(For anyone that’s concerned, this is my CommonApp essay.)

I love eating toothpaste! Minty and crisp, with just about the right creamy texture topped by bits of chocolate, a touch of pure decadence. Whether it’s Ben & Jerry’s or Breyers, there is a wonderful contradiction in every scoop: a mélange of discipline and indulgence. While enjoying a cone of this refreshing treat, I see a mirrorball made out of mint chocolate chip ice cream.

My friends call it toothpaste – owing to its strange flavor. We often debate about which flavor is better, with my unwavering loyalty to the refined mint chocolate chip. They however are repulsed by the mere mention of its name: calling it a bizarre amalgamation of morning breath and an evening snack. Unlike them, I see an (Epic)urean delight destined to awe one’s unsuspecting tastebuds. Distinguishable among myriad flavors, it welcomes those able to acquire its taste. It awaits patiently inside a pint of Chapman’s Original Mint Chip, desiring nothing more than to traverse beyond the back of the ice cream aisle, waiting to satiate the appetites of those who long for its eloquent disposition. However, I empathize with the resilient side of this bonne bouche: lonely, unpopular, yet steadfast.

Behind a glass case of a myriad of flavors such as the cocoa-rich chocolate or the popular pistachio, anathema to many, I am the multifaceted mint chocolate chip. In a homogenous society, my morsels of chocolate draw many: some being archaic socially-imposed ideas of conformity, some being cultural expectations, and some being accomplishments. Beyond this superficial metric to measure my worth, the world around me is not quite ready to appreciate the mint underneath. But once they mitigate the awkward flavor of mint with the familiarity of chocolate, they open themselves to understand the beautiful complexity of the delicate balance I have to offer. That taste of mint, long associated with over-the-counter dentifrice and chewing gum, is now seen as a complimenting touch to a dessert. Once the decadence of chocolate is cut by the refreshing drizzle of spearmint, is when people will appreciate the person I am.

Without the chocolate chips, however, it’ll be just another flavor: predictable, safe, and Vanilla. Losing its originality, it becomes just like its fellow compatriots. To me, it is quintessential that I blur the two worlds of conformity and individuality to be authentic. In the ways that mint chocolate chip stands out through its originality, I too desire to stand out not by being different but by being a diverse individual. At the same time, should I forgo the expectations of myself as a male in a Bengali society, I will not find the will to be conspicuous. It is purely through the frustrating ordeals of having to be somebody I am not that I find myself beyond what is socially palatable. As I get older, my desire of being a diverse individual keeps on growing as I meet exciting individuals. As I step foot into college, I hope I meet flavors such as red curry-pandan, kulfi, and rosemary citrus.

As an individual, my traits balance each other out. Juxtaposition to each other, they blend in just like mint and chocolate: quiet yet powerfully spoken; reserved yet full of vigor; opinionated yet open to new ideas; optimistic yet self-aware. It is through these traits that I see the world through a grey lens, not cherry-picking a sundae made of different abstractions of the world. Whether it be a clash of Marvel or Scorsese films, watching K-dramas or reading Kafka novels, or a debate on liberalism or conservatism, I simply enjoy learning bits of everything every day. After all, which ice cream cannot be spiced up with a squeeze of some delicious Hershey’s chocolate syrup?

For these reasons, the mint chocolate chip will always be my number one choice. That, and the interesting conversations I have with my dentist.