The Course Blog of Anthropology 210 @ Wheaton College, Fall 2014

The Course Blog of Anthropology 210 @ Wheaton College, Fall 2014

Tuesday, September 30, 2014

What do college kids eat when they are sick?

With most kids growing up with our parents doing the grocery shopping and preparing the meals for the family, students aren't used to the work of preparing the meal before they eat it.  It is more instant gratification: quick and easy, like Thea said in her blog post.  So then, send that student off to college with a dining hall and, usually, depending on the meal plan, food is prepared for them there as well. So when that student gets sick, and doesn't have the energy to get out of bed to walk to the dining hall, they go for quick and easy.  For example, I will go to the store and stalk up on easily made foods for when I am studying hard or sick:  easy mac, ramen, and "just add hot water" meals are most popular as well as pre-wrapped items.  May not be the most healthy option, but it's convenient.


3 comments:

  1. This post made me chuckle because while at home I would never eat any of this when sick (if it were even allowed in my house,) I have been in bed for three days and have never been more grateful for "Ramen: chicken flavor" soup in my life. It is kind of ironic maybe, because these unhealthy options are definitely not assisting in the "get well" process, however maybe the placebo of having ramen as a "comfort food" and convincing ourselves that the high sodium content IS in fact good for our colds, it will actually help us in getting better? ... I hope so at least.

    ReplyDelete
  2. This was so interesting, as someone who grew up in an exceptionally "healthy" household, every time I felt sick it was my one time to eat junk food (as counter intuitive as that may seem). The staple sick food in my house was either takeout duck and udon noodle soup OR instant ramen that could be bought downstairs in bulk 12 cups for 10 bucks. As the daughter of a single mom who worked everyday, when I was sick I had to, in a way fend for myself. So before leaving for work in the morning my mom would go downstairs buy the soup in bulk stack simple easy foods on a table she brought next to my bed, large bottles of water and brought in the electric water heater. Convenience was key, and I suppose its the same with a college student. The stress on the body to force a sick person to cook for themselves an intricate meal would negate the healing benefits of the food in the first place. While I think you should never make it an everyday thing, the convenience and comfort that the instant food gives you can be extremely valuable in getting better.

    ReplyDelete
  3. This was thought-provoking. When I am sick, I tend not to be too hungry and usually just drink water or something with electrolytes like gatorade. The thought of food, at least for me, makes me feel more sick. I do agree that it is always a pain to go to the dining hall when I feel under the weather. I also thought it was interesting that when you study you said you eat junk food. This totally rings true with me. Whenever I am focusing hard or studying, I always want to eat the most unhealthy junk food I can think of. Apples and bananas don't come into mind when I am studying. For some reason I want to eat unhealthy and I wonder if this is a common phenomenon?

    ReplyDelete