Comfort Food

I was thinking about comfort food last night as we ate leftovers for dinner. I think the phrase 'comfort food' illicits a certain picture, at least it does for me. I see warm biscuits, mashed potatoes, corn-on-the-cob, and some sort of gravy-laden meat. This is what some restaurants advertise as comfort food.

But as I was scooping mac and cheese onto the boys' plates I realized something: that was part of my own version of comfort food.

When I'm sick (which I'm not right now, it's just an example) I only want certain things. Macaroni and cheese is one of them. I also crave the giant apple-struessel muffins from Costco. I certainly should not eat them, (the sugar content is much too high) but the thought of eating them makes me feel better.

I wonder, how do we associate food with feeling well and safe? Is it because that's what we ate growing up? If that's the case, then quesadillas, homemade bread, and oranges should make my list. And, now that I think about it, they do.

When Bryan is sick, all he wants is McDonald's. I don't think it has much to do with what he ate growing up. I could eat my comfort food items all the time. Not so much with Bryan. He does not usually like anything from the Golden Arches. He says that's what sounds good because it's so salty he might be able to taste it through illness-deadened taste buds. I guess that's another theory behind the adoption of specific comfort foods.

I wonder, what the boys will think of as comfort food when they're adults?