Food for Thought! Thinking About Comfort Foods

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Feeling in need of a little comfort? We are too! Today we are going to talk about COMFORT FOODS. Comfort food is a UNIVERSAL (experienced by all) experience. Comfort foods are defined as providing NOSTALGIC or sentimental value to someone. It may also be defined by its high CALORIC nature, high CARBOHYDRATE levels, or ability to be simply prepared. The term comfort food can be traced back to 1966 in an article published by the Palm Beach Post, where chicken soup was offered as an example.

Spell PREPARE Spell EXAMPLE Spell VALUE
What are we talking about today? COMFORT FOODS
Name a type of value comfort foods provide. NOSTALGIC SENTIMENTAL
What year can the term comfort food be traced back to? 1966
How long ago was that? CURRENT YEAR – 1966 = ####
In what periodical was the article published? PALM BEACH POST
What example of comfort food was provided? CHICKEN SOUP

Popular belief is that you wait until the middle of winter to cook up your favorite comfort food. Some INVOKE the joy of comfort food during times of stress. The most important aspect of comfort food is identifying exactly what you are CRAVING. Are you looking for something hearty to fill you up, like Mac and cheese? Or maybe something vegetable-focused, like a light and healthy INSTAPOT (electric pressure cooker) soup.

Spell BELIEF, Spell JOY, Spell HEARTY

What season do people associate with comfort food? WINTER

Times of _______ is also when comfort food is enjoyed. STRESS

We talk about cravings. Can you think of another word for crave?
What example was given as a hearty comfort food? MAC AND CHEESE
What do the Mac in Mac and cheese stand for? MACARONI

A 2015 study highlighted a CORRELATION between comfort foods and significant relationships in people’s lives. Favorite comfort foods are not simply IRRESISTIBLE; they may have a greater meaning from being connected to a memory of someone important, like a family member or close friend. Sometimes just the smell of comfort food, or a single INGREDIENT, can evoke a strong memory.

Spell CORRELATION Spell MEANING Spell SMELL
Who may be connected to comfort food? FAMILY MEMBER, CLOSE FRIEND
In what year was the study I mentioned published? 2015

The smell of comfort food can evoke a strong what? MEMORY

Name an ingredient with a strong smell.

Common high-calorie, high-fat, salt, or sugar foods may trigger the reward system in the brain. Consuming these foods, like ice cream, soup, or French fries, can give a temporary sense of EMOTIONAL elevation or RELAXATION, after which some may feel comfortable.

Spell BRAIN Spell SENSE Spell EMOTIONAL
What word did I use that means eating? CONSUMING
What can comfort foods elevate? EMOTIONS
Name one of the comfort foods we just covered. ICE CREAM SOUP, FRENCH FRIES
Name one kind of food that can trigger the reward system in the brain. HIGH CALORIE, HIGH FAT, SALT, SUGAR
Name a food that can give you a sense of emotional elevation or relaxation.

Ice cream, soup, and French fries? Whose comfort food is that? Individual differences in PREFERENCE vary with the season, reason, and/or culture. When surveying comfort foods across the globe, author NICOLA BROWN from Fix.com found that comfort food choices were all over the map. Let’s learn more about the comfort foods Brown identified across cultures.

Spell DIFFERENCE Spell SURVEY Spell GLOBE
What author are we talking about? NICOLA BROWN
What website does she write for? FIX.COM
What’s a factor that could affect someone’s comfort food? SEASON, REASON, CULTURE

Name a mood and food that “feeds” that mood!

In CHINA, CHA SIU BAO, or barbecue pork buns, are a sticky, gooey favorite. The buns are filled with slow-roasted pork and surrounded in fluffy white dough, perfect when dunked in soy sauce.

What country are we talking about? CHINA
What is the common name for cha siu bao? BARBEQUE PORK BUNS
What kind of pork is found in the buns? SLOW ROASTED

What do you dunk cha siu bao in? SOY SAUCE

Is there a Chinese or Asian dish you enjoy?

Comfort food in GREECE may include a rich casserole called MOUSSAKA. This treat layers SAUTEED eggplant with minced lamb, tomatoes, onions, and garlic and are then topped with a creamy potato mash and baked to perfection.

What country are we talking about now? GREECE
What is their comfort food called? MOUSSAKA
Name one vegetable in Moussaka. EGGPLANT, TOMATO, ONION, GARLIC, POTATO

What meat is in Moussaka? LAMB

Can you name another Greek dish?

In IRELAND, there are few things more heartwarming than a hearty Irish stew made with bone-in lamb, potatoes, onions, salt, and ground black pepper.

What country have we traveled to on our culinary journey? IRELAND
What comfort food of theirs are we talking about? IRISH STEW
Name a vegetable that it has in common with Moussaka. POTATO ONION What’s a food you associate with Ireland?

In Iceland, RICE PUDDING is the perfect comfort food for someone with a sweet tooth! ICELANDIC rice pudding is sweet and sticky with sugar and cream, balanced with fruits like CRANBERRIES.

What country are we talking about now? ICELAND
What is their comfort food? RICE PUDDING
Perfect for someone with what kind of tooth? SWEET
What fruit tops this pudding? CRANBERRIES
Cranberries are red. Can you name another red fruit they could use?

Take a look at the picture below. The illustration notes that when food emits a delicious smell, the nasal cavity, OLFACTORY (smell) bulb, and LIMBIC SYSTEM go to work to enhance your dining pleasure. (read each portion of the illustration)

What does the limbic system support? EMOTION, LONG-TERM MEMORY
When it comes to comfort food, what is an emotion that can be triggered in the limbic system? PLEASURE
What functions as a filter, filtering out background odors? OLFACTORY BULB
What allows you to smell food? NASAL CAVITY

Creative Writing:
Do you have a comfort food that you enjoy? Tell me about it!
Do you associate a person or feeling with comfort food?
We have discussed the role that culture plays in comfort food. Tell me about your comfort foods and how they relate to your culture. What kind of memories do food smells evoke for you?

Source:

https://www.countryliving.com/food-drinks/g894/comfort-foods-1109/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comfort_food

https://www.fix.com/blog/why-is-comfort-food-so-tasty/