Growing up, comfort didn’t always come from an extravagant meal. Sometimes, the best comfort foods were the ones thrown together in under 10 minutes. Even now, between long classes and late-night study sessions, those childhood dishes still find their way back to us — maybe even adjusted to our adult taste buds. Here are five that continue to hit, especially when campus life feels overwhelming.
- Spam and Rice
-
For many Asian American families, Spam and rice isn’t just a quick meal. It’s a cultural staple tied to busy mornings, weekend breakfasts, and parents who worked with what they had. The sound of Spam sizzling in a pan and the smell of it crisping at the edges is the kind of memory that stays with you. The simplicity is what makes it comforting. Today, it still tastes like a quick and easy breakfast from my childhood. Now, I add a side of kimchi and sprinkle furikake on top for extra flavor.
- Buttered Noodles
-
Buttered noodles were the unofficial after-school meal for an entire generation. With no recipe and barely any ingredients, it was the dish kids made when they were hungry and home alone for the first time. Pasta, butter, salt — that’s it. It’s comfort in the simplest form: easy, predictable, and tied to quiet moments before homework or TV time. Even now, when students make it in dorm kitchens, it offers the same familiar feeling. The meal recently blew up on TikTok with a more complex recipe featuring chicken broth and Kerrygold butter.
Alex Frank / Spoon - Pizza… Anything
-
Whether it was Pizza Rolls, Bagel Bites, or Hot Pockets in the freezer, these snacks are well-loved by my siblings and I. These microwaveable meals defined sleepovers, snow days, and after-school chaos. They were always too hot on the first bite, but always worth it. Heating one up today in a dorm microwave feels like a throwback you didn’t know you needed.
- Ramen Noodles
-
Long before ramen became a trendy restaurant food, it lived in the back of kitchen cabinets everywhere. Instant ramen can easily be upgraded with eggs, frozen veggies, or leftover meat. Whether I don’t like what the dining hall has to offer or I’m in a bind, ramen never disappoints. It works for sick days, lazy weekends, and nights when no one feels like cooking. It’s fast, cheap, and oddly grounding, especially when stress makes you crave something uncomplicated.
- Leftover Fried Rice
-
Similar to ramen, fried rice is an easy solution with endless possibilities. Reheated the next day with an egg mixed in or extra soy sauce, it becomes the definition of cozy. Food never goes to waste with this dish, whether you’re using up a frozen bag of vegetables or trying to make something out of leftover chicken.
Can’t get enough of HC UMass Amherst? Be sure to follow us on Instagram, listen to us on Spotify, like us on Facebook, and read our latest Tweets!