What’s your go-to comfort food?
All the questions about food! Sheesh! Can we move on from this tomorrow please? If not, I’m going to really stretch it so I have an answer not about food. Just sayin’…
With that said, I have to really think about this one. What is a comfort food to begin with? Do you eat the food when you feel sad and it makes you feel less sad because it reminds you of a happier time? Do you eat something because you’re sick and it makes you feel better? Chicken noodle soup is famous for that. Does it mean a food you eat when you come home from a bad day at work? I’d imagine something sweet would fix that.
Thinking of all those things, I can honestly say I don’t think I have a comfort food. In fact, when I was losing weight the first time (i.e. without this awful medicine that makes me not want to eat), I listened to a podcast of a lady who coaches women on how to lose weight without dieting. Her methods are legit and really work. The whole premise behind them is that you can lose weight by cutting through the mental bs surrounding food. Basically, not eating when you’re not hungry and recognizing why you want to eat when you’re not hungry. Many of those reasons being emotional. All the things I listed above…had a bad day, feeling sad, or you’re sick. In other words, not using food for comfort.
Of course, I’m not judging or even condemning anybody for their eating habits. Just sharing something I learned from her podcast.
And while I don’t really have a comfort food…like I said before, I just generally don’t want to eat period, I do remember a time when I ate a meal and it was the best food I had ever eaten in my entire life and it made me feel instantly better physically. Those of you who have ever had a wild night of partying that involved alcohol and suffered the consequences the next day can probably tell where I’m going with this.
A few years ago I got together with my cousins. We don’t do that very often, but our last uncle was doing pretty badly with cancer and other issues and it was one of those times where we came to say goodbye before it was too late. That evening, after visiting our uncle in hospice, we hung out at my sister’s house. Alcohol flowed freely. It was my first introduction to Fireball. So much of it was consumed that somebody went out and had to buy another bottle. I don’t drink like that very often and I guess it had been a while since I had because the next day, my body reminded me that I’m old and we don’t appreciate that much alcohol. The hangover misery was deep and it was real! The whole day I was horizontal, in between moments of being vertical long enough to throw up. Various cousins came over throughout the morning and afternoon to visit for a few more minutes. Breakfast was cooked and leftover snacks from the night before were eaten. Not by me though. My mom told me I needed to eat something and tried to give me a cinnamon donut. The morning after I got trashed on cinnamon flavored alcohol. No thank you.
I forced myself to visit for a few minutes, but I mostly had to stay in bed. Oh how they made fun of me for being a light weight! As the day went on, my sisters and mom told me I really need to eat something to feel better. I didn’t see how food could make me feel better when I was so nauseous.
Later that evening, I gave in and accepted their invitation to get food from a place called Mr. Hero. Apparently they have a sandwich that’s like a hoagie but it’s a hamburger and it has salami on it. I had never had one since they don’t have those places down where I live.
When I ate it though, and the fries with the cheese dipping sauce that came with it…it was like an instant, miracle hangover cure. I immediately felt better. I could sit up vertically without being nauseous. My headache went away. That greasy meal truly was a comfort food.
I haven’t drank like that since, but if I ever do again, and get hungover like that again, which I’m sure I will because I’m still too old to drink like that, I will absolutely seek out a greasy hamburger meal to make me feel better.
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