So, for the past 2-3 weeks I have given much business to restaurants around campus.  On-campus dining services does offer a lot of great choices, and there are several dining facilities around here.  The problem is that right when you get close towards the end of the semesters, everything starts to get kind of old.  It might sound great to have so many choices, and mom's cooking might get old when you're at home but...The double cheeseburger, Whopper Jr. with cheese, and a double stacker from Burger King all start to taste the same.  Pizzas from Pizza Hut or Pandinis are great, but a person can only take so many pizzas at a time.  And when you want to finally start eating healthy but your only choices are a boring salad or fried chicken Fridays, you know what ends up happening!

With that said, lately I've been really having a great hankering for some good ol' white rice.  Whether that's because I'm just straight up Asian and I'm really just craving a good sticky rice or maybe I'm really just homesick because everyone around me seems to be packing up their dorms and going home, here's my 4-1-1 on great Chinese Fast Food Joint finds around Columbia.  I've got two great options for a quick fix to a good Asian meal!

1.  The Teapot:  Once you get to campus and you start setting up your desk, you'll probably find that there's a folded-up menu on your desk.  Complementary of the restaurant Teapot, an array of Americanized Chinese food awaits you.  If you decide to throw the menu away, don't worry.  When that late night hankering comes, you'll find that there are about a couple more stacks of the menus in your dorm lobby.  The Teapot is very attractive to students on campus because they DELIVER!  A great alternative to pizza night, students can make a call and have Chinese food within 15-20 minutes on a less-than busy night (even quicker than Domino's 30-minute promise.)  The food's not too expensive either, and so when you throw in the delivery charge and the tip, it's not bad.  You'll have quite the spread for your dinner.  My favorite dishes to order from them are Chicken with Garlic Sauce, Sweet and Sour Shrimp, and Ginger Chicken.

2. Bamboo House:  If you can somehow access a car (if you have one on campus or you can find a friend with one), the Bamboo House is another great Chinese Food option.  Of the two, I actually like this one better.  The only drawback is that this place can't deliver, and you'll have to go out into the highway to get to it.  But it's really not that far from campus.  About a 5-10 minute drive, the Bamboo House is off of the Bush River Road exit on I-26.  It's cheaper, and in my opinion, the food tastes even better.  My favorites are crab rangoon, fried baby shrimp, sweet and sour chicken, and egg drop soup!

Even my American boyfriend who used to only enjoy plain food--no onions, no peppers, no sauce, please!--even enjoys eating Chinese food with me.  This is not to rave about great Chinese food as if it were authentic, but hey, it hits the right spot when I'm craving and I can no longer go without my white rice.  I really want to go home soon.  I've already told my mother a list of Filipino food that I would dearly love of her to prepare for me for my first week back home!

Well, catch y'all later on the flipside and enjoy your mom's cooking (and appreciate her because Mothers' day is right around the corner!), Gamecocks!