Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

Oh you pansy Americans, it's -40 up in Canada and we spent a week as the second coldest city in the world this December (After someplace in Siberia).
That said, bring out the old slow cooker and cook lots of beans. I don't know what it is, but beans are my go to cold comfort food. Lasagna too.

Hauling out my old slow cooker again and coming home to the smell of... anything.

You'll never be a friend, so much as that guy who tips well. Don't get any false ideas.

In a classy sort of way, Geoff Garten is very handsome

Various gripes on current stands:
Don't have too much variety. My local market has a stand with prepared food from every culture, for every dietary need, and all of it is 'pretty ok'. Figure out what you do best and stick to those.
Sample away! And keep samples at the appropriate temperatures, even if it means handing out single servings yourself from a pot. I recently had an hour old sample of a chicken tortilla that had congealed into a layer of break, and a layer of fat.

When I was a hostess, I always gave away the best seats first-the booths, the corners, and the round tables. If you're not absolutely certain that you're going to fill the restaurant, then you may not even need to seat anyone by the bathroom.

Get a microwave! Even if you are an extreme foodie, you will have leftovers, and you won't want to cook every night.
As for grocery bargains, avoid Sobeys, Overwaitea, and Safeway. Superstore is your best choice, even if it is a bus ride away. Get club packs of chicken thighs, pork shoulders, and other cheap cuts that taste so much better when slow cooked.
Prep prep prep! Don't buy the pre cut carrots, they're so much more than the regular ones, and you can't avoidf the undeniable slimy taste.
Enjoy university!

Things not to bring:
Allergens: nuts, eggs, shellfish
Stuff that goes bad easily: sushi, eggs (again)
smelly stuff: fish, eggs (Seriously, don't bring em)

@MSG- It's only harmful if you have to watch your sodium levels. The glutamate is water soluble and doesn't pass the blood brain barrier

proscuitto is delish and much thinner (=less). Don't even think about tempeh bacon.

Don't sweat it. I have it on good authority that there are three things men prefer to food; boobs and funny hats. Count again.

Come one, these are nibbles, and if I have a light breakfast and no lunch I'm starved by 4.
I always have some sort of cake or pie around, so a good sized slice of that. Current craving is coconut cream pie, but I won't be choosy.
Then an apple with peanut butter smeared over it. And if I'm still hungry, I'll make up a hot chocolate.