What are some ways to ease into intellectually stimulating conversation?

I’m finding that the people I am around on a day to day basis have the same, banal conversations over and over again. What are some ways that I could bring up topics that are intellectually stimulating, but not too much to swallow at once? Moreso, how do I get people engaged in a conversation like that, rather than discussing how terrible the food is or how much we all dislike a certain professor for the umpteenth time?