Comfort food, dishes that are normally both high in calories and carbohydrates, can be a way to maintain a more positive mindset when the days start to get gloomy.
Although many people have a different idea of what comfort food specifically means to them, there’s a general understanding that it's a type of food that makes you "feel better."
“(Comfort food is) a food you can have and it just sort of makes you feel like you have no other worries,” finance sophomore Aadyn Bauroth said.
Stress is common amongst college students. When gearing up for the new semester in the middle of winter, the idea of having an easy pick-me-up is critical for students.
“When it's cold and rainy outside because then it's like, 'Oh, you just want to, like, be home – might as well, like, have some food that tastes good,'” human development and family studies sophomore Marylin Kowalewski said.
In East Lansing, a college town, each resident has their personal favorite spot. Bauroth enjoys Barrio.
“It's just a very ‘campus’ experience,” Bauroth said. “I'd say that one is probably like the staple in East Lansing."
Finance senior Matthew Kloc said his favorite comfort food is from Pizza House.
“Their milkshakes are so good,” Kloc said. “I know, it's not right downtown ... but that one is a really solid option.”
Human biology freshman Emma Fritz opts for Jimmy Johns.
“Just because it's, like, close walking distance from where I live in Brody. Like, fast and easy,” Fritz said.
While East Lansing has many options that fill the need for comfort food, the university dining halls and Sparty’s locations also give students what they need to get through the gray days that fill second semester.
“I really like to get a combo; they sometimes have those edible cookie dough things,” Fritz said. “I really like that.”
Some students, such as Bauroth, opt for comfort food that reminds them of home – even if they have to cook it themselves.
“I come from a house that likes to cook a lot and mostly Italian and there's no really good Italian places around here," Bauroth said. "And usually that comfort meal is just making some pasta or something. So, I have had to adapt to that a little bit ... It's still good. I'm still getting food that I find comforting,” Bauroth said.
