“Relationships are like salads, but y’all want skittles.” – Aziz Ansari.
I came across this quote while watching a YouTube clip of Aziz Ansari. For those of you who do not know Ansari, he is a stand-up comedian and stars on the TV show Parks and Recreation. I had the great pleasure of watching Ansari perform live at the Montreal Just for Laughs comedy festival a few summers ago and have been a fan ever since.
In this quote, Ansari humorously commented on the state of modern day relationships. According to Aziz, romantic relationships are healthy and essential to our human lives. They are good for us, much like a nutritious salad. However, much as in our daily diets, we sometimes crave a less healthier, more sugary or salty option, like a bag of skittles. As Ansari implies, the skittles in the relationship analogy represent sex. Yes, salads are a healthy option before we eat our dessert, but many of us tend to skip our main meals for the sweet stuff.
At this point, you as a reader might ask, “what’s the big deal?” I know that when I think about relationships and sexual encounters in college, St. Lawrence students tend to open more bags of skittles than containers of salad. Why? Well, there are a number of reasons. First, skittles are so much more tempting. They are small bags of goodness that, like sex, greatly satisfy a human craving in a short period of time. Additionally, eating a salad, much like starting and maintaining a relationship takes time, effort, and does not always taste the way you want it to. As college students, we are young, slightly lazy, and still have plenty of time before our lack of healthy eating, or healthy relationships, begin to show.
So, where do we draw the line as students? When do we decide that it is time to start eating better? Do we stop eating skittles when we finally develop diabetes? Do we only stop craving sex when we realize how lonely and unsatisfying it can truly be? College is a time to experiment with sex, but it is also a crucial time in our young lives to learn about love, friendships, relationships, and people in general. We might like casual sex now as students, but there will come a point when we will want something more. Thanks to Ansari, I can comfortably give you all this quick advice: enjoy as many bags of skittles as you want, but remember that a consistent salad eater will benefit in the long run. Develop healthy friendships and relationships and give yourself the time to learn about people and about yourself. You might find that the salads in your life are worth more than a bag of skittles.