Food ! Glorious Food !

"Food, like a loving touch or a glimpse of divine power, has that ability to comfort." Norman Kolpas

There is something about this time of year that begs to mind the idea of comfort food. We all want to curl up with a plate of something warm, something inviting, something simple and something nourishing. We want to taste, smell and remember foods that we ate as children. We hope those foods will bring back that simplicity and sense of safety. On gray November days, we crave those tastes that made us pause, as children, and take in the aroma of a meal we knew would make us happy. Although my father used to joke that my mom made one meal per month, and was a magician about stretching out the leftovers into ‘new choices’, I can’t help but smell Chicken Soup with Matzo Balls, Meatloaf or Pot Roast without thinking of “home”. Additionally, as we think ahead to the holidays, we can’t help but remember our extended families. To this day, when I have turkey and stuffing, I think of my cousins, and of the hijinks from the “kids’ table” at my Aunt Toots’ house every Thanksgiving. I honestly don’t think I’ve ever had as much fun, or have laughed as hard, as I did during the “old days” of creating havoc in a house full of relatives. We were awful ! We would climb the stairs from the outside of the railing and jump down. We ran wild like banshees until it was time to be called in to the most delicious meal of the year.

So, it’s safe to ask, is it the food itself that makes us reminisce about carefree times ? Or is it the memories that go along with the way our sense are effected ? It’s common knowledge that smell is the most powerful of all of our senses. When times get tough, or even just the days grow shorter, we crave things that will evoke positive experiences and happier times. Since many of us love food, it’s only reasonable that comfort foods should make us feel better. Now that my daughter is away at school, even with a good cafeteria, the one thing she expresses missing is “home cooking”. So, when she’s home on break, I make sure to make her favorites; chicken pot pie, spaghetti and meatballs and Beef Stroganoff. These are the foods she thinks of as meaning “home” to her. We may all have different experiences as to what we crave when we’re feeling blue, but we know them because they have a special place in our hearts…and in our stomachs.

In Yoga, many people have a “comfort pose”. My friend, Tammie, could do the “Crow” pose with ease, and I envied her talent. But, to her, it felt good and she was able to feel that “sweet spot” in which you feel completely at ease in an asana. While this wasn’t my personal comfort pose, I found it profound to watch her in her own element. Yoga not only brings us comfort poses for ourselves, but if you practice with friends, you will learn about their specialties too…in much the same way we learn about one another’s comfort foods. When I think of specific dishes, I often think of friends and family who love them, and I smile in remembrance. In the same way, if we practice Yoga with friends, we can be reminded of them when we practice a specific pose.

Since I’m a believer in “all things in moderation”, I don’t have a problem with comfort foods. But, the “diet police” often frown upon many foods we all want as comfort. If you live a well balanced lifestyle, full of fresh air, good nutrition, healthy exercise and lots of water, I can’t see why a reasonable sized piece of your Grandma’s recipe for chocolate fudge cake is going to hurt. Life is too short to deny ourselves the good memories…and the good tastes that go with them.

"Food is not about impressing people. It's about making them feel comfortable." Ina Garten, 'The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook'