AS MY COLLEGE roommates and I wasted away the summer of 2020, yanked from our teammates on the track team due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a cloud hung over the house.
Sitting on the kitchen counter, tucked away in a corner, was a large 32-cup rice cooker that my teammate, John, left behind for us to store until he returned to campus-an indefinite amount of time.
John, or "Dohini," as he was affectionately nicknamed for unclear reasons, was known for his love of high-mileage training and vegan lifestyle. The guy ate the same thing for almost every meal: beans and rice.
And at the foundation of his diet was his prized rice cooker, which ended up at my house after he was hastily kicked out of the dorms and had to fly home. I'm sure he experienced phantom limb pains.
My roommate, Jack, and I avoided the rice cooker. We knew it hadn't been cleaned out, and we were scared to open it. For weeks, out of stubbornness and laziness, we let it sit, knowing that it was probably a petri dish of growing bacteria. It took about three months until Jack finally caved in and rolled up his sleeves.
In a bit of a letdown, it was actually pretty tame inside. No noxious odors; just a lot of crusty starch. Jack put it in a cabinet when he was done, where it awaited its owner.
I've always admired Dohini for his monastic commitment to running and his simple diet. For most people, white rice and a room-temperature can of black beans-and usually some microwaved veggies topped with salt and sriracha-would get painstakingly dull. I certainly had no interest in replicating the diet myself.
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