April 9, 2025 • 29 mins
Joaquin Rodriguez, son of Kitchen Activist host Florencia Ramirez, reveals how he cooks nutritious, budget-friendly meals in his NYC college dorm with minimal equipment. His creative approach proves that kitchen activism can thrive anywhere, regardless of kitchen size or equipment limitations.
• Creating nutritious meals with just a mini-fridge, toaster oven, rice cooker, and electric kettle
• Batch cooking beans and rice as affordable, versatile meal foundations
• Using a rice cooker for multiple purposes beyond rice—pasta, reheating, and hard-boiled eggs
• Planning and executing weekly "Friday Feasts" for friends featuring dishes like pozole and jambalaya
• Prioritizing organic ingredients while keeping costs to approximately $50 per week
• Adapting cooking skills learned at home to small-space limitations
• Finding inspiration from recipes online and not being afraid to experiment
• Meal planning based on sales at local grocery stores
• Understanding how food choices impact environmental and personal health
• Sharing costs and food with friends builds community
"Don't limit yourself... with anything, it's trial and error... it just comes down to not limiting yourself and finding inspiration and not being scared to fail, because if you fail, you just try again."
Start Meal Planning to Save the Planet and Money! Click Here to get started.
Join us inside the Kitchen Activist Collective. Learn more here.
Get a copy of the EAT LESS WATER book.
Reach me at info@eatlesswater.com
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
Hi, welcome.
My name is Florencia Ramirezand I'm the host of the Kitchen
Activist Podcast.
Thank you so much for joiningme.
And today I have an incrediblyspecial guest, one of the most
specialist guests I could thinkof on the planet, because it is
Joaquin, my son, and I asked himto join us on this Kitchen
(00:25):
Activist podcast because he is19 years old, living in a dorm,
a college dorm in New York City,and he is cooking.
And right now I'm pullingtogether the Kitchen Activist
Collective and writing about howour kitchens can become forces
(00:46):
of change, as long as we know wehave the skill set, we know
what we're doing, we're choosingfood that we know is in
alignment with nature and ourdesire to increase well-being on
the planet and, all you know,saving food, all of these things
.
But it occurred to me that, asI'm writing about the kitchen,
(01:08):
that people will, you know, youmight think that, well, I can't
do this because I really don'thave a kitchen.
I don't have a, or I don't havea nice kitchen, or my kitchen
is too small, or I have a studiokitchen.
We all have different kitchensetups.
I've had so many kitchensthroughout my life, from
(01:30):
non-kitchens to larger kitchens,and so I thought let me talk to
Joaquin, because Joaquin ispretty savvy, from what he's
telling me, of all of the thingsthat he is able to cook in his
dorm room kitchen and also theshared kitchen that he has down
the hall.
Welcome, joaquin, onto theKitchen Activist podcast.
(01:53):
So why don't you just set thescene for us?
You know, tell us, show us.
I know this will be on YouTube.
That's a new thing for thispodcast that this will be on
YouTube so you can watch it, youcan see it.
But for those people, those ofus who are listening in on to
this podcast and can't see yourdorm room, can you set the scene
(02:17):
for us, describe your dormkitchen?
What are you working with?
What kinds of what?
What do you have in there?
A mini fridge, a hot plate?
Go ahead, let us know.
Speaker 2 (02:27):
So I just have a mini fridge, um, and then, as a
built-in freezer as well, um, atoaster oven, a rice cooker and
a kettle, and I guess I got acutting board and a knife, yeah.
And then there's a sharedkitchen on each floor of the
dorm I live in, which has afull-size stove and oven so I
(02:49):
know for many college studentsthere's a cafeteria.
Speaker 1 (02:53):
So I think I need to back up a little bit.
Because you go to huntercollege in new york city, there
is no meal plan option at yourschool, so everybody has to cook
um or go out to eat, right?
And what are you finding thatmost students are doing in the
dorm situation?
Cause most students are 18, 19,20 years old, correct?
Speaker 2 (03:17):
Yeah, um, even older than that.
But I see a lot of Trader Joe'sfrozen food, um, because it's
very easy to make and it'srelatively affordable.
Um, a lot of eggs, um, and Isee I see some people like
cooking some actual good food,but for the most part I'm seeing
like the trader joe's orangechicken and like something to
(03:39):
pop in the microwave which youlike from time to time as well.
Yeah, I mean, trader Joe'sorange chicken is delicious, but
you can't just rely on that andalso it's.
It's not the best for you.
Speaker 1 (03:54):
Yeah, so.
So when you say it's not thebest for you, how do you, how do
you know that?
Speaker 2 (04:00):
Well, I guess, from being your son, but also I mean
you a good, a good.
What's the word A good, a good?
Indicator on if something isgood or bad for you is you can
just take a quick look at theback ingredients and if it's
more than like this big, thenyou know, I don't know how good
(04:22):
that is for you.
So you're, so you're holdingyour fingers up, showing like a
very large list, yeah, verylarge list, and also there's
many words that you can't reallypronounce or have no idea what
they are.
Um, most of the time they'rejust unneeded preservatives, so
so.
Speaker 1 (04:41):
So behind you, if you're watching this, we can see
your toaster oven that'ssitting on top of your mini
fridge, right.
So tell us, what does it looklike for you, like, how do you
approach cooking for one person?
(05:01):
I know sometimes and we'll getinto this you also are cooking
for others friends that arestarting to come over to your
dorm on Friday night, but beforewe get there, what does that
look like?
So, when you sit down andyou're planning and you're on a
budget, what are you buying?
Speaker 2 (05:29):
what are you, what are you buying?
Um, I start off every week bygetting uh, dry beans and
soaking them overnight and thencooking a big pot of beans so
you can have that all throughoutthe week.
And you know, even as simple asjust heating up some rice and
some beans, it's a fulfillingmeal, meal, it's a, it's a
complete protein and you couldadd some salsa or hot sauce onto
it or eat it plain, and youcould always just build onto
(05:50):
that.
You can season some chicken orsome beef or grill up some
veggies, or sometimes I do likesome seasoned potatoes that I
throw in the toaster oven backthere and you throw those on
some rice and beans and it'sdelicious.
Um, I think a good thing to dois, uh, you know, keep in mind
that.
You know, protein keeps youmore full.
(06:12):
Um, so I kind of like to go forprotein first, and you know
that's not just meat, it's like,uh, you know, eggs, beans are
like a staple in my fridge andin my shopping cart every week.
Speaker 1 (06:28):
Yeah Well, you grew up in my kitchen where beans is
a staple.
Speaker 2 (06:32):
Yeah, we're Mexican.
Speaker 1 (06:35):
We're Mexican, but also just beans are.
They're magic.
I mean I could see why.
Yeah, they are the Jack and theBeanstalk with the magic beans.
That was really.
I feel like talking about whatthe health, all the health
benefits that come with beans,and not only that, but I know,
you know this, joaquin, but justbeans, how they draw nitrogen
(06:57):
from the sky and put it into theground.
So they truly are buildinghealth around the planet, not
just for us, but also for soilhealth and helping to sequester
carbon.
I mean, it just goes on and on.
I just love beans.
So I'm happy, I'm glad, thatyou are taking that skill, or
(07:21):
taking that my love for beans,to with you to New York.
So you told me before we gotonto this podcast that you are
soaking beans.
Speaker 2 (07:30):
There's a pot behind me on top of the toaster oven
right now that I um put therethis morning to soak the beans
Cause, after this podcast isover, I'm going to go cook them
in a fresh pot of beans.
Speaker 1 (07:42):
So take us through.
How do you make?
How do you make your beans?
Speaker 2 (07:46):
Well, extremely simple.
First of all, I get the beans.
I like to go to Whole Foodsbecause they have a bulk option.
I know not all Whole Foods, orgrocery stores for that matter,
have bulk, but it's super cheap,even from Whole Foods, which is
a notoriously overpriced supercheap, even from Whole Foods,
which is a notoriouslyoverpriced grocery store.
(08:08):
I get them and then I sortthrough them, because beans have
dirt clots in them and I don'twant dirt in my beans.
So I sort through them and thenI put it through the colander
and rinse them out and then Ithrow them in the pot, cover
them with water and salt, letthem sit throughout the whole
day, or overnight, however long,and then I drain the water you
(08:30):
don't have to, but I like to doit and then I re-season it.
I put some black crushed pepper, a little bit of cumin, whole
cloves of garlic I add, chop upa jalapeno, a couple of them,
throw them in there and then setit to boil for like 45 minutes
and after that you have awonderful pot of beans.
Speaker 1 (08:50):
Also salt as well oh yeah, salt for sure, that's.
Speaker 2 (08:54):
That's what softens beans yeah, so when you're
starting them to add the salt,yeah, I, I've started doing that
more consistently.
Speaker 1 (09:03):
It does make a big difference.
Um, so okay, so you're.
So you're making beans, protein, some rice, eggs, some
vegetables.
You're roasting in your, inyour electric stove, Are you?
What are you doing in your ricecooker?
Speaker 2 (09:22):
Um, well, rice, obviously.
Um, you can do hard boiled eggs.
You put them on the.
There's a little carriage thatyou can put on top of it while
you're boiling stuff.
Make hard boiled eggs yeah, umand also I just use it to reheat
stuff as well.
So with the beans, if I youknow, nor I only have one pot,
so I just throw them in thereand let them cook and then, once
(09:44):
they start simmering, I knowthey're done.
Um, I use it to reheat a lot ofstuff.
That's, you know, liquid basedoh, oh, that's, that's.
Speaker 1 (09:53):
I hadn't thought about doing it that way I also
make pasta like that.
Speaker 2 (09:56):
I put some water and wait for it to boil and make the
pasta then inside of your ricecooker inside of my rice cooker
because I just wait for it toboil and pasta, like normally if
I'm making something for me uh,because my pot is very big and
so that wouldn't really make alot of sense to make your.
Speaker 1 (10:13):
Your pot is really big, but your rice cooker is.
Speaker 2 (10:15):
My rice cooker is very small.
Speaker 1 (10:17):
Yeah, yeah yeah, because you don't have a
microwave, and I know thisbecause we gave you options when
we, when we took, when webought things for your form
right and you didn't want amicrowave.
Speaker 2 (10:30):
I don't ever use a microwave In my household.
I guess our household growingup, we never had a microwave up
until like the last two years,but it was never something that
I ever needed to use, or I justdidn't grow up with using a
microwave and or grow up eatinga frozen food, and if I need to
(10:55):
reheat something like that, I'lljust turn on the toaster up and
throw it in there and there,and it isn't that often where I
need to do something like that.
Speaker 1 (11:05):
So do you have a chef's knife?
Speaker 2 (11:07):
I do.
I do have a chef's knife Um, itis very nice one that was
gifted to me by you Um a smallcutting board, and you don't
even have to get a really niceknife.
I mean just having a knife andcutting board so you can chop
stuff up.
Speaker 1 (11:23):
Well, a chef's knife, I do believe, and it took me
many years before I had a nicechef knife, and now that I have
one, I understand how it reallydoes up your game right, just
like once you learn how to usethe chef knife, which is not
that hard.
(11:44):
It does up your game.
So I believe, just like I heardit told to me that you should
purchase a chef knife the mostexpensive chef knife that you
can afford, and you will keep itfor years.
Right, I mean that chef knifeyou will have probably for
decades.
Speaker 2 (12:02):
I would yeah, I do need to sharpen it, though I
need to get some sharpeningstuff.
So yeah, yeah you're.
Speaker 1 (12:09):
you're really and I'm not that good at doing this
either, but you're supposed tosharpen it after each time you
use a chef knife.
Just like that quick, thatquick sharpen on either side,
yeah, and then also you can lookinto where there's knife
sharpening places nearby andthey're not that expensive, like
(12:29):
$6 or something to sharpen yourknife.
So tell me about what's beenhappening on Fridays, because
that's kind of a new thing,right for you, but talk to me
about that right for you, buttalk, talk to me about that.
Speaker 2 (12:49):
So I love to cook if that hasn't been made apparent,
but I like to cook for peopleand I've been doing this since I
was younger, and so it's either.
I have a friend that I from highschool that goes to college
with me, and he lives in thesame building and I kind of go a
little higher than I, or Iwould put more, I would put more
effort into this meal than Iwould take my other ones, um,
(13:13):
and I would make something kindof more grand and then invite
some friends from that don'tlive in this building.
They'd come out and eat itbefore we go out for the night,
um, just so we could have afilling meal.
Because before I started doingthis, like on friday
specifically, like before we goout for the night, um, just so
we can have a filling meal.
Because before I started doingthis, like on Friday,
specifically like before, we'dgo out and hang out getting like
a deli sandwich or a slice ofpizza or like a burger or
(13:34):
something like that, which youknow are delicious, but they
aren't.
They are, they don't fill youup in the same way that a very
hearty meal would.
Speaker 1 (13:43):
Especially not on your budget, right yeah, no
because you're not buying asmuch pizza.
Speaker 2 (13:48):
Probably that you would want yeah, because I mean
if, like a deli sandwich in thearea I'm going to, it differs
from each deli to each borough,um, it's like six, seven bucks.
I mean between the three of usthat's like twenty dollars.
Um, for 20 bucks you can get alot of food and cook a lot of
food with that, um, and italways tastes better.
(14:10):
Not dissing deli sandwiches.
They're delicious, but soyou're buying.
Speaker 1 (14:18):
are you buying organic products?
I won't.
Or are organic ingredients?
Speaker 2 (14:22):
I won't tell your mother if you say no for the
most part, yeah, I am, becausethere's only like a what I've
seen at least, especially attrader joe's they have a lot of
affordable organic productsbecause there's only a one to
two dollar difference in betweenthe two and so when you're up
knowing that that does make adifference.
Speaker 1 (14:44):
So so I know that you so you say you grew up knowing
that that makes a difference.
Can you share what thatdifference is for you?
What is that difference?
Speaker 2 (14:56):
I mean your life's work.
Your life's work has been, youknow, as of recent as my whole
life actually is writing thebook Eat Less Water about how
organic food uses less water andtherefore, you know, helps with
water shortages.
And you know, you know, growingup in California, you see the
(15:20):
water shortage everywhere you go.
I mean, we've been in like amega drought for a while and you
know I don't know how much of adifference my organic tomato
sauce is going to make, but youknow, if everyone does do that,
then it'll make a biggerdifference.
As you say, all the time thepower is in the collective.
Speaker 1 (15:41):
There is power in the collective, that's true.
And I write about in in Eli'swater, uh, the a conversation
that you and I had where you saw, because it becomes, it becomes
so normal to see this where welive, in Oxnard, where you grew
up, but to see the, the guy, thefarm worker, wearing a hazmat,
(16:04):
a white hazmat suit, andspraying pesticides or fumigants
on the strawberry field thatare just like eerily kind of
coming off of out of out of thetruck, Right.
So in in this in the book, Iwrite about this question that
you had walking, joaquin, wherewe're driving home from piano
(16:26):
class, and there is spotlightflooding the rows of
strawberries to provide lightsfor the tractor driver who is
spraying pesticides, becausethey do it also at night, not
just during the day day, and youasked what's, what's the light
for?
I think you were about eight ornine years old and I, you know
(16:50):
cause the night gave this.
It was, it was just eerie, youknow, to see those like billows
of of what looks like steam, butit's the fumigants.
And he's wearing the hat, thewhite hazmat suit, and but just
like on every inch of his bodyand his mouth was covered with a
surgical mask too.
And.
But you said, well, when I toldyou what he was, what he was
(17:10):
doing, and you said, well,shouldn't he be wearing a gas
mask?
And it was like you know,really he should, but because
it's so commonplace, we justthink it's okay, right, but what
it's?
What's happening to the healthof people in our planet as a
(17:30):
result of those fumigants thatare happening all the time?
So here, I know this is astatistic you've heard before,
but here in California theaverage farm worker lifespan is
something like 49 years old.
And that's here in California.
And that's because of what'shappening on these conventional
(17:55):
farms that you've taken thatwith you, that um the food, that
food value with you, and whenyou're shopping.
So when you are um cooking onFridays and you are what, what
(18:17):
are, what are some of the thingsthat you're cooking and what
does that look like?
So you're going to class andthen what?
What does Friday look like?
Speaker 2 (18:28):
So I go to class and I'm done Me and my friend who
lives in the building, we'redone around like 3.45, 4-ish, so
we go there and we either go toTrader Joe's or Whole Foods,
depending on what we're making.
So we go there.
We either go to Trader Joe's orWhole Foods, depending on what
we're making, because if we'regetting meat, we're going to go
(18:50):
to Whole Foods because they havebetter their butcher and their
meat quality is really good.
I really look forward toFridays because it's like I love
cooking.
I kind of plan it out a day ortwo in advance and, um, either
by memory or find a recipe orwrite down a recipe of what I'm
going to make, and then I createlike a shopping list on what I
need.
(19:10):
So, for example, uh, thisFriday, um, or tomorrow, so
Thursday, I'm going to makejambalaya, which is one of my
favorite recipes to make, and Ihave like a in my notes app,
just a simple thing of you knowhow much I need, and then I can
go on the whole foods websiteand see how much it costs and
(19:33):
then put in the price and thenadd it all together.
So I have all the ingredients Ineed, how many of them I need,
or how much weight of it I needand then the price that it costs
with it.
So I do that for every time, ormost of the times I do.
I don't always do the price,but I always write everything
down that I need.
So last week I made so youmentioned the price.
Speaker 1 (19:56):
Go ahead, go ahead.
Speaker 2 (19:57):
Tell us, last week I made pozole, which is a family
staple.
I actually made it on Christmasthis year because my poor
mother was sick, and so I thinkthat was the second time I made
it.
But I would always watch my dadmake it, and so this is the
(20:18):
first time I think I made itlike on my own, like I guess not
at home, and it was reallysimple.
It took a while, but my friendcame over from his apartment and
everyone enjoyed it and it wasdelicious and I think it was
better than anything you guyshave made.
Speaker 1 (20:38):
And I know you've told me you've made Mianessa,
which is is a chicken, a friedtype of chicken, right.
Speaker 2 (20:45):
Like chicken cutlet yeah.
Speaker 1 (20:49):
And some sliced tomatoes and yeah, what else
have you made on Fridays?
Speaker 2 (20:56):
I've made a bunch of nachos just cause I always I
grill the chicken beforehand umsome chicken thighs and season
it, um with, just you know,chili powder, um chili powder,
garlic powder, onion, salt andpepper and, uh, some lime on it.
Let it soak for a bit, throw iton the cast iron, then chop it
(21:21):
up and throw it on some nachos.
That's another great easy crowdpleaser and anyone can make
nachos, because there's nospecific measurements for that.
It's just, it's very simple.
Speaker 1 (21:33):
And then you're using the beans that you batch cut.
Speaker 2 (21:35):
Yeah, I'm using the beans you know, even just like
beans and then making the panfried Mexican rice and then you
could add whatever kind of meatyou know, even just like beans,
and then making the pan friedMexican rice and then you could
add whatever kind of meat youwant, making it a burritos or
tacos.
So however you want to make it,I also done tortas, which are
like a Mexican sandwich withsome seasoned skirt steak, and
(22:00):
that was delicious.
Also made my own salsa for acouple of those meals.
But yeah, I kind of juststarted doing this this Friday
thing where I kind of go all outrecently, so I don't really
have much to say about it, butI'm like progressively trying to
get more difficult every time.
Speaker 1 (22:19):
So do you share the cost with of ingredients with
your friends generally?
Speaker 2 (22:24):
Uh, sometimes yeah, sometimes no.
Uh, just kind of depends.
Um, I don't know what's goingto happen tomorrow, but uh, if
they don't, then they usuallyjust buy me something when I'm
out.
They'll buy you that uh sliceof pizza or that deli sandwich,
yeah yeah, kind of just a way torepay me for my labor and the
(22:46):
cost of food.
Speaker 1 (22:48):
So meal planning on a budget.
How much money are you spendingevery week for food?
Speaker 2 (22:55):
Um, I normally don't really go out to eat that much,
um, unless it's a specialoccasion or some friends invite
me out.
So for the most part I'mspending around 50 bucks total
and that's groceries and thenlike, if I want, like a snack in
the middle of the day, like abagel.
Speaker 1 (23:16):
So you're cooking that kind of those feasts $50 a
week and even feeding otherpeople and organic ingredients,
mostly organic ingredients.
Speaker 2 (23:30):
I'm not going to claim that everything is 100%
organic, but I will say themajority of it is organic, um,
but I mean, I think it justcomes down to planning it out
and, um, you know, you, mostmost grocery stores, um, I guess
the major ones have an onlinething you can look up and you
(23:51):
can check the price of stuff andput them in the location of
your grocery store and check itout.
So I know, for me, the closestgrocery store to me is, or the
closest Whole Foods for me isthe one to Nomad, um, and I
could just go to the Whole Foodswebsite, put in Nomad Whole
Foods and just price checkeverything then and there, show
me what's on sale, show mewhat's not on sale.
So sometimes I'll even like if,because the week I did the
(24:17):
skirt steak the skirt steak wason sale, so that's why I got it.
This week shrimp's on sale, soI'm going to be using some
shrimp and my jambalaya.
Speaker 1 (24:27):
Oh nice.
I wish I was there to try some.
Well, I've had your jambalayaand so I know it's outstanding.
I want to thank you so much,joaquin, for joining me and
saying yes to this invitation.
It just, it just.
For me as a mother who has beendoing this work, you know, as
(24:47):
you shared and one of thebiggest rewards for me has been
of kitchen activism is to seehow my kids, as they've moved on
to their own kitchens or theirown situations, have taken it
with them and that skill, theskills that you've learned in my
kitchen, that you are buildingupon and growing it in your own
(25:11):
way.
So I'm it just, it's justpretty magnificent for me.
But what advice would you giveto other students or someone who
thinks they can't cook becausethey're in a dorm or small
apartment or have a studio youknow kitchenette type situation?
What would you say to them?
(25:31):
What is the first step thatthey can take to start cooking?
Speaker 2 (25:36):
Don't limit yourself.
I mean, when I first got herethis living situation, the dorm
I wasn't sure on what I wasgoing to be able to make or if I
had the motivation to do it, ifI was just going to be making
trader joe's frozen food for therest of my time here.
But, um, I was just thinkinglike, well, I would do the stuff
at home, so why not here andalso just explore?
(25:58):
I mean, you see, there'srecipes all the time, you see on
your explore page, on Instagramand whatnot, and a lot of them
look really good, and just thinklike, oh, like, save it, save
it in a folder somewhere andcome back to it when you're
grocery shopping and thinkingabout what you want to do for
the week.
Like, man, that looked reallygood.
I think I want to try that outand with anything, it's trial
(26:20):
and error.
The first time I made jumble Ididn't come out so well, but now
I'm I'm pretty, I got it down.
So I'm at the point where I'meven trying to like, modify it
and see if I can make it evenbetter.
Um, so it just comes down tolike not limiting yourself and,
you know, finding inspirationand not being scared to fail,
because you know, if fail, youjust try again.
Speaker 1 (26:43):
That is wonderful.
Will you do us a favor andwrite down like a list of what
you think are kind of theessentials that you would need
in a dorm so that we can shareit with folks in the show notes?
That would be, I think, reallyhelpful.
I know we're winding down onthe school year but before you
(27:04):
know it, kids or young peoplewill be needing to purchase
things for their dorms next fall, you know.
So that would be really helpful, I think, for people to to know
what are the things that theywould need and what would be one
other thing that you could usein your dorm that you wish you
(27:24):
had.
Speaker 2 (27:27):
Maybe a blender, if anything, but my friend has a
blender, so it's basically myblender.
But no, I think I haveeverything that I need here.
It'd be a smaller pot too, butyou know, I have silverware, I
have a can opener, I got a knifecutting board, got all the
things I need.
Speaker 1 (27:47):
Well, thank you, Joaquin, so much for joining me
here with this discussion.
The Kitchen Activist podcastAll of these small things that
we do add up and will make adifference on this planet, for
the health of the planet and foryou.
So thank you again, Joaquin.
Speaker 2 (28:08):
Of course, thank you.
Speaker 1 (28:10):
I love you.
Hi, welcome.
My name is Florencia Ramirezand I'm the host of the Kitchen
Activist Podcast.
Thank you so much for joiningme.
And today I have an incrediblyspecial guest, one of the most
specialist guests I could thinkof on the planet, because it is
Joaquin, my son, and I asked himto join us on this Kitchen
(00:25):
Activist podcast because he is19 years old, living in a dorm,
a college dorm in New York City,and he is cooking.
And right now I'm pullingtogether the Kitchen Activist
Collective and writing about howour kitchens can become forces
(00:46):
of change, as long as we know wehave the skill set, we know
what we're doing, we're choosingfood that we know is in
alignment with nature and ourdesire to increase well-being on
the planet and, all you know,saving food, all of these things
.
But it occurred to me that, asI'm writing about the kitchen,
(01:08):
that people will, you know, youmight think that, well, I can't
do this because I really don'thave a kitchen.
I don't have a, or I don't havea nice kitchen, or my kitchen
is too small, or I have a studiokitchen.
We all have different kitchensetups.
I've had so many kitchensthroughout my life, from
(01:30):
non-kitchens to larger kitchens,and so I thought let me talk to
Joaquin, because Joaquin ispretty savvy, from what he's
telling me, of all of the thingsthat he is able to cook in his
dorm room kitchen and also theshared kitchen that he has down
the hall.
Welcome, joaquin, onto theKitchen Activist podcast.
(01:53):
So why don't you just set thescene for us?
You know, tell us, show us.
I know this will be on YouTube.
That's a new thing for thispodcast that this will be on
YouTube so you can watch it, youcan see it.
But for those people, those ofus who are listening in on to
this podcast and can't see yourdorm room, can you set the scene
(02:17):
for us, describe your dormkitchen?
What are you working with?
What kinds of what?
What do you have in there?
A mini fridge, a hot plate?
Go ahead, let us know.
Speaker 2 (02:27):
So I just have a mini fridge, um, and then, as a
built-in freezer as well, um, atoaster oven, a rice cooker and
a kettle, and I guess I got acutting board and a knife, yeah.
And then there's a sharedkitchen on each floor of the
dorm I live in, which has afull-size stove and oven so I
(02:49):
know for many college studentsthere's a cafeteria.
Speaker 1 (02:53):
So I think I need to back up a little bit.
Because you go to huntercollege in new york city, there
is no meal plan option at yourschool, so everybody has to cook
um or go out to eat, right?
And what are you finding thatmost students are doing in the
dorm situation?
Cause most students are 18, 19,20 years old, correct?
Speaker 2 (03:17):
Yeah, um, even older than that.
But I see a lot of Trader Joe'sfrozen food, um, because it's
very easy to make and it'srelatively affordable.
Um, a lot of eggs, um, and Isee I see some people like
cooking some actual good food,but for the most part I'm seeing
like the trader joe's orangechicken and like something to
(03:39):
pop in the microwave which youlike from time to time as well.
Yeah, I mean, trader Joe'sorange chicken is delicious, but
you can't just rely on that andalso it's.
It's not the best for you.
Speaker 1 (03:54):
Yeah, so.
So when you say it's not thebest for you, how do you, how do
you know that?
Speaker 2 (04:00):
Well, I guess, from being your son, but also I mean
you a good, a good.
What's the word A good, a good?
Indicator on if something isgood or bad for you is you can
just take a quick look at theback ingredients and if it's
more than like this big, thenyou know, I don't know how good
(04:22):
that is for you.
So you're, so you're holdingyour fingers up, showing like a
very large list, yeah, verylarge list, and also there's
many words that you can't reallypronounce or have no idea what
they are.
Um, most of the time they'rejust unneeded preservatives, so
so.
Speaker 1 (04:41):
So behind you, if you're watching this, we can see
your toaster oven that'ssitting on top of your mini
fridge, right.
So tell us, what does it looklike for you, like, how do you
approach cooking for one person?
(05:01):
I know sometimes and we'll getinto this you also are cooking
for others friends that arestarting to come over to your
dorm on Friday night, but beforewe get there, what does that
look like?
So, when you sit down andyou're planning and you're on a
budget, what are you buying?
Speaker 2 (05:29):
what are you, what are you buying?
Um, I start off every week bygetting uh, dry beans and
soaking them overnight and thencooking a big pot of beans so
you can have that all throughoutthe week.
And you know, even as simple asjust heating up some rice and
some beans, it's a fulfillingmeal, meal, it's a, it's a
complete protein and you couldadd some salsa or hot sauce onto
it or eat it plain, and youcould always just build onto
(05:50):
that.
You can season some chicken orsome beef or grill up some
veggies, or sometimes I do likesome seasoned potatoes that I
throw in the toaster oven backthere and you throw those on
some rice and beans and it'sdelicious.
Um, I think a good thing to dois, uh, you know, keep in mind
that.
You know, protein keeps youmore full.
(06:12):
Um, so I kind of like to go forprotein first, and you know
that's not just meat, it's like,uh, you know, eggs, beans are
like a staple in my fridge andin my shopping cart every week.
Speaker 1 (06:28):
Yeah Well, you grew up in my kitchen where beans is
a staple.
Speaker 2 (06:32):
Yeah, we're Mexican.
Speaker 1 (06:35):
We're Mexican, but also just beans are.
They're magic.
I mean I could see why.
Yeah, they are the Jack and theBeanstalk with the magic beans.
That was really.
I feel like talking about whatthe health, all the health
benefits that come with beans,and not only that, but I know,
you know this, joaquin, but justbeans, how they draw nitrogen
(06:57):
from the sky and put it into theground.
So they truly are buildinghealth around the planet, not
just for us, but also for soilhealth and helping to sequester
carbon.
I mean, it just goes on and on.
I just love beans.
So I'm happy, I'm glad, thatyou are taking that skill, or
(07:21):
taking that my love for beans,to with you to New York.
So you told me before we gotonto this podcast that you are
soaking beans.
Speaker 2 (07:30):
There's a pot behind me on top of the toaster oven
right now that I um put therethis morning to soak the beans
Cause, after this podcast isover, I'm going to go cook them
in a fresh pot of beans.
Speaker 1 (07:42):
So take us through.
How do you make?
How do you make your beans?
Speaker 2 (07:46):
Well, extremely simple.
First of all, I get the beans.
I like to go to Whole Foodsbecause they have a bulk option.
I know not all Whole Foods, orgrocery stores for that matter,
have bulk, but it's super cheap,even from Whole Foods, which is
a notoriously overpriced supercheap, even from Whole Foods,
which is a notoriouslyoverpriced grocery store.
(08:08):
I get them and then I sortthrough them, because beans have
dirt clots in them and I don'twant dirt in my beans.
So I sort through them and thenI put it through the colander
and rinse them out and then Ithrow them in the pot, cover
them with water and salt, letthem sit throughout the whole
day, or overnight, however long,and then I drain the water you
(08:30):
don't have to, but I like to doit and then I re-season it.
I put some black crushed pepper, a little bit of cumin, whole
cloves of garlic I add, chop upa jalapeno, a couple of them,
throw them in there and then setit to boil for like 45 minutes
and after that you have awonderful pot of beans.
Speaker 1 (08:50):
Also salt as well oh yeah, salt for sure, that's.
Speaker 2 (08:54):
That's what softens beans yeah, so when you're
starting them to add the salt,yeah, I, I've started doing that
more consistently.
Speaker 1 (09:03):
It does make a big difference.
Um, so okay, so you're.
So you're making beans, protein, some rice, eggs, some
vegetables.
You're roasting in your, inyour electric stove, Are you?
What are you doing in your ricecooker?
Speaker 2 (09:22):
Um, well, rice, obviously.
Um, you can do hard boiled eggs.
You put them on the.
There's a little carriage thatyou can put on top of it while
you're boiling stuff.
Make hard boiled eggs yeah, umand also I just use it to reheat
stuff as well.
So with the beans, if I youknow, nor I only have one pot,
so I just throw them in thereand let them cook and then, once
(09:44):
they start simmering, I knowthey're done.
Um, I use it to reheat a lot ofstuff.
That's, you know, liquid basedoh, oh, that's, that's.
Speaker 1 (09:53):
I hadn't thought about doing it that way I also
make pasta like that.
Speaker 2 (09:56):
I put some water and wait for it to boil and make the
pasta then inside of your ricecooker inside of my rice cooker
because I just wait for it toboil and pasta, like normally if
I'm making something for me uh,because my pot is very big and
so that wouldn't really make alot of sense to make your.
Speaker 1 (10:13):
Your pot is really big, but your rice cooker is.
Speaker 2 (10:15):
My rice cooker is very small.
Speaker 1 (10:17):
Yeah, yeah yeah, because you don't have a
microwave, and I know thisbecause we gave you options when
we, when we took, when webought things for your form
right and you didn't want amicrowave.
Speaker 2 (10:30):
I don't ever use a microwave In my household.
I guess our household growingup, we never had a microwave up
until like the last two years,but it was never something that
I ever needed to use, or I justdidn't grow up with using a
microwave and or grow up eatinga frozen food, and if I need to
(10:55):
reheat something like that, I'lljust turn on the toaster up and
throw it in there and there,and it isn't that often where I
need to do something like that.
Speaker 1 (11:05):
So do you have a chef's knife?
Speaker 2 (11:07):
I do.
I do have a chef's knife Um, itis very nice one that was
gifted to me by you Um a smallcutting board, and you don't
even have to get a really niceknife.
I mean just having a knife andcutting board so you can chop
stuff up.
Speaker 1 (11:23):
Well, a chef's knife, I do believe, and it took me
many years before I had a nicechef knife, and now that I have
one, I understand how it reallydoes up your game right, just
like once you learn how to usethe chef knife, which is not
that hard.
(11:44):
It does up your game.
So I believe, just like I heardit told to me that you should
purchase a chef knife the mostexpensive chef knife that you
can afford, and you will keep itfor years.
Right, I mean that chef knifeyou will have probably for
decades.
Speaker 2 (12:02):
I would yeah, I do need to sharpen it, though I
need to get some sharpeningstuff.
So yeah, yeah you're.
Speaker 1 (12:09):
you're really and I'm not that good at doing this
either, but you're supposed tosharpen it after each time you
use a chef knife.
Just like that quick, thatquick sharpen on either side,
yeah, and then also you can lookinto where there's knife
sharpening places nearby andthey're not that expensive, like
(12:29):
$6 or something to sharpen yourknife.
So tell me about what's beenhappening on Fridays, because
that's kind of a new thing,right for you, but talk to me
about that right for you, buttalk, talk to me about that.
Speaker 2 (12:49):
So I love to cook if that hasn't been made apparent,
but I like to cook for peopleand I've been doing this since I
was younger, and so it's either.
I have a friend that I from highschool that goes to college
with me, and he lives in thesame building and I kind of go a
little higher than I, or Iwould put more, I would put more
effort into this meal than Iwould take my other ones, um,
(13:13):
and I would make something kindof more grand and then invite
some friends from that don'tlive in this building.
They'd come out and eat itbefore we go out for the night,
um, just so we could have afilling meal.
Because before I started doingthis, like on friday
specifically, like before we goout for the night, um, just so
we can have a filling meal.
Because before I started doingthis, like on Friday,
specifically like before, we'dgo out and hang out getting like
a deli sandwich or a slice ofpizza or like a burger or
(13:34):
something like that, which youknow are delicious, but they
aren't.
They are, they don't fill youup in the same way that a very
hearty meal would.
Speaker 1 (13:43):
Especially not on your budget, right yeah, no
because you're not buying asmuch pizza.
Speaker 2 (13:48):
Probably that you would want yeah, because I mean
if, like a deli sandwich in thearea I'm going to, it differs
from each deli to each borough,um, it's like six, seven bucks.
I mean between the three of usthat's like twenty dollars.
Um, for 20 bucks you can get alot of food and cook a lot of
food with that, um, and italways tastes better.
(14:10):
Not dissing deli sandwiches.
They're delicious, but soyou're buying.
Speaker 1 (14:18):
are you buying organic products?
I won't.
Or are organic ingredients?
Speaker 2 (14:22):
I won't tell your mother if you say no for the
most part, yeah, I am, becausethere's only like a what I've
seen at least, especially attrader joe's they have a lot of
affordable organic productsbecause there's only a one to
two dollar difference in betweenthe two and so when you're up
knowing that that does make adifference.
Speaker 1 (14:44):
So so I know that you so you say you grew up knowing
that that makes a difference.
Can you share what thatdifference is for you?
What is that difference?
Speaker 2 (14:56):
I mean your life's work.
Your life's work has been, youknow, as of recent as my whole
life actually is writing thebook Eat Less Water about how
organic food uses less water andtherefore, you know, helps with
water shortages.
And you know, you know, growingup in California, you see the
(15:20):
water shortage everywhere you go.
I mean, we've been in like amega drought for a while and you
know I don't know how much of adifference my organic tomato
sauce is going to make, but youknow, if everyone does do that,
then it'll make a biggerdifference.
As you say, all the time thepower is in the collective.
Speaker 1 (15:41):
There is power in the collective, that's true.
And I write about in in Eli'swater, uh, the a conversation
that you and I had where you saw, because it becomes, it becomes
so normal to see this where welive, in Oxnard, where you grew
up, but to see the, the guy, thefarm worker, wearing a hazmat,
(16:04):
a white hazmat suit, andspraying pesticides or fumigants
on the strawberry field thatare just like eerily kind of
coming off of out of out of thetruck, Right.
So in in this in the book, Iwrite about this question that
you had walking, joaquin, wherewe're driving home from piano
(16:26):
class, and there is spotlightflooding the rows of
strawberries to provide lightsfor the tractor driver who is
spraying pesticides, becausethey do it also at night, not
just during the day day, and youasked what's, what's the light
for?
I think you were about eight ornine years old and I, you know
(16:50):
cause the night gave this.
It was, it was just eerie, youknow, to see those like billows
of of what looks like steam, butit's the fumigants.
And he's wearing the hat, thewhite hazmat suit, and but just
like on every inch of his bodyand his mouth was covered with a
surgical mask too.
And.
But you said, well, when I toldyou what he was, what he was
(17:10):
doing, and you said, well,shouldn't he be wearing a gas
mask?
And it was like you know,really he should, but because
it's so commonplace, we justthink it's okay, right, but what
it's?
What's happening to the healthof people in our planet as a
(17:30):
result of those fumigants thatare happening all the time?
So here, I know this is astatistic you've heard before,
but here in California theaverage farm worker lifespan is
something like 49 years old.
And that's here in California.
And that's because of what'shappening on these conventional
(17:55):
farms that you've taken thatwith you, that um the food, that
food value with you, and whenyou're shopping.
So when you are um cooking onFridays and you are what, what
(18:17):
are, what are some of the thingsthat you're cooking and what
does that look like?
So you're going to class andthen what?
What does Friday look like?
Speaker 2 (18:28):
So I go to class and I'm done Me and my friend who
lives in the building, we'redone around like 3.45, 4-ish, so
we go there and we either go toTrader Joe's or Whole Foods,
depending on what we're making.
So we go there.
We either go to Trader Joe's orWhole Foods, depending on what
we're making, because if we'regetting meat, we're going to go
(18:50):
to Whole Foods because they havebetter their butcher and their
meat quality is really good.
I really look forward toFridays because it's like I love
cooking.
I kind of plan it out a day ortwo in advance and, um, either
by memory or find a recipe orwrite down a recipe of what I'm
going to make, and then I createlike a shopping list on what I
need.
(19:10):
So, for example, uh, thisFriday, um, or tomorrow, so
Thursday, I'm going to makejambalaya, which is one of my
favorite recipes to make, and Ihave like a in my notes app,
just a simple thing of you knowhow much I need, and then I can
go on the whole foods websiteand see how much it costs and
(19:33):
then put in the price and thenadd it all together.
So I have all the ingredients Ineed, how many of them I need,
or how much weight of it I needand then the price that it costs
with it.
So I do that for every time, ormost of the times I do.
I don't always do the price,but I always write everything
down that I need.
So last week I made so youmentioned the price.
Speaker 1 (19:56):
Go ahead, go ahead.
Speaker 2 (19:57):
Tell us, last week I made pozole, which is a family
staple.
I actually made it on Christmasthis year because my poor
mother was sick, and so I thinkthat was the second time I made
it.
But I would always watch my dadmake it, and so this is the
(20:18):
first time I think I made itlike on my own, like I guess not
at home, and it was reallysimple.
It took a while, but my friendcame over from his apartment and
everyone enjoyed it and it wasdelicious and I think it was
better than anything you guyshave made.
Speaker 1 (20:38):
And I know you've told me you've made Mianessa,
which is is a chicken, a friedtype of chicken, right.
Speaker 2 (20:45):
Like chicken cutlet yeah.
Speaker 1 (20:49):
And some sliced tomatoes and yeah, what else
have you made on Fridays?
Speaker 2 (20:56):
I've made a bunch of nachos just cause I always I
grill the chicken beforehand umsome chicken thighs and season
it, um with, just you know,chili powder, um chili powder,
garlic powder, onion, salt andpepper and, uh, some lime on it.
Let it soak for a bit, throw iton the cast iron, then chop it
(21:21):
up and throw it on some nachos.
That's another great easy crowdpleaser and anyone can make
nachos, because there's nospecific measurements for that.
It's just, it's very simple.
Speaker 1 (21:33):
And then you're using the beans that you batch cut.
Speaker 2 (21:35):
Yeah, I'm using the beans you know, even just like
beans and then making the panfried Mexican rice and then you
could add whatever kind of meatyou know, even just like beans,
and then making the pan friedMexican rice and then you could
add whatever kind of meat youwant, making it a burritos or
tacos.
So however you want to make it,I also done tortas, which are
like a Mexican sandwich withsome seasoned skirt steak, and
(22:00):
that was delicious.
Also made my own salsa for acouple of those meals.
But yeah, I kind of juststarted doing this this Friday
thing where I kind of go all outrecently, so I don't really
have much to say about it, butI'm like progressively trying to
get more difficult every time.
Speaker 1 (22:19):
So do you share the cost with of ingredients with
your friends generally?
Speaker 2 (22:24):
Uh, sometimes yeah, sometimes no.
Uh, just kind of depends.
Um, I don't know what's goingto happen tomorrow, but uh, if
they don't, then they usuallyjust buy me something when I'm
out.
They'll buy you that uh sliceof pizza or that deli sandwich,
yeah yeah, kind of just a way torepay me for my labor and the
(22:46):
cost of food.
Speaker 1 (22:48):
So meal planning on a budget.
How much money are you spendingevery week for food?
Speaker 2 (22:55):
Um, I normally don't really go out to eat that much,
um, unless it's a specialoccasion or some friends invite
me out.
So for the most part I'mspending around 50 bucks total
and that's groceries and thenlike, if I want, like a snack in
the middle of the day, like abagel.
Speaker 1 (23:16):
So you're cooking that kind of those feasts $50 a
week and even feeding otherpeople and organic ingredients,
mostly organic ingredients.
Speaker 2 (23:30):
I'm not going to claim that everything is 100%
organic, but I will say themajority of it is organic, um,
but I mean, I think it justcomes down to planning it out
and, um, you know, you, mostmost grocery stores, um, I guess
the major ones have an onlinething you can look up and you
(23:51):
can check the price of stuff andput them in the location of
your grocery store and check itout.
So I know, for me, the closestgrocery store to me is, or the
closest Whole Foods for me isthe one to Nomad, um, and I
could just go to the Whole Foodswebsite, put in Nomad Whole
Foods and just price checkeverything then and there, show
me what's on sale, show mewhat's not on sale.
So sometimes I'll even like if,because the week I did the
(24:17):
skirt steak the skirt steak wason sale, so that's why I got it.
This week shrimp's on sale, soI'm going to be using some
shrimp and my jambalaya.
Speaker 1 (24:27):
Oh nice.
I wish I was there to try some.
Well, I've had your jambalayaand so I know it's outstanding.
I want to thank you so much,joaquin, for joining me and
saying yes to this invitation.
It just, it just.
For me as a mother who has beendoing this work, you know, as
(24:47):
you shared and one of thebiggest rewards for me has been
of kitchen activism is to seehow my kids, as they've moved on
to their own kitchens or theirown situations, have taken it
with them and that skill, theskills that you've learned in my
kitchen, that you are buildingupon and growing it in your own
(25:11):
way.
So I'm it just, it's justpretty magnificent for me.
But what advice would you giveto other students or someone who
thinks they can't cook becausethey're in a dorm or small
apartment or have a studio youknow kitchenette type situation?
What would you say to them?
(25:31):
What is the first step thatthey can take to start cooking?
Speaker 2 (25:36):
Don't limit yourself.
I mean, when I first got herethis living situation, the dorm
I wasn't sure on what I wasgoing to be able to make or if I
had the motivation to do it, ifI was just going to be making
trader joe's frozen food for therest of my time here.
But, um, I was just thinkinglike, well, I would do the stuff
at home, so why not here andalso just explore?
(25:58):
I mean, you see, there'srecipes all the time, you see on
your explore page, on Instagramand whatnot, and a lot of them
look really good, and just thinklike, oh, like, save it, save
it in a folder somewhere andcome back to it when you're
grocery shopping and thinkingabout what you want to do for
the week.
Like, man, that looked reallygood.
I think I want to try that outand with anything, it's trial
(26:20):
and error.
The first time I made jumble Ididn't come out so well, but now
I'm I'm pretty, I got it down.
So I'm at the point where I'meven trying to like, modify it
and see if I can make it evenbetter.
Um, so it just comes down tolike not limiting yourself and,
you know, finding inspirationand not being scared to fail,
because you know, if fail, youjust try again.
Speaker 1 (26:43):
That is wonderful.
Will you do us a favor andwrite down like a list of what
you think are kind of theessentials that you would need
in a dorm so that we can shareit with folks in the show notes?
That would be, I think, reallyhelpful.
I know we're winding down onthe school year but before you
(27:04):
know it, kids or young peoplewill be needing to purchase
things for their dorms next fall, you know.
So that would be really helpful, I think, for people to to know
what are the things that theywould need and what would be one
other thing that you could usein your dorm that you wish you
(27:24):
had.
Speaker 2 (27:27):
Maybe a blender, if anything, but my friend has a
blender, so it's basically myblender.
But no, I think I haveeverything that I need here.
It'd be a smaller pot too, butyou know, I have silverware, I
have a can opener, I got a knifecutting board, got all the
things I need.
Speaker 1 (27:47):
Well, thank you, Joaquin, so much for joining me
here with this discussion.
The Kitchen Activist podcastAll of these small things that
we do add up and will make adifference on this planet, for
the health of the planet and foryou.
So thank you again, Joaquin.
Speaker 2 (28:08):
Of course, thank you.
Speaker 1 (28:10):
I love you.
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I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com