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Thursday, June 21, 2018
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
OPINION
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the University of Michigan since 1890.
I
once roamed the basement of
North
Quad
Residence
Hall
during a study break to search for
a quick and filling vending machine
snack. As I approached the machine
hoping I wouldn’t be forced to settle for
a bag of chips that was 75 percent air, I
noticed a blue rectangular surprise in
the left corner: a Rice Krispies treat.
At only 160 calories, it proudly wore
the MHealthy sticker on its front. I
went for it without hesitation. Peeling
back the wrapper, I exposed what I
had been missing for so many years.
The first bite was crispy, chewy and
soft — just the way I remembered it. It
transported me to a decade in the past,
to the kitchen table of my childhood
home where my mom taught me how
to make these delicacies from scratch.
It was the first recipe I committed to
memory, and though it resulted in a
messy cleanup, it became one of my
favorite bonding experiences with my
mother. But I didn’t realize how long it
had been since I had enjoyed Kellogg’s
greatest invention (sorry Nutri-Grain
bars, it was a close call). I felt nostalgic
immediately after that first bite, and it
prompted me to clear the CVS shelves
of their Rice Krispies inventory on my
way home.
For some of us, it’s Rice Krispies
treats. For others, it’s Smucker’s PB&J
Uncrustables, Fruit Gushers or maybe
even a traditional home-cooked meal.
No matter the treat, many of us have
strong emotional connections and
memories tied to foods that have
us longing for a simpler past. It’s a
powerful, food-induced nostalgia. The
etymology of “nostalgia” is complex,
but today we understand it to be a
yearning for yesterday. It allows us to
travel back to specific times in our lives
and sometimes even relive old feelings
and emotions — like the way I felt in my
mom’s kitchen all those years ago. By
evoking these feelings and emotions,
food acts as a medium for childhood
recollections. But what is it about food
that makes it so powerful? Why does
eating certain foods resurface some of
our most treasured memories?
The answer may be that food
consumption
involves
memory-
inducing cues that are extremely
evocative, such as scents, tastes and
textures. The general experience of
eating is also significant to memory
creation and collection as it is
oftentimes tied to social activities and
exchange which attaches a new layer
of sentimentality to our favorite foods.
The act of eating can definitely be
private, but we all remember sharing
food over the holidays with our loved
ones and during the most social parts of
our young lives, such as school lunches
and summer camps. Those images
suddenly come back when we revisit
our favorite foods. And, from a more
biological perspective, our brains are
wired to form memories about what
we eat. The part of our brain called the
hippocampus, which is essential to the
formation of long-term memories, is
also home to receptors of hormones
that regulate appetite, digestion and
eating behavior.
Perceptions surrounding nostalgia
are usually negative, portraying those
caught in nostalgia as stuck in the
past. But some studies challenge these
perceptions and suggest that nostalgia
can actually be beneficial. In fact,
evoking feelings from the past can
help buffer people from experiencing
loneliness. Comfort food that reminds
us of previous social ties can help deter
feelings of isolation. Additionally, some
researchers argue nostalgia contributes
to feeling safe because foods that we’ve
already consumed in the past can be
associated with positive memories,
which reduces risk-taking. If this is
the case, it seems wise for food brands
to play into this “positive nostalgia” in
their advertisement techniques.
In 2017, Post Consumer Brands did
just that by bringing Oreo O’s back
into our lives. After a 10-year absence,
the iconic cereal reminded us young
adults of what it was like to eat cookies
for breakfast. I remember walking
through the cereal aisle at Kroger
and reading, “the highly anticipated
sweet return” on the front of the box,
and though the cereal hadn’t crossed
my mind for years, I was suddenly
convinced the comeback was well
overdue. While my matured palate no
longer appreciates the grainy feeling
that lingers after eating sugary cereal,
it was definitely worth giving Oreo O’s
another go.
We’ve grown out of our childhood
habits to become hardworking college
students. But that shouldn’t stop us
from indulging in sugary snacks from
time to time. Sometimes, all it takes is
a Rice Krispies treat to send us back to
our favorite moments. And thankfully,
science supports our endeavors to
reconnect with our past.
AUDREY GILMOUR | COLUMN
EMMA CHANG
Editorial Page Editor
EMMA RICHTER
Managing Editor
Emma Chang
Joel Danilewitz
Samantha Goldstein
Elena Hubbell
Emily Huhman
Tara Jayaram
Jeremy Kaplan
Sarah Khan
Magdalena Mihaylova
Ellery Rosenzweig
Jason Rowland
Anu Roy-Chaudhury
Alex Satola
Ali Safawi
Ashley Zhang
Sam Weinberger
Unsigned editorials reflect the official position of the Daily’s Editorial Board.
All other signed articles and illustrations represent solely the views of their authors.
ASIF BECHER
Editor in Chief
EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBERS
REEMA BAYDOUN| COLUMN
Rice-Krispies induced nostalgia
Reema Baydoun can be reached at
audreymg@umich.edu.
Ignorance in idols
A
s a society obsessed with
superhero movies and
raised to talk about
our
personal
heroes
from
a very young age, it is no
surprise that Americans are
infatuated
with
idolizing
our
politicians.
From
my
experience, Democrats love
to idolize certain politicians
and figures from the party.
Some popular people on this
list include individuals such
as Supreme Court Justice
Ruth
Bader
Ginsburg
and
former Presidents Bill Clinton
and Franklin D. Roosevelt.
It’s natural to have figures
who inspire us and inf luence
our vision of the world and
ourselves. When we turn our
politicians into heroes and
idols, however, we fail to see
the weaknesses inherent in
these
ultimately
ordinary
people.
No
one
would
argue
the idea that no average
person is perfect, and yet
many Democrats treat some
politicians as if they are
perfect.
Like
the
average
person,
all
politicians
have
made
questionable
decisions
that
may
have
had dire consequences. By
placing
political
figures
on pedestals, we make it
difficult to criticize their
actions and separate the good
from the bad; meanwhile,
the communities that suffer
from an idolized politician’s
actions are ignored.
Ginsburg (also known by
her
many
nicknames
like
“The Notorious RBG”) is a
very popular liberal feminist
icon. Ginsburg has become an
inspiration to many women
as
the
second
woman
to
become a U.S. Supreme Court
associate
justice.
She
has
worked hard throughout her
years on the Supreme Court
to uphold the fundamentals
of
our
Constitution
and
support the rights of many
marginalized
communities.
However, Ginsburg has also
spoken out against a popular
form
of
protest
within
the
Black
Lives
Matter
movement: kneeling during
the national anthem.
In
2016,
Ginsburg
said
she considered the action
when
Colin
Kaepernick,
San
Francisco
49ers
quarterback,
knelt
during
the national anthem “dumb
and
disrespectful.”
She
compared Kaepernick’s very
legitimate form of protest
to
burning
f lags,
calling
it a terrible act. Ginsberg
did go on to apologize for
these
statements
shortly
afterward,
but
this
was
still her first reaction to a
Black man’s protest against
systemic
racism
in
the
United States. As someone
who is tasked with knowing,
understanding and upholding
the
U.S.
Constitution,
Ginsburg should have been
able to respect this act of
civil protest. Still, this single
comment two years ago does
not disqualify every good
thing Ginsberg has done in
her life and career. However,
if we talk about Ginsberg as
if she is perfect, put her on a
pedestal and call her our hero,
what message is that sending
to
the
Black
community?
Idolizing
someone
who
dismissed
and
belittled
a
protest
against
systematic
racism could be interpreted
as a symbol of deprioritizing
racial
justice,
which
is
the opposite direction the
Democratic Party should be
moving in.
Another revered politician
within the liberal community
is
Franklin
D.
Roosevelt.
FDR served three terms as
president, seeing the U.S.
through
both
the
Great
Depression and World War II.
Continue reading on page 5.
“By placing
political figures
on pedastals, we
make it difficult
to criticize their
actions and
separate the
good from the
bad.”