Sadie claims she's had the best ramen in the world back in her home city of Portland, Oregon. Wondering if she'd ever find something better, she decides to try out Columbia's beloved local ramen restaurant, Jin Ramen.

Sadie doesn't leave campus to eat very often because she is usually swamped with work and extracurriculars. So when she does, it's a special occasion.

With every bite, she is reminded of home and the delicious meals she shared with her dad, who is a self-proclaimed ramen connoisseur.

"Hot ramen is the Arkenstone of soups," she says. "It's also the only soup you can't (arguably, of course) put cheese on."

All in all, the soup's good and she's definitely coming back.

Simi's got a busy schedule. Between sorority commitments, play rehearsal, and schoolwork, it's hard to find time to grab a bite to eat. So, what better way to satisfy her hunger than at Hewitt Late Night, with its greasy pizza and filling pasta that hits the spot?

"Hewitt is so chill and convenient," says Simi, "especially when it's way too cold outside." As for her choice to eat alone, she says, "I love hanging out and sharing a meal with my friends, but it's just as good when I'm alone. Hewitt can get really busy during the day, but I like that it's empty and quiet at night. I love sitting by myself, because it gives me a chance to think and wind down from the hectic day I just had."

Eating dinner late at night has become a sort of ritual for her. "Even in boarding school, I used to be one of the last people in the dining hall," she says.

While some Barnard students may disagree, Hewitt has a special charm for Simi. "I go to Hewitt Late Night, because it's something that is very unique to the Barnard first-year experience. Even when I'm eating a meal alone, it's nice to be surrounded by my peers. It's comforting."

They don't call just anyone the "Tupperware Queen." Laetitia is ready at every meal with a tupperware container (or three) to carry home snacks for later, whether it's a slice of pizza or some good old strawberry cheesecake from Hewitt Dining Hall.

She's always prepared for those unexpected late night munchies that strike while working on an Art History assignment or some psych reading. "I always stay up pretty late doing homework, and it's nice to have a snack to keep me going throughout the night," she says.

Laetitia realizes that it's out of the ordinary to always have her tupperware at hand, but she loves eating in the comfort of her own room. "I have a reputation, you know?" she says. "I roll into any dining hall and people are like, 'Wow, there she goes with all her tupperware.'"

She shrugs. "What can I say? It's a lifestyle."

Last Friday night, members of the Columbia/Barnard Hillel sat around a table in the Kraft Center for Jewish Student Life and enjoyed a home-cooked meal. But the weekly meetings are about more than just food: open to anyone, the Friday night shabbat dinner is a welcoming and comfortable place for members to find a piece of home away from home.

As people pass the songbook around the table, laughing and clapping to the music, there was a sense of warmth and connection not so different from the vibe of a big family gathering.

Roommates Nikita and Daphné have been cooking together since their first year at Sciences Po in 2012. Sunday night, Nikita was making traditional Indian dal, or lentil soup, while Daphné was preparing veau marengo, her favorite French dish. Both women try each other's dishes and suggest more salt or more "coriandre" (Nikita, although American, has taken to referring to foods with their French names, much to Daphné's pleasure).

Daphné, whose mother is a professional chef back in France, cooks her mom's favorite dishes regularly, including the foie gras and other French specialties she brought back to the US over winter break. Nikita also cooks to reconnect to a sense of home. "It brings me back to my childhood, to helping my mother fry onions and chop tomatoes in our kitchen. It's very comforting," she says.

When Diana, their third roommate, returns after work and prepares her own meal, the picture of comfort is complete: the three sit down and talk over steaming plates full of a French-Indian-Chinese-American mix called home.