Hard day at the office? Fight with your spouse or your mother-in-law? Dating difficulties? While comfort foods are only a temporary fix and don’t solve long term problems, they sure make us feel good “in the moment”.
What exactly constitutes a comfort food? I’d probably define it as a food that triggers a feeling of nostalgia, one that brings us back to a time when things were better, or at least simpler.
Of course what passes as a comfort food to one person is different than what someone else might consider one to be. Cultural and/or ethnic background, what part of the country one is from, and even age will influence our taste. For example, grits might be a comfort food to someone raised in the South, where tamales might cause someone with a Mexican heritage to be reminded of home. To many people any fast food, be it a McDonald’s Quarter Pounder or a Nathan’s hot dog, is plenty comforting.
It’s safe to say that by and large, comfort foods would not make it to the top of a nutritionist’s list. After all, ingredients such as butter, oil, and sour cream don’t do wonders for one’s cholesterol level. But who cares? Comfort foods are not intended to replace a regular diet. They’re meant to offer solace and, well comfort, for a brief time.
I made up a list of what I believe a great percentage of Americans might consider their ten favorite comfort foods. The list is not in any particular order and I tried not to be swayed by my own prejudices (though ice-cream did make the list:) There are foods I enjoy that are not on the list and others that don’t particularly appeal to me.
Please feel free to add your personal favorites.
- Ice cream
- Mac and cheese
- Chocolate
- Potatoes (French fries or mashed)
- Stew or Pot Roast
- Home made soup (one of my personal favorites)
- Fried chicken
- Meatloaf
- Spaghetti and meatballs
- Tollhouse (chocolate chip) cookies and milk
Hope this whetted your appetite and that your weekend is a good and comforting one.
And thank you for joining me on this week’s journey along,
RHODES LESS TRAVELED,
Vivian
Pizza. After a hard day of tripping on LSD or magic mushrooms, pizza is often the only thing that is comfortable to eat.
ReplyDeletePizza's a great one. Someone else mentioned that her favorite comfort food was cheesecake.
ReplyDeletePizza and just about anything with lots of cheese. Mac and cheese. Cheeseburgers. Grilled cheese sandwiches. Cheese enchiladas. And the list goes on...
ReplyDeleteVivian, I love the variety of topics you write about and anything food is always a great topic for discussion! Agree that comfort food does evoke nostalgic feelings - it's my catering niche! www.ElainesClassicCuisine.com
On a cool and rainy day: tomato soup and a grilled cheese sandwich.
ReplyDeleteI remember coming home from jr.high school on overcast NY days and having my mother prepare Campbell's tomato soup with American cheese stirred into it. Talk about comfort:)
ReplyDeleteI have an odd "go to" comfort food...mashed potatoes with poached eggs. Not sure of the origin, but oh my, it always comforts more than any other food. Mac and cheese (or anything with cheese!) is a close second! Good read...
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