By Zara Husaini

You know those food trucks that are parked all over college campuses?  Yeah, the ones that serve the ridiculously cheap food but always look desolate and intimidating.  Unless you’re an engineering student who has twenty-three hours of class a day and wears the same Star Trek shirt regardless of how many Chinese food stains its accumulated, you’ve probably never been to one of these carts.  You’ve probably walked by them about a million times.  Some of you probably avert your eyes every time you see a food truck, afraid of what witnessing such haphazard preparations will do to your outlook on food.  Some of you – the ones with a sense of adventure – will boldly peer into the carts, promising yourself that one day you’ll force yourself to invest in a quick, cheap food truck meal.

For the brave ones among you, I know the perfect time to pop that food truck cherry. I happen to know from lots of firsthand experience that there is no better nightcap than a meal from one of these trucks.  Trust me, when the clock strikes two, food trucks magically transform into heaven on wheels.

Granted, pretty much any meal that’s consumed after a night of hard partying tastes like a gourmet meal, but food trucks have tremendous late-night appeal. For one thing, they’re cheap.  You know that compulsion that creeps in after a night out, the one that urges you to empty the contents of your wallet in exchange for absolutely pointless things?  End your night at a food truck and you’ll have a really hard time shelling out more than seven dollars.

The benefits of a late night meal are not limited to the night, though.  You’ll wake up feeling wonderfully refreshed and thoroughly satisfied. All that grease floating around in your stomach will all but eradicate anything else you may have consumed earlier in the night.

And the most important thing about these trucks?  They’re good.  At least the ones I’ve been to offer really tasty, convenient meals.  In fact, my nighttime encounters with the food trucks have been so consistently favorable that I’ve even taken to stopping by for the occasional quick lunch between classes.  The food is delicious (not exactly healthy, but on a college campus, that’s pretty much a given) and doesn’t zap you off very much time or money.  Yes, the idea of eating food that’s been prepared in a tiny metal vehicle is a bit daunting, but a few 2:00 AM encounters with a greasy meal on wheels is all you need to embrace food trucks and introduce them into your circle of college dining options.

Oh, and when you actually look up these things online, you’ll find they’re all the rage in major cities. It might just make you hungry, but check it out.

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By Zara Husaini

When you’re out at night, it seems like anything goes. You can go wherever you want to go, do whatever you want to do, and talk to whomever you please.  In almost every case, what you say when you’re at the bar stays at the bar, and almost anything is acceptable.  However, in order to make a good impression, there are some conversation topics that are simply off-limits.  Here’s a list of the few I came up with after a night of painful conversations:

Politics:   A bit of friendly bantering is cute and amusing, but political arguments have the potential to go horribly, horribly awry.  Just to be on the safe side, avoid conversations regarding politics, social issues, voting, etc.  The last thing you need is an alcohol-fueled brawl consisting of phrases like “baby-killer” and “attack dog.”

Stress:  People go out to de-stress, so no one really wants to hear about how scared you are for your upcoming MCATS, final exams, job interview, or thesis.  Sorry.  I know it’s hard to not think about the things that weigh on your mind….but that doesn’t mean it’s okay to make other people worry about them too.  Bringing up your own obligations will only remind people of their own.

Ex-boyfriends or girlfriends: This is probably the thing I hear the most about whenever I’m out.  It’s also the last thing I want to hear.  Talking about feelings definitely creates a bond between people, but the first meeting is not the time or place for a lengthy sob-fest about the shattered state of your heart. Yes, breakups are awful.  No, they are not nightlife conversation material.

As a general rule of thumb, avoid depressing topics.  Your dog’s death is out, your recent bad grade is a no-go, and the current affairs of your love life (or lack thereof) are definitely inappropriate.  Talk about things that don’t carry much weight: clothes, drinks, and restaurants. There are nebulous territories of course: sports (great conversation starter, but often result in near-violent arguments), the economy (could be a major downer), and your recent nights out (amusing, yes, but tend to paint the storyteller in a negative light.)

Hopefully this handy list will help you win over the crowd at the next party you attend.  Tell us about your favorite conversation starter!

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By Nightlife Girl

Hangovers suck. Let’s just get that little pearl of wisdom out there before I say anything else.  They’re annoying, they’re painful, they’re a major distraction….but they’re inevitable, right?  Wrong.

Let me introduce you to my current fave, Rain vodka.  This stuff is seriously liquid from the Gods: it’s delicious, not wildly pricey, and it yields absolutely no hangover whatsoever.  Seriously.  Sound too good to be true?  I guess it sort of is; I know from personal experience (being hungover until you go to bed the next night is definitely what I call “learning the hard way”) that Rain doesn’t reverse the effects of other alcohol.  That is to say, if you’re as much of a champ as I am and decide to mix this stuff with Grey Goose, champagne, and some unidentified gin all in one night, chances are you will feel like sh!t the next day.  But if you’re smart, responsible, and understand the meaning of the word “moderation,” you can kiss your drunken dilemmas goodbye before resting your pretty little wasted head.

So what makes this stuff so amazing?  Probably the fact that it’s totally organic (natural destruction of the liver is the best kind, obvs).  I don’t really know how well this bodes for your body in the long run, but the lack of funky, synthetic additions, definitely does this vodka good.  I’m generally pretty opposed to flavored vodkas, having suffered too many freshman-year gagging fits, but when it comes to Rain, I definitely recommend investing in that extra kick of exotic flavor.

I’ve sampled the unflavored stuff, and while it’s not as bad as its lower-shelved peers, it’s not the smoothest for shot taking.  I wasn’t totally blown over by Rain until I sampled the cucumber lime flavor: DELICIOUS.  The best part of the flavored line is that recipe cards are available for each flavor.  My friend and I decided to play mixologists one night and tried out the recipe for cucumber lime coolers, a mix of ginger ale, sweet and sour syrup, and cucumber lime Rain.  Trust me when I say that you’ve never tasted anything more refreshing.

I’ve also tried the honey mango melon flavor, which wasn’t quite as impressive, but smooth and tasty all the same.  Other flavors are honey grape hibiscus and lavender lemonade.  These are definitely your run-of-the-mill college-party staples.  They taste nothing like green apple Smirnoff, which I personally think is vomit-inducing.  They’re yummy, hangover-proof, and best of all, come in really pretty bottles.

Check out www.rainvodka.com for recipes and more.  Do yourselves a favor and try this stuff.  You can thank me the morning after.