Remember the days when you were a kid and your parents had to force food down your throat because your playful little mind was too busy running around the yard and jumping on the trampoline to even think about eating? Remember the random growth spurts in middle school when you literally could have eaten a cow in one sitting? Remember in high school how you were always so hungry, but for some reason it wasn’t cool to eat at lunch so you sat there staring at your food and talking about cool things like hair straighteners and football games? We now find ourselves in college, the land of opportunity, big changes, and abundant food. For once in our lives, there is a general understanding of food's ultimate importance. Now there is more than an appreciation for it; there is a common adoration for food and all it does for us in these short but crazy four (or more) years of college. It does more for us than feed our hungry stomachs in between classes or blink tauntingly from a light at a corner café at ten o’clock on a week night. Food holds a special place in our young collegiate hearts, and it’s about time we give it the recognition it deserves.

Thank you, food, for making mornings bearable.

Let’s be honest: we wouldn’t even get out of bed if the sweet breakfast in the pantry wasn’t calling our names. True, breakfast in college is minimal—most people just skip it entirely—but our simple morning fix of coffee and bagels are what kick-start the impending day of surprises and trials that lie ahead. Sometimes it’s a quick granola bar while sprinting for the transit at the last possible second, others it’s a random assortment of muffins and protein shakes for you and whoever else comes along. Whatever the case, it’s generally known that mornings just become a little less sucky with your good friends Mr. Quaker and Aunt Jemima by your side.

Thank you, food, for friendship.

The amount of conversations college students have about food is so ridiculous that one would think the “freshman fifteen” is actually the freshman fifty. The best places to meet people are food joints because you already know you have at least one very important thing in common: your taste in food. It’s just nice to talk to people about what’s the best thing on the menu and how many times you’ve had it in the past week. Not only does food give you the opportunity to make new friends, but the best thing to do for a fun hangout is hit up your favorite food place and get lost in deliciousness and great conversation. It’s easy to say that food makes friends and friendships stronger with you all throughout college.

Thank you, food, for tasting so good when life tastes so bad.

College is hard. The work is abundant, the teachers are ruthless, the nights are long, and the days are busy. Most of the time we students don’t even have time to eat a full meal, but when life gets stressful and the workload gets tough, food always comes in clutch for a good reminder that life is still good. Whether it be a muffin from the library coffee shop at three in the morning or a quick Coke slushy in between classes, food will always be the number one go-to when life passes out lemons for a grade.

Thank you, food, for loving me at my worst.

In the case of relationships, the clichés don’t lie. A good bucket of ice cream or a couple chocolate chip cookies can be the Band-Aid for any broken heart. I think we’ve all learned from experience that food has a special place in our hearts that significant others just can’t fill. Food is there for you when someone isn’t—as cheesy as it sounds, we all know it’s true. Find any love quote out there and apply it to your favorite food; it will always meet the criteria. It always greets with a smile, a warm embrace, and probably a cream-filled center, too.

We can deny it all we want, but food is the real MVP, the cream of the crop, the apple of all of our pies. No one has to say a word; it’s simply well-known that food is what gets us college students through the thick and thin and cheesy crusts of life. So next time you sit down with your favorite snack, give it a little extra love, maybe give it a shout out or two on Instagram, or perhaps share a generous portion with a friend. Whatever you do, be thankful for these four years of the best food craze of your life. You never know what you have until it’s but crumbs on your plate.