but they say they wouldn”t have it any other way.

‘Since we have small meal plans, we have a ton of dining dollars,’ Hartz says.

This makes going to the C-Store for groceries that much easier. Hartz recently brought a George Foreman grill from home, and says she is excited to try out new cooking options.

Just as I like it

Martin says she cooks in her dorm because the university options are not as healthy or flavorful as she wishes.

‘They don”t oftentimes offer the most healthy choices that are good tasting,’ Martin says. ‘A meal is not fulfilling to me.’

Martin says because her mother is from Ecuador, she is used to food with different spices and flavors that are not used in the dining halls. Her solution is cooking for herself.

‘I have a 14-meal plan, but I like eating my own food and creating it,’ Martin says.

She says she relies on her hand-held mixer, microwave and coffee grinder to whip up healthy, satisfying meals.

In any given day, Martin says she will make a smoothie or protein shake with her mixer, or she will grind flax seed in her coffee grinder to add to yogurt.

A glimpse into her refrigerator reveal vegetables, fresh fruit, yogurt and sandwich necessities.

Martin says she wishes she had more access to a kitchen and has decided that next year, rather than moving into an apartment, she will move to Linden where there is a full kitchen on every floor.

Martin says she decided not to move into an apartment because she enjoys the residence hall community.

She says by moving to Linden she will be able to remain in the residence halls with her friends, but also cook her own meals.

Martin says next semester she will purchase the smallest meal plan possible.

She says she has not had any catastrophes while cooking with limited resources.