Everyone has a favorite food. Whether you are an animated bunny who loves carrots, a sailorman who loves spinach, or a monster who loves cookies, you have one. I remember where, when, and how I discovered mine. I have been awaiting the mouthwatering taste of them ever since and today I found them again. I knew I would soon get the opportunity to eat those delicious sweet potato tater tots yet again.
Before the day I had initially discovered my new favorite food, I had a dream the night before, and in my dream a wizard had come to me and said, “Tomorrow you will find something that you love.” I woke up and thought to myself what this something could be. I pondered on it for a while. Could I find the love of my life today? How about I find a new song that speaks to me? What if I find a neat rock? I would have accepted any of these answers, but the result was far better than any of those things could have ever been. I found my sweet potato tater tots.
I was on campus here at Monmouth University and I was beginning to become hungry. This was, of course, a result of me taking too long sitting up in bed wondering what that wizard had meant, but I needed sustenance. I decided to go to the one place where no one could ever be disappointed. I moseyed on down to the Dining Hall.
Once I entered the Dining Hall I could immediately smell an aroma that I had never smelled before. After I swiped my way in, I journeyed out to discover what that sweet scent sauntering in the air was.
I then found my seat. I normally like to sit at the picnic tables that are in the eating area. It has all the fun of eating outside, but from the comfort and safety of inside. Once I did this, I began my quest to find out what that smell was.
As I was walking over, the aroma got more and more intoxicating. I struggled finding where it was coming from at first. I then closed my eyes and tried following where the amazingness emanated from. I opened my eyes and saw them. I start to salivate. I float on over to where they were sitting waiting for me on their platter. They looked as beautiful as a summer rose. If Shakespeare had only known, he would have surely written, “A tot, by any other name….” I then put them on my plate and head back to my seat.
I found myself staring at these amazing cylinder-shaped potato puffs. I could not fathom the possibility of waiting anymore. These delicious miniature potatoes just had to be consumed. I bit into them and my eyes began to tear up. The words sweet potato tater tots would never mean the same thing to me again. From this moment on, those words would always have a special place in my heart.
As I finished my plate and went to return it, my mind wandered to the dream I had the night prior. The wizard was right, but I had mixed emotions. I found something that I had desired. It was those mouthwatering sweet potato tater tots, but this also meant that I probably was not going to find a neat rock.
Ever since that day I have been waiting to eat those delicious tater tots again. I would eat in the Dining Hall multiple times a week. Every single time I would walk in, they would not be there. I began to start believing that I would never get to eat my new favorite food again. Day after day, week after week, month after month there were no sweet potato tater tots. I nearly gave up on everything, even life itself due to unrelenting disappointment.
I remember laying in my bed, tossing and turning with those cylinder-shaped potato puffs on my mind. It was a very common occurrence during this time in my life to wake up in a cold sweat or even to just have horrible nightmares about never having my Totsies again.
The next day I trudged my way into the cafeteria. I had no hope left, but hold the phone. There was a familiar fragrance floating around in the air. I thought to myself, there is no way. After all this time, could they be back? I had to find out.
I swipe my way into the Dining Hall yet again, and quickly find a seat. I scurry over to the area they were at last time. My eyes could not believe the travesty in front of me. There was a huge line of people who were also waiting for my delicious darlings. My palms began to sweat. I was as anxious in that moment as I had ever been, and I could not even see if it were them yet. There was nothing else in the world that had an aroma like that. It had to be, what else could it be?
I could hear a couple in line in front of me. The love-struck boyfriend went to his significant other and said, “I love you so much, nothing in this world could be better than this feeling.” Hearing this made me chuckle to myself. If he was in love with his significant other, how would he take discovering something greater in those delicious tots.
The line kept getting shorter and shorter, but it felt like I was there for a millennium. My mouth was watering like Niagara Falls. I would finally make it to the front. I started crying when I got to front of the line. They were there. My sweet potato tater tots! I hurried and filled my plate with my favorite food. At this point, they might as well be the eighth wonder of the world, it was even better than getting tickets to Hamilton.
As I sat there with these succulent cylinders on my plate I waited a second. I looked around and took in the moment. There was no way I could have ever known when the next time these delights would enter my life once more. My mind flashes back to the original dream I had with the wizard again. I remembered what they tasted like the first time I had eaten them and I could wait no more.
I picked one of these scrumptious potato puffs up and brought it to my mouth and I could not believe my taste buds. My sweet potato tater tots that I had been waiting months for…were cold.
PHOTO TAKEN by Caroline Mattise
