The taste of nostalgia can only be replicated after seeing yourself at six and twenty, sitting at the counter in front of an overflowing bowl of Coco Puffs and an overly large spoon.
I would sit in my childhood house at the large dining room table for 6- with scraped knees, sitting on my feet to reach over the edge of the bowl; mimicking how I sit in my college apartment at my kitchen counter for 2, still sitting on my feet to eat the same cereal. The familiar taste of crunchy chocolate puffs with almost a full bowl of chocolate milk to drink at the end.
I would eat it to prepare for my long day of playing Ode to Joy on the recorder and playing house at recess— now I eat it at 5 am, desperately trying to finish assignments for my 8 am class after my 4th all-nighter in a row. While I eat it under vastly different circumstances, the comfort it brings me is all too familiar. It will always have the same nostalgic taste.
The most important part is when I return home for break, and I see my two little sisters, 5 & 6, in our new house that will turn into their childhood home, sitting at our kitchen table eating from big, colorful bowls of the same cereal. And then I get to join them in eating our favorite comfort food.
Creative Direction and Words by Fai McCurdy.
Photography by Snigdha Gopidi.
Modeled by Gaia Shin.
Styling by Anna McGregor.
Makeup by Mandy Olivieri.
Behind the Scenes by Aanvik Singh.