I never considered my food choices to be bland until I started watching YouTube. LA influencers would vlog their “What I Eat in a Day,” consisting of chia seed puddings and homemade poke bowls. Staring at my third bowl of cereal — that is, my  dinner — as I watched these videos, I knew it was time for me to rejuvenate my extremely boring diet. 

Even as I formed this goal in my head, I knew that completely shifting to a sophisticated palate was completely unrealistic. As a junior, I find my “lunch breaks” are just an opportunity to work on assignments due the next period. I have maybe 15 minutes to grab a quick meal before heading back to my desk.  

 I decided to attempt one of the most popular “LA trendy foods” that was also feasible for a high schooler with subpar cooking skills: avocado toast. With its healthy ingredients, accessibility and Pinterest aesthetic, avocado toast is every influencer’s superfood. 

To attempt my own avocado toast, I first grabbed some wheat bread because white bread might as well be poison in LA. Then I grabbed a ripe avocado, some lemon juice, salt, pepper, olive oil and arugula. Because I was heading to soccer practice that evening, I also decided to scramble some eggs for extra protein while I struggled to find lemon juice in my overflowing fridge. 

From slathering the mashed avocado onto the toast, layering on greens and seasoning and preparing the eggs, putting together the dish was pretty straightforward. Still, the final product offered a far greater variety of food than my typical milk and Cheerios. When I finally finished putting together my dish, I was pleasantly surprised at the aesthetic appeal of my toast. Yes, it wasn’t adorned with herbs and edible flowers  the way I had seen on YouTube, but it was far more artistic than anything I had made in the past. My avocado toast also tasted absolutely delicious, with a mouth-watering blend of fresh lemon and salty seasoning. 

I was expecting my experiment with preparing my own LA-worthy foods to be a one-time occurrence before reverting back to my cereal days. Instead, making avocado toast has encouraged me to diversify my food choices on a daily basis. I find it surprisingly enjoyable to rummage through my cabinets to throw together a dish that I can call my own creation.

Some of my new favorite creative meals are banana and almond butter sandwiches, vegetarian sausage and spinach stir-frys and yogurt parfaits. While I will never lose my love for cereal, making my own unique dishes has inspired me to take the time to appreciate the food I’m eating and the journey it took to bring it to the table.