As the semester winds to a close, the hearts and minds of many students stray from papers and projects to restful memories of the holiday season.
Besides "sleeping-in" and "doing nothing," the warmest holiday memories involve family, friends and food. For some, the slightest whiff of a holiday food can bring back a thousand flashes of past holidays: Getting up at dawn and running barefoot to the tree to open presents, eating at grandma's dinner table that is just a little too tall, sitting curled up in front of a warm fire on cold winter nights.
Although the memories and the particular foods differ significantly from person to person, holiday foods have the power to evoke images and thoughts of holiday bliss.
Food is as integral to the holiday celebrations as is any other aspect of the season. It signifies the intangibles of the holiday experience; it creates continuity between generations; simply, it makes you feel comfortable and happy. There are as many holiday traditions as there are families, but food always seems to play a prominent role in everyone's celebrations.
Enjoying a delectable meal with family is an important tradition for most everyone, but it is especially important for many students, who often lack the time to cook proper meals.
"I really like going home for breaks because I get good food that I don't have the time to cook here at school," third-year Engineering student Rob Kendall said.
Holiday foods differ greatly from family to family. Even the long-established Thanksgiving turkey is not set in stone.
"My family is from Honduras, so we don't eat turkey for any of the holiday meals; we eat ham," third-year College student Carlton Wilson proudly proclaimed, adding that he doesn't feel like his family is missing out.
In fact, he said, "Eating turkey is so bland and boring; it is like eating air, but it makes you tired," while ham is moist, sweet and has tons of flavor, he said.
For others, holiday eating is more traditional.
"I really like latkes" third-year College student David Goodman said. Latkes, which are crispy potato patties held together with a light batter, are a typical dish served as part of the Chanukah spread.
"They are also very symbolic because they are fried in oil and Chanukah celebrates oil," Goodman added. "I like them with apple sauce."
Cookies are almost synonymous with the Christmas celebration. Whether you like them thick, moist and chewy or thin, crisp and golden brown, cookies are a sweet addition to any holiday platter.
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