When I’m not binge watching Netflix, I am preparing for the horror that is finals week. It’s the eternal paradox that faces college students across the nation — a week of nearly unbearable stress that burns with the vigor of Hell’s eternal flame. It’s a great excuse to drink too much coffee, watch too much Netflix and, most importantly, eat too much food.

My mother will be sending a lovely care package full of granola bars, but for those less fortunate than I, here’s a comprehensive list of all the best foods to fuel finals week.

GrubHub Options

Cheap

The Pies Guys, minimum order: $10, delivery fee: FREE

Who doesn’t want to eat away their problems with a large cheese pizza? Italian food is invariably token comfort food. Crispy crust topped with sweet tomato sauce, finished off with melted cheese can erase all problems, everywhere.

Insomnia Cookies minimum order: $6, delivery fee: $1.99

Pretty much every Syracuse University student has ordered or eaten Insomnia at some point or another. It’s almost like a rite of passage. However, switch it up by trying its oatmeal raisin cookies — they’re so underrated and undoubtedly my personal favorite.

Oishi Sushi minimum order: $15, delivery fee: FREE

Sushi is great, but not exactly the best comfort food in the world. Instead, try ordering udon, a Japanese noodle bowl with broth, veggies and a protein. For a super Japanese experience, order the nabe yaki udon, but for a more familiar flavor, order the chicken udon.

Expensive

appeThaizing minimum order: $15, delivery fee: $.99
I will always have a special place in my heart for pad thai, and though this is what I usually order at appeThaizing, the spicy curries served over rice will simultaneously calm anyone’s nerves and motivate further studying.

Otro Cinco minimum order: $15, delivery fee: $2

Otro Cinco’s nachos are served with thinly sliced jalapeños, black refried beans, melted cheddar, sour cream, guacamole and fresh tomato salsa — so very dangerous, but so very perfect for studying or procrastinating. I advise to order extra chips on the side or keep some fresh ones handy, as the toppings often make the nachos themselves soggy.

Creole Soul Café minimum order: $20, delivery fee: $3

I must admit that I haven’t ever tried Creole Soul Café, but jambalaya is amazing. A spicy rice mixed with sausage, just like curry, simultaneously motivates the apathetic and calms the anxious.

Grocery Options

Comfort Snacks

Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups, 16 oz. tub for $4.29 at Trader Joe’s

These are dangerously addictive, mainly because Trader Joe’s uses super creamy peanut butter, and the nutty sweetness of the peanut butter goes perfectly with the slight bitterness of dark chocolate. These are infinitely better than regular peanut butter cups, which are pretty damn good already.

White Cheddar Cheez-Its, 12.4 oz. for $2.99 at Wegmans

Nothing beats a healthy dose of any carb-loaded snack covered in processed cheese powder, period. A close second to flavor-blasted Goldfish, White Cheddar Cheez-Its are best eaten straight out of the box, preferably paired with a study break.

Scooby Snacks, $2.49 at Wegmans

I have no shame in admitting that three or four former softball teammates and myself finished off a rather large box of Scooby Snacks in between softball games once. I have no regrets, and I would do it again, especially during finals week.

Healthy

Honey Nut Cheerios, 12.25 oz. box 2/$5.00 at Wegmans

Cereal is a great comfort food at all times of the day and should never have been confined as a breakfast food in the first place. Honey Nut Cheerios satisfy a sweet tooth without totally ruining diets or health plans. Bonus: you can get snack-sized Cheerios in most school cafes.

Terra Sweet Potato Chips, $3.49 at Wegmans

These sweet potato chips are non-GMO, no salt-added, and the only ingredients are sweet potatoes and oil. To top it off, they’re crunchy and delicious like regular potato chips.

Mott’s Cinnamon Apple Sauce, 24 oz. for $2.19 at Wegmans

Don’t underestimate the deliciousness of a bowl of applesauce. It’s tangy, can be eaten hot or cold, and cinnamon adds just the right amount of sweetness to get help tackle those exam study guides.

Caffeinated Options

Coffee and Tea

Cappuccino, $3.25 at Café Kubal

Cappuccinos are the cooler cousin of lattes. Both drinks are made with espresso and steamed milk, but cappuccinos have much more milk foam than lattes do. Order it “for here” at Kubal, and enjoy drinking aesthetically-pleasing coffee out of a white ceramic mug while pounding out that essay.

London Fog, Grande $3.45 at Starbucks

For the record, I’ve been ordering Earl Grey Tea lattes with two pumps of vanilla at Starbucks long before they put it on the menu. Either way, it’s great that everyone can now enjoy a sweet drink that tastes like the month of February.

Others

Cool Lime Refresher, Tall $2.95 at Starbucks

It’s not coffee and it’s not tea, but it’s still got caffeine in it to fuel the day. Starbucks’ Refreshers are perfect for getting an extra kick when coffee and tea become too boring.

Awake Caffeinated Chocolate Bars, $2.15 in Bird Library

Whoever thought injecting caffeine into chocolate would be a good idea is a genius. These are surprisingly really tasty and definitely get the job done. Too bad that combination of a sugar rush and caffeine high will be wasted staring at the computer screen.

Published on April 27, 2016 at 9:33 pm

Contact: cmrussel@syr.edu | @caseymrussell