A Chip Off the Shoulder

Kiersten Utegg

It was finally January — the first month of the year, the first month of a new semester, and the first month for new beginnings. Many people around the world kick off the month of January with good intentions, the most popular being the effort to stay healthy. I made that New Years resolution myself this year. After coming home from college for winter break, eating my mother’s delicious meals that ranged from sizzling salmon to lean meats accompanied by lush, colorful vegetables, I realized just how terrible my college diet had become. I exercised almost every day and hardly ate any processed foods at home and by the end of my three-week stint, I felt more energized and lively than I had in weeks. Not only had I decided that being healthy was beneficial to my body, but it would also help my schoolwork. Eating well for those three weeks proved to me how important a healthy diet was, which I had forgotten somewhere in the fall semester at BU. So after hugging my family goodbye as I ventured back to my dorm, I was ready to take the leap into healthy eating…or so I thought. About a week into the spring semester I had upheld my healthy goal, but I started to feel the temptations of college snacking once again. Late at night I craved the cheesy, the greasy, the chocolatey, the fruity, the cold, the hot, the all around unhealthy snacks that resided in neon vending machines I passed and in the ever-present City Convenience placed directly downstairs. It is important for a University to always make food available to their hungry, ravenous students but for me, the junk was all too accessible. That first weekend back, having lasted seven days without a single snack, in a moment of weakness I rushed to find a bag of chips to feed my nagging hunger. Let me be clear that I had eaten all three meals that day and had not been depriving myself of food but I couldn’t bear the temptation anymore. Just as the apple on the forbidden tree drew Eve to her demise, the bag of Sour Cream & Cheddar Ruffles called me closer. The bag crinkled in my hand as I lifted it off the shelf. I could already taste the cheddar cheesy crisps that would crunch in my mouth with each bite as the cashier swiped my card. I was off in a flash, and over the course of two hours while watching a movie in my room I ate the entire bag.