Comfort Food!

Isn't it amazing how certain foods can just make you feel better...at least temporarily? I truly find comfort in some of my favorite foods. The warmth they give, the memories they evoke, or sometimes just the true flavor they provide. While it may be wrong to seek comfort in food, sometimes I let myself indulge. Call the therapist, I don't care; sometimes I just need to eat things that make the world brighter for that moment.

Following my grandfather's death quite a few years ago, the family opted to have a "comfort food" buffet instead of a service. We each were assigned family favorite recipes that would bring with it memories of him. So we gathered, we ate, and we honored his life with stories and laughter as we remembered happy times together. It was nice. Very nice.

Which foods do I find comfort in? Chicken noodle soup or Tom Ka chicken soup both make me feel warm inside. Soothing...like a back rub, that eases my muscles and helps me relax. Pot roast...because it just feels like "home." And truly, what is more comforting than home? Hot buttered popcorn...it is just an all-time favorite that I often seek refuge in. Maybe because it usually accompanies a movie, and there I can totally escape the thoughts of my own mind. And lastly, Tortierre, a french meat pie that has been a Christmas morning tradition in my family since long before I was born. The smell, the taste, everything about it says, family, togetherness, and happy times.

If I knew I had only a short time left on this earth, these would be the foods of my final days. These are the foods that I look for when my heart is heavy. The comfort I seek. And no, it doesn't heal my wounds, or make life problems disappear, but it is like a warm hug on a cold day. And who doesn't love that?

So yesterday I treated myself to a hot bowl of Tom Ka chicken soup (a Thai soup) and a glass of Coke for lunch and m&m's for dinner. Yea, I know, not the ideal diet plan the week before a cruise, but it felt good. Yesterday was a hard day and if those cute, little, pastel-colored m&m's brought some joy into my evening...then so be it. Life is short. And sometimes comfort can be just a handful of chocolate away.

enjoy the comforts of life,

-dw