Nothing soothes the soul quite like a bowl of comfort.
By Jesse Oakley — Written on Jun 13, 2019
So you woke up late this morning, rushed to work, made mistake after mistake and to top it all off your boyfriend of two years dumps you.
You’re in need of some serious comfort, so you go to the kitchen or go to a restaurant to look for some SERIOUS comfort food.
Whatever it is that you want, you just want it to make you feel better. It’s honestly amazing how much food can change a mood. I mean, a term was even invented for when someone’s angry but really just hungry (hangry).
A good meal can make all the difference in a day. Sure, maybe you got splashed by that car on the way to work, but that feel-good food dish can make it all seem like the distant past.
And even when it comes to comfort food, it’s even got its own category — southern comfort food. The southern United States has done a pretty good job of making food that fills both the stomach and the heart. There’s actually a science behind the entirety of the comfort food genre, but I’m not a scientist, so I’ll let those more qualified explain.
Sometimes the day was just so bad that you really need that one food. Maybe it’s a simple bowl of chicken noodle soup. Or maybe it’s a bucket of chicken from that place on the corner that’s kinda iffy but their food is great so who cares? Either way that entrée is going to heal up that broken heart, or at least put a bandage on it.
For me, the best comfort food of them all. by far, is macaroni and cheese ("Mac ‘n’ cheese", for short).
Soft noodles lathered in gooey, cheesy goodness — and you can have a whole bowl of it if you want. Whether it’s a cold winter’s night or the day of the break up, something about mac ‘n’ cheese just warms the soul.
There are also so many ways to make it — traditional, baked, five cheese blend and deep-fried if you want to seriously up the comfort levels. And while things like ice cream and chicken are great, they just don’t provide that same food hug that mac ‘n’ cheese does.
Plus, this cheesy dish is in bulk everywhere. At a grad party, boom, there it is. In the pasta aisle at the store, boom, a whole section for just mac ‘n’ cheese. Even at a lot of restaurant it’s at least offered as a side dish.
So no matter how many bad days you have, there’ll always be mac ‘n’ cheese to make you feel better.
Over the years a lot of cooks and chefs have spent hours creating the best comfort foods, and there are plenty to choose from. So whether your go-to is a gallon of ice cream or a grilled cheese, here’s what those who made comfort food and those who enjoy it have to say:
1. Bratt says it best.
“Sometimes a little comfort food can go a long way.” –Benjamin Bratt
2. What would we do without it?
“I love comfort food – it’s the basis of everything.” –Kathie Lee
3. Anything can be comfort food.
“Comfort food is really anything you want at that time. That said, I really love Naple-style pizza.” –Geoffrey Zakarian
4. Just so you know, it's never too cold for ice cream.
“Ice cream is my comfort food.” –Jessie Ware
5. Few things are more heart-warming than home cooking.
“I love to cook comfort food. I’ll make fish and vegetables or meat and vegetables and potatoes or rice. The ritual of it is fun for me and the creativity of it.” –Reese Witherspoon
6. I'd be at this restaurant every day.
“Opening a family-style restaurant with comfort food like mac ‘n’ cheese, ribs and burgers has always been my dream.” –Bridget Hall
9. 'P' is the magic letter.
“All food starting with p is comfort food: pasta, potato chips, pretzels, peanut butter, pastrami, pizza, pastry.” –Sara Paretsky
10. People in Louisiana know how to grieve.
“In Louisiana, one of the first stages of grief is eating your weight in Popeyes fried chicken. The second stage is doing the same with boudin. People have been known to swap the order. Or to do both at the same time.” –Ken Wheaton
11. The idea of comfort food goes all the way back to Jefferson.
“On a hot day in Virginia, I know nothing more comforting than a fine spiced pickle, brought up trout-like from the sparkling depths of the aromatic jar below the stairs of Aunt Sally's cellar.” –Thomas Jefferson
12. Imagine being reborn as a pastry.
“I’d like to be reincarnated as a French tart. They’re so beautiful and delicate- they’re like my opposite. I’m more of a comfort food; goat cheese and garlic.” –Cecily Strong
13. The true king of comfort food - the South.
“The best comfort food will always be greens, cornbread and fried chicken.” –Maya Angelou
14. Pizza's a great go-to.
“There is no better feeling than a warm pizza box on your lap.” –Kevin James
7. Don't feel guilty while eating your comfort food. It's natural for people!
“Comfort food is the food that makes us feel good- satisfied, calm, cared for and carefree. It’s food that fills us up both mentally and physically. Finding comfort in food is a basic human experience.” –Ellie Krieger
8. No matter how bad the day, at least there's food.
“Look, getting bullied in school and coming home crying in the rain and my mom making me a can of Campbell’s Tomato Soup with some oysterettes. It was comfort food; that’s what food should be.” –Anthony Bourdain
15. You can always count on food to make you feel better (at least temporarily).
“Food is the most primitive form of comfort.” –Sheila Graham
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Jesse Oakley is a writer who writes about love, relationships and self-care.