A Night with Buckeye E, The Bachelor, and Brazilian Rolls

By SAMANTHA KIM

7:45 p.m. class is finally over.

7:46 p.m. scrambling to pack my things.

7:49 p.m. sprinting through the academic buildings.

7:52 p.m. stopping at Paycaf for take-out.

7:55 p.m. scaling the deceptively steep hill to the College Park Apartments.

7:58 p.m. shouting through the propped open window, “DID IT START?!”

7:59 p.m. the door to Buckeye E flies open, and some car commercial is playing on TV in the living room. I made it.

The clanging of dishes, pots and pans in the kitchen and the smell of roasted veggies and chicken curry lingers. At Buckeye E, the windows are all cracked open to allow the crisp winter air in.

Amanda Eichmann, sophomore nursing student at Ramapo College, is in the kitchen kneading the crap out of the cheese roll dough she whipped up in light of her stressful day. Jessica May Aying, Eichmann’s roommate, decompresses on the sofa with a bowl of Turkey Hill Double Dunker ice cream and gestures for me to sit.

“Guys, guys, guys, I’m home!! Shreeja Dahal, their suitemate says with an excitement only heard on Monday nights.

It's 8 p.m. Chris Harrison’s voice resonates throughout the apartment.

“This season of the Bachelor is an unbelievable journey like you’ve never seen before.” The show has begun.

The Bachelor, as terribly cheesy, unnecessarily dramatic, comical, jaw dropping and absolutely frustrating as it is, is what each one of us looks forward to every week. With every passing minute, the cheese rolls begin to rise, the aroma of Parmesan fills the kitchen, and the warm scent of the rolls in the oven spreads throughout the entire apartment as the final resident of Buckeye E emerges.

“Amanda, do I smell cheese rolls?” Myat Noe Pwint Phyu says, with a big smile on her face. She already knows the answer to her question.

As cheesy as it may sound, both The Bachelor and these rolls are a symbol of our friendship. To say that we are all busy is an understatement. Like most college students, we are all juggling a million things in our life, however, it all seems to disappear as soon as 8 p.m. hits on Monday night, with a roll in hand. Whether we are frantically studying for an exam, or stressed about work, we make sure that we are together every Monday night. There is nothing better than ending the day or beginning the week with a great group of friends, a fantastically trashy reality show, and Brazilian cheese rolls.

Suddenly, on The Bachelor a contestant has a bottle of champagne stolen from her and a new one erupts in her face which becomes known throughout Twitter and the Bachelor community as Champagne-Gate.

“THAT did NOT just happen!!” Eichmann said.

It's 9 p.m. and ding, the oven timer goes off, the cheese rolls come out, and we savor the Parmesan and salty bliss of the rolls. Now, I’ve never harnessed or honed in on my skills as any sort of cook, chef or baker. I wouldn’t say that I am a connoisseur or food critic of any sort, BUT let me tell you, these rolls are to die for.

The show progresses and things begin to get even juicier. Comments are flying out of mouths filled with bits of cheese rolls left and right in Buckeye E over the recent Bachelor events.

“Peter…do you want my glasses bro? Are you blind?! How could you let her go?” Aying said.

It’s 10 p.m. and the credits are rolling, “You know, even I would make a better bachelor than Peter,” Dahal added with a laugh.

And just like that, Buckeye E’s normal college programming resumes. Eichmann and Aying return to the kitchen table to study anatomy, Dahal and Pwint Phyu go back to their rooms to sleep and take notes, and I return home to Overlook. Another memorable Monday night at Buckeye E.