A few weeks ago, the Harvard Independent published an article asking Harvard students about their hottest takes. Many of the opinions shared ended up being food-related, with one first-year claiming that “HUDS banana bread pudding is pure fuego” and another student saying they’d “rather eat foods with Red 40 because…they’re more visually appealing.”
But what’s the reason for such disparate food preferences? According to a BBC article, personal flavor preferences derive from various factors, including the number of papillae on one’s tongue, genetics, and the flavors one was exposed to during development.
A simple walk through Harvard Square demonstrates this flavor diversity, with restaurants representing countless global cuisines. Harvard undergraduates come from various cultures and were thus raised on distinct flavors. Because of this, it is inevitable that there will be different tastes and distastes across the student body, some of which may raise eyebrows. After inviting students to participate in an anonymous survey asking for their hottest food takes, results revealed the following opinions:
- Sausage and strawberry yogurt.
“Sweet and salty. Perfect balance in the mouth. A combination of textures like no other.” — Anonymous ’27
- Cottage cheese and maple syrup at the dining hall.
“Every time I make this, people look at me in disgust, telling me I’m nasty.” — Anonymous ’27
- Fries with mayo are better than fries with ketchup.
“Ketchup is too sweet.” — Anonymous ’26
- A burger is best well done.
“I hate raw meat; it’s disgusting and makes me feel like I’m eating an innocent little animal alive.” — Anonymous ’26
- Harvard University Dining Services (HUDS) is good.
Anonymous ’27 did not elaborate on this. However, Niche gives Harvard food a B- rating for their campus dining options.
- Peanut-butter-and-pickle sandwiches.
“Picnic + this sandwich + frolic = awesome.” — Anonymous ’28
- Pineapple belongs on pizza.
“It’s good.” — Anonymous ’28
- Kimchi and scrambled eggs.
“It’s the perfect savory and salty breakfast.” — Anonymous ’26
- Pickles are the best post-workout food.
Anonymous ’27 did not provide reasoning. Yet, a sizable group of runners swear by the effects of pickle juice on reducing cramps. Other research has discovered that pickle juice can relieve the condition after its onset.
- Pineapple belongs on pizza.
The second take of this nature, yet Anonymous ’25 likewise did not comment further. Pineapple on pizza was created by a Greek immigrant in Canada in 1954. Since then, it has stirred considerable controversy, with some proclaiming their love, and others publicly declaring their hatred for it.
- Eggs and yams.
“It’s really good!” — Anonymous ’25. It is pretty standard to find egg scramble recipes containing various vegetables, including yams.
- I like Lay’s potato chips in vanilla yogurt (fly by).
Anonymous did not offer justification for this, but Lay’s does. Although slightly different from this combo, the company’s official website has a recipe for a potato chip sundae.
- Sprite + lemonade + milk.
“It’s just milkis!!! It’s very good.” — Anonymous ’27
- Chicken nuggets are great with ice cream.
“WENDY’S try it!!” — Anonymous ’28
- Chips with chocolate cake.
“It’s good.” — Anonymous ’28. Lay’s also has a recipe for chocolate cake with chips.
- Cherries on pizza are fire.
“Bro, just try it, trust me.” — Anonymous ’27
- Cucumbers and brownies.
Anonymous ’27 did not provide more explanation. Upon research of the combo, closely related to cucumbers, zucchini brownies are a popular health food item with hundreds of online recipes.
- Crisps (Chips) in sandwiches.
“It’s something I haven’t heard anyone at Harvard do. Yet.” — Anonymous ’27
- Apples and tahini.
Anonymous ’25 gave no reason. However, some do enjoy fruit salad with a sweet tahini dressing. People also use it to dip veggies in.
- The best condiment to dip McDonald’s chicken nuggets in is honey—just straight honey, not honey mustard, and this only applies to McDonald’s chicken nuggets, no others.
“Because it’s delicious.” — Anonymous ’25
- Peanut butter & sriracha on a toasted bagel.
“HUDS special 🤤.” — Anonymous ’28
- Pasta and ketchup.
“It’s good.” — Anonymous ’27. Though seemingly unusual, this dish is quite popular in Japan and is called “Spaghetti Napolitan.”
- Cheese doesn’t belong on a burger.
“It’s bad.” — Anonymous ’27. While it is classic to eat a burger with a melted slice of American cheese on it, 68% of the world is lactose intolerant, so most of the world cannot enjoy what is seen as the typical route of consumption.
- Salad and banana.
“It’s soo good.” — Anonymous ’27. Although adding bananas is uncommon, many salad recipes call for adding fruit.
- Cheese that’s not from a cow isn’t right (i.e., goat cheese, etc.).
Anonymous ’27 did not give a reason. Despite this opinion, the goat milk market has actually been growing quite fast in recent years. The cow dairy industry is also predicted to decline.
- Ketchup in ceviche.
“Peruvians hate me.” — Anonymous. Some recipes call for adding a dash of ketchup to ceviche, mainly ones that include shrimp, likely because it is similar to shrimp cocktail sauce.
- Steak is bad.
Anonymous ’26 did not share why. The U.S. has the second-highest beef consumption per capita (behind Argentina). A study also found that 12% of Americans consume 50% of the beef consumed in the U.S.
- Soggy Raisin Bran is the best cereal.
“It must be soggy until it’s mush.” — Anonymous ’27
Whether these quotes inspire new food combinations or elicit disgust, there are inevitably many takeaways from these undergraduates’ unique flavor preferences; perhaps it’s the American obsession with condiments or students’ exploration of dining hall food combos. One thing is certain—our eating habits are quite different. Yet one common theme from these takes still emerges: the well-known combination of sweet and salty flavoring.
In an interview with Vox, Pastry chef and Top Chef alumna Malika Ameen explained this popular pairing. “Salt is a flavor enhancer, and when it’s correctly combined with something sweet, it creates flavor layering,” she explains. And when this flavor layering is achieved, the brain reacts positively, receiving signals from the flavor receptors caused by sensory-specific tastes. Ever wonder why someone would even think to dip sausage in yogurt? Well this is it. Stay experimental when it comes to food; it’s only biological.
Kalvin Frank ’28 (kfrank@college.harvard.edu) would eat most of these food combos.