A meal is breakfast, lunch or dinner. It is not a snack, it is not something eaten between the three recommended meals of the day and it is definitely not light. What is eaten does not matter, as long as it is eaten during the time of one of the allotted meals of the day. Eating cereal for lunch at 2:30 PM still consists of a meal, because it is the time that matters not the food. Concepts like ‘Breakfast for Dinner’ reiterate this.

Likewise, the idea of eating three meals a day is practically forced onto individuals since the minute they are born. Although this was possible back home, this seems practically impossible as a college student. Without someone reminding me that I have to eat, I don’t seem to remember or mind when I do not eat three meals a day. Back home I am able to eat all three meals however while I am away at college, it seems inevitable for me to do so.

Furthermore, what a meal consists of is very different wherever you go. In Dubai, I would typically eat rice, chapatti (bread), lentils and sabzi (Side dish of vegetables). However, in America my meals range from having a measly bowl of salad with chicken breast to a bagel with cream cheese. I believe the difference exists because my health was being foreseen by my family and I paid no attention to what I ate because I knew I would have something to eat and that someone would make sure I was eating right. In contrast to this, being alone in college means I have to be responsible for myself and I tend to prioritize other things, like finishing papers, over eating.

Similarly, what I consider to be a major shift in a meal may seem completely normal to others. My friends from Europe eat a lot of salads for meals but I did not even consider a salad to be a meal until I moved to America.