Today is the day to leave Indiana.

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Last week my friend Liz pointed out to me that the man who invented Ramen Noodles had died and suggested I do an homage to the things I ate in college. It's a good idea, because Ramen sort of epitomizes what I ate in college. My mom is a very good cook, and while we'd get fast food or have frozen meals every once in a while, there were some kinds of food that were deemed too junky for us. So I never got to experience certain things until I was able to buy my own food. Then, in college, I was suddenly able to make the worst choices possible. Each year I'd pick a food and pretty much fixate it all the time. It was what I'd buy at the store and what I'd have after a night out, and also on a rainy day. I didn't choose different ones each year on purpose. Each came organically, beautifully, in a waterfall of preservatives:

Freshman year: animal crackers. Freshman year at Georgetown I lived on the second floor of Harbin Hall, which is also where William Jefferson Clinton stayed his freshman year (although he was on a different floor.) On the first floor lobby was the vending machine, full of things like those bright orange crackers with the peanut butter in between, those random tubes of nuts and candy bars and chips. I don't know how it started but I bought a bag of animal crackers one day on a whim and it became my obsession. They were so nice and innocuous and buttery and then they melted down in your mouth and got stuck behind your teeth. They were great for eating without paying attention while watching "South Park." I think my love affair with animal crackers simply ended when I moved out of the dorm at the end of the year and terminated my close relationship with that vending machine.

Sophomore year: macaroni & cheese and Pop-Tarts. I have a weakness for cheese and I have a weakness for pasta. This much was true. But my roommate Lauren would make these simple blue little boxes that my mom rarely made at home. And then she'd eat half the bowl and wander away for a few hours and maybe sometimes I'd take a bite of that bright orange rubbery pile of mini-tubes. And it was delicious. I started making my own. I still have a mac and cheese fetish. Now I eat the Amy's frozen kind. Also Lauren bought Pop Tarts sometimes. I'd never had these in my life. Toaster Strudels, yes. But you can't eat Toaster Strudels raw--they're frozen. Pop Tarts are basically glorified mini pies with sugar frosting on top . And oh how I loved them. Lauren was a bad influence on me that year. There was also something called "Burger Madness" that I'm not going to go into.

Junior year: Kit-Kats and Lion Bars: Junior year it was candy, but not just any kind of candy: I was in Italy. If you've ever been to Europe or if you've ever just been to the sweets section of an international-type grocery store, but European treats are just different, more special and better than American. They boldly combine things that you've only dreamed about, give them fun names, and sell them in huge quantities that makes you think that everyone is eating this candy so you might as well, too. So the Kit-Kats in Italy were made with what seemed like extra-fine chocolate. And if I remember correctly the wrappers were the cool retro design.

Senior year: Tuna-kits. I feel kind of smug saying that 'tuna kits' were my food obsession senior year, because it's a smart choice, calorie wise, and I totally didn't even mean to choose something that was a 'smart choice.' These are the Star-Kist packs that come with a little packet of tuna, a thing of mayonnaise, a thing of relish, and a little area in which to mix it all together with a provided tiny spoon. I can't remember if it was wooden or plastic. I'm inclined to say it used to be wooden and then they switched to plastic. Also it came with crackers. It was the perfect snack: it was delicious, it was wholesome, and it was fun to say "tuna kit." They were especially great after a night out. You could feel the protein doing you good. I had five roommates that year, which is pretty horrifying in retrospect, but my roommate Jessica and I really bonded over those tuna kits. I'm going to email her right now!