Keepin' it Fresh: What's in a cookie?

I swore to myself those dining hall cookies were going to get old.

But here I am, entering week seven of my first semester at UNC, and they have yet to lose any of their delicious luster.

I don’t get it.

Yes, cookies are generally infused with a sugary sweetness that is hard for many to resist. Don’t tell me you’ve never craved one of these delectable varieties.

But after nearly a month and a half, shouldn’t those cookies have lost at least some of their alluring qualities?

In the midst of my floundering in the vast sea of Econ 101 (my high school graduating class was a tenth of that size), I heard about this law of diminishing marginal utility, which means that the more you consume of a certain good, your satisfaction gradually decreases.

Apparently this doesn’t apply to UNC dining hall cookies.

I have junior and senior friends who love these cookies just as much if not more than they did during their freshman year. And I know there are at least several thousand students out there who feel the same way.

Question is, what’s the secret? How do the cookies do it?

Is it the six or more mouthwatering flavors we have to choose from? Is it the soft, chewy nature of the exterior? Is it the instantaneous release of sugary delight upon touching our taste buds? What makes us keep going back for more?

I haven’t made much progress on an answer. I guess I’ll just have to keep thinking about it.

And now in the midst of my pondering I think I’m going to mosey on over to the Lenoir dessert bar.

What will it be today, peanut butter? Sugar? M&M?

Or maybe I’ll make it really simple and go with all of the above.

This is the first Keepin’ it Fresh post in a series of many! Check back next week for another. In the meantime, let us know what you think by commenting below!