College can be seriously stressful, especially if you’re like me, 330 miles away from home and college is the first time you’re on your own.
A wise kid once told me sex and food can “solve all your problems.” Needless to say, I have some qualms with this. Obviously, only food can solve all of your problems. Especially when your problem is an embarrassing hookup that you still have to deal with when you’re sober.
As attractive as more alcohol sounds, some of us actually have have to be productive on the weekdays. Although I say all this jokingly, comfort food can provide a temporary cure for the soul in times of stress and embarrassment.
1. Reliving the Damned Moment
For whatever the reason the hookup was embarrassing, just be ready for some major flashback moments. They’ll come to you when you’re least expecting them, like when you’re trying to sleep, or get some serious studying done.
As busy student, a lot of us don’t have the luxury to watch a movie and binge on ice cream. So instead, snack on frozen blueberries which not only taste deliciously similar to sherbet but have mood lifting and stress reducing properties.
2. Hawk Eyes are an Understatement
If your hookup was from the same school as you, you’re likely to run into him/her at some point. Knowing this, you low key might be on the look out for this person. Whether it’s because you do or don’t want to see him/her is still a mystery.
Hopefully you’re not in the same class as your hookup because that’s just plain awkward. Since tiptoeing around can get stressful, dark chocolate-covered nuts perfect for stress munchies. This comfort snack contains antioxidants and anandamide, which can give you “feel good” vibes and make you feel calm.
3. Shut Down
If this person was your first hookup or originally a friend of yours, then I don’t doubt you went out of your way to contact the person. Even more so if he/she has been ignoring you since the incident. Trust me, I’ve been there. Whether you get shut down once, twice, or three times like I was at the end of the can-we-please-be-friends speech, I got the perfect comfort food for you.
You can usually feel awful about yourself after rejection even though you know you shouldn’t, but you do anyway. It’s pretty hard not to feel like a loser after being treated like you aren’t worth someone’s time.
But once you get a mouth full of chicken bacon ranch fries you’ll already start to feel better. The warm gooey cheese and the salty, tangy ranch are comparable to a combination of yin and yang. Really anything warm and cheesy will do the trick, like macaroni and cheese or grilled cheese. Because cheese is a staple of the (American) childhood diet and a connection to fond childhood memories, cheese-saturated dishes are very popular comfort foods.
4. Angry For No Apparent Reason
Once you realize your body is a holy temple and you’re someone who just appreciates your relationships, you’ll be able to move on from feeling upset with yourself. You might start to get angry with your hookup for making you feel awful in the first place, even though you realize it technically wasn’t his/her fault either. Your comfort food answer to anger is noodles.
Just add whole wheat or buckwheat noodles to your favorite pasta recipe. I recommend zaru soba and naengmyeon, two popular Asian buckwheat noodle dishes. The complex carbs in these dishes increase serotonin levels which acts like a natural tranquilizer and mood regulator.
5. Please Just Leave
I won’t lie, after a month or two I felt kind of hopeless and wished he would just go away and transfer. If I learned anything from this experience, it’s that even though embarrassing hookups have an incredibly awkward aftermath there’s really no reason for you to feel bad about yourself.
The act was consensual and no matter what the outcome there’s really nobody who can treat you better than yourself. If you can acknowledge that, then these tips on comfort foods will help in your emotional moments so that you’re ready to experience the next adventure college has to offer!