The comfort of comfort foods

For dinner last night I had grilled cheese and tomato soup.  I could get all fancy and call it a “3 cheese and prosciutto toasted sandwich on sourdough bread served with creamy tomato basil soup “  (which I would do if I was justifying charging $15 for it).  But lets just call it what it was – a yummy comforting grilled cheese.

As I nibbled away on a cold, snowy, rainy, winter night in Boston, I thought more and more about comfort foods and how they make us feel.  No matter what it is, eating these foods can bring us back to a time when life was easy, surround us with amazing memories and help calm us down in this crazy ride we call 'being an adult'. 

I took a poll of my friends last night to get their take on what they consider comfort food. 

From my friends of Italian heritage, the answer was easy – homemade pasta with memories of being at home with family.

Pancakes were mentioned with memories of being a kid coupled with great late nights.

Mac and Cheese of course made the cut.  As Tiffany put it “the combo of warmth, gooeyness and macaroni just sooooothes the soul”. 

One of the cutest ones came from Dawn: Chicken and dumplings. “My mom always made them when I was a kid. The smell of onions and celery was always on her hands, and she would tie my hood”.

For my mother, it’s tuna casserole – with the condensed soups and potato chip top.  As with so many of our chosen comfort foods, it reminds her of her childhood. 

My father and I had quite the list of comfort foods, all of which we revisited when he was sick.   As gross as it sounds now, fish sticks and canned spaghetti was a go to when I was a kid, as well as shells and cheese.  Chicken potpie, soft serve ice cream (enjoyed equally by my mom too!) and popcorn were also in our top 5.  Even at 29/30 years old, when I sat eating these with my dad, it brought me back to being a little girl have lunch with her daddy.  It helped to forget, if even for a little while, that he was sick. 

That’s what these foods can do for us. They can help us feel at peace, if even for a few moments.  They bring us back to time spent with family – from normal weeknight dinners to special occasions.  They make us smile feel warm on the inside.

So the next time you need a pick me up, reach for that food that will make you feel like you just received a big bear hug from someone you love. Don’t worry about calories or fat, just relish in every bite and remember why it means so much to you. 

You’ll feel better – I promise you.