Written by: Adrianna Gonnella; SLU Dietetic Intern
Food serves as a vital thread in the fabric of culture, reflecting our identities and traditions. According to Rozin 2005, the evolution of people brought about an evolution in culture. Food became a “social vehicle” rather than purely a survival mechanism. Food allows people to make social distinctions through sharing, takes on symbolic or moral significance in religion, and becomes a medium for aesthetic expression through culinary art. This represents the idea that food is not just a means to an end- satisfying hunger-but a method for community
Food is often a shared experience, something that we use to share who we are or to bring people together. In a paper titled Gifts of Food, an anthropologist noted young people were sharing food for birthdays more often than sharing gifts. What stood out to me is that the article states the home was one of the most preferred sites for sociability, and social gathering in the home typically consisted of preparing dinner. These people thought that inviting friends over for a meal was a sign of growing intimacy. It was specifically noted that the significance of inviting friends over for dinner did not lie in opening up the home, but rather the desire to put time and effort into the preparation of a meal.
College is a monumental time for community; we lose the familiarity of our family, are constantly making new friends, navigating changing friendships, and sharing life with our close friends and often roommates. In Gifts of Food, it was found that roommates often planned a meal to share to encourage community, and they often split up the tasks of cooking and cleaning. This act is very similar to the practice of preparing a meal at home with your family, however, food typically varies greatly from the options and preparation strategies at home. Consumption is mostly determined by what food you have access to and what outlet is available for food. Dining halls are more restrictive environments, whereas grocery shopping for the first time allows the freedom to eat in any style one chooses, although financial restraints also playh a major role in what you can purchase.
Research also suggests that dietary preferences can change depending on what is available, cultural norms, and peer influence in many college students. This acculturation is partially attributed with attempts to integrate into the local population. A study of Greek participants suggested that when part of a university food environment, they switched from following a Mediterranean diet to a Western style of eating (Li, 2022). This fact made me think more about my food culture, and how I ate at home versus in college. I noticed when I was eating from the dining halls, I often craved tomato based foods, such as tomato sauce and vegetable soup because those were foods that I associated with home. I also found it lonely to eat alone, because my family always ate dinner together around a small table. Thinking about these food traditions and customs made me realize that I had adopted some of my own traditions based on my friends and eating customs in college. With research suggesting that food is often involved in friendship and community, this blog attempts to reflect on experiences sharing food that are specifically common in college.
Many people remember how coming to college as freshman, one of the biggest concerns was finding community. For many, one of the first things you do when beginning a friendship is to share food. Most schools typically have at least one coffee shop on their meal plan, and for many grabbing a coffee is a quick and casual way to begin a friendship. One of my first memories of college was gathering a group of people we had just met to go on a Starbucks run, where we talked for hours about our hometowns and experiences. Half the group didn’t even like coffee, but it was the sharing of the experience that made them want to come. Later on, one particular coffee shop became my go-to with friends. I remember having long talks about life that bonded a particular friend and I together as we found we shared very similar values. It was also a place to take a break from school, where I would go with friends to laugh about life and share something outside of class. I also went to this particular coffee shop to meet someone who became a mentor for a business related project. Additionally, another friend and I went to this special coffee shop to debrief on her first date. Four years later, we went on another coffee date to debrief her engagement, which had taken place at that very same coffee shop.
Although I could write many more stories just about coffee, coffee wasn't the only place we shared community. At home, my family always ate dinner together, but in college, you could choose who you ate with. It’s interesting to see how this aspect of community is still held in dining halls, as you see many groups of friends clustered together to share meals. As I was talking about this blog, the idea of “family dinners” in the dining halls came up, referring to when they were able to get an entire group of friends to dedicate time. Everyone who spoke of “family dinners” remembered fondly, and talked about how they usually lasted a long time. Dinners were special because you could see all your friends at once and hear their stories, rather than repeating them multiple times to separate friends in passing. They also were often more energetic events, as everyone would feed off each other's stories and energy. As upperclassmen, my friend group often missed “family dinner” in the dining halls. It was harder to get everyone to get together when we didn’t have a communal place to eat. We also had more intense schedules and later classes or activities that determined when we ate.
Late night food runs are the hallmark of college. Ask anyone about what they ate at night, and they will likely drift off into a story about a favorite place to get late-night food. Yes, it was about being hungry, but it is also associated with sharing an adventure. My cousin often talks about late night tacos she shared with her friends. For me, it was late night pizza or Insomnia cookies. There was a place where you wouldnt go to get pizza until at least 11 pm. The trip was less about the subpar pizza and more about the thrill of having a place to go with your friends late at night, and running into other peers in the process. Late night food road-trips were also a core memory of college. The infamous taco bell run where everyone is screaming songs out the windows, or the hour-long drive for Insomnia cookies are some of the most simple yet memorable college experiences.
These particular memories are the strongest during COVID period, when roadtrips were one of the few experiences you could share. Even at a period where we were the most separated, food was something we still shared to bond us together. COVID memories are very unique to each person's experience, but it is interesting to me to see how food is still intertwined in those memories. I remember sharing snacks with the girl I was quarantined with for COVID, and using that to open up conversation. I remember my mom doordashing meals to me in quarantine as an “I love you, feel better” message when she couldn't be present. I remember setting up a pulley system to a friend who was quarantined in her dorm to send her better snacks because when you're stuck in your room for days on end, your favorite snack can be the highlight of your day. I remember a friend taking a bunch of extra snacks, and tossing them out the window for us, because while being quarantined, he was thinking about his friends and what he could share with them. And finally, I remember dropping off a big bag of extra snacks at a local food pantry, because while I was in quarantine I read a lot of articles about all the people struggling with food insecurity during the pandemic, and thought of a way to share the surplus I had.
Post-covid, we were allowed to share meals and as upperclassmen this sometimes involved inviting people over to share food in our homes. Oftentimes,culture or personal anecdotes are shared through the meal. For example, I was craving the pasta my family makes at holidays, so I invited friends over for “gnocchi night”. We made gnocchi together and I nostalgically told stories of making the pasta with my family. On another occasion, I attended a “friendsgiving” potluck where two friends brought traditional Indian snacks I hadn’t seen before, which led to further discussion about traditions, and they ended up practicing henna on my hands. Still another friend planned a superbowl event, and made dips and snacks that her family made every year at their big superbowl party, and another made caramel at christmas that she used to make with her grandparents. All these personal stories I learned through sharing food. A pertinent time for these shared meals was in celebration for birthdays, or holidays including “Friendsgiving”, Christmas, or Easter.
Certain foods can be comforting, which is something we experience throughout life. However in college, there are many stressful events that food is shared over, in particular large tests. For many after a stressful event, there was solidarity in finding comforting foods. A particular tradition for a group of my friends taking anatomy was to use our meal plan to get ice cream or boba tea after finishing a test, as a reward. We also used to pool our money to purchase snacks as fuel and motivation for a long night of studying. Food was also something we used to show support for a friend, like dragging someone who was having a bad day out to get ice cream, or leaving a snack on their desk when you knew they were having a hard time. It was a way to show you noticed them and that you cared. One particular instance that stands out for me is that a friend and I had very different snack preferences. He noticed one thing we both liked was hummus. After I had had a long week, we were watching a tv show, and he pulled out a huge container of hummus to offer me. Such a simple act was incredibly heartwarming, as that particular food selection reflected the time and thought my friend put into thinking about what was going on in my life, and showed he paid attention to my preferences. An interesting study linked at the end of the article highlights how sharing similar foods can instill trust and share connection, like I was experiencing with my friend.
Food will remain a shared experience throughout our lives, however, it is particularly interesting to reflect on college. Many people experience altered resources for food and an abundance of time spent in community. Each person has memories specific to them, but a few of the traditions are almost “universal” college experiences, such as study snacks and late night meal runs. Perhaps this blog will encourage you to think about how food was shared amongst your friends, inspire nostalgia, and how that has changed or stayed the same now. Thanks for reading :)
