What does "COMFORT FOOD" mean?

Question

Somebody I know told me she works at a restaurant that makes "comfort food". I asked her what that meant, and the person sitting next to her said, "Macaroni and cheese". I said "Oh" and walked away scratching my head.

Answer 1

The term comfort food refers to any food or drink to which one habitually turns for temporary respite, security, or special reward. The reasons that something becomes a comfort food are diverse but include the food's familiarity, simplicity, and/or pleasant associations. Small children often seem to latch on to a specific food or drink (in a way similar to a security blanket) and will repeatedly request it in high stress situations. Adults, however, are certainly not exempt.

I think you should look at this web.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comfort_food


When sick, or tired, or far from home, everyone seems to yearn for the gastronomic equivalent of a warm sweater, a kiss on the forehead, a favorite blanket. Macaroni and cheese might mean comfort to you. Or perhaps your source of succor is beef stew or udon noodles. We asked acclaimed chefs and food writers to share their favorite comfort foods and discovered that even people who have sampled the world’s culinary delights return to simple, hearty fare when they crave comfort.

http://www.pbs.org/opb/meaningoffood/food_and_life/comfort_foods/

Answer 2

Comfort Food Meaning

Answer 3

1

Answer 4

Comfort Food Definition

Answer 5

It's food that when you think of it, eating it and how it makes you feel, is cozy.

It can be your personal favorite food, as simple as ice cream.

I think comfort food is what you might want to put in your tummy to make your psychology feel good when you are down in the dumps or homesick. It's different for everyone, depending upon the season and how you were raised.

After you eat it you would feel like you are getting a hug from the inside out.

Answer 6

It is what it says it is. It is food that comforts you. It's food that brings back memories of your childhood or a really good time in your life. Common comfort food is fried chicken, meatloaf, mashed potatoes and gravy, macaroni and cheese, chocolate cake, ice cream, but can really be any food that "comforts" you.

Answer 7

Hello Jeff, its not the food what makes it "comfortable food", its the person who's going to eat it.

remember when you were a child and you're mom calls you for lunch? i bet you can still smell it when you hear the name of that food.

its like that kind of thing.

as you see in most of the answers, comfortable food composed of sugar, rice, wheat and so on, that is, it contains high calories which "induce an opiate-like effect in the brain" (from wikipedia.org), which may account for their soothing nature.

you can't make a list of "comfort food" because it's not the type of food that makes it comfortable.

and because its something in your head that makes definition to "comfort food", then i guess commercials and marketing plays a great role here, don't you think?

Answer 8

That restaurant must have a huge menu! But comfort food usually means those foods that remind you of a good, relaxing time-- like fried chicken at an aunts house on sunday afternoon. Of course everyone has their own!

Answer 9

I think it's stuff that people make in there houses. Instead of food that resturants normally have there would be things like mac and cheese, stew, apple pie. I think every one has there own comfort food though. Like my mom makes great chicken and dumplings and on a cold day I love having them.

Answer 10

I think it means the kinds of food that bring your memory back to good meals you've had with people you really like. And lots of people think of good home-cooked food as comfort food ... what their moms made like meat loaf, and potatoes and gravy, and macaroni and cheese and ...
But it's probably different for everyone. It's food that makes you feel happy.
For me it's things like bread pudding and spaghetti and hot chocolate made the old fashioned way in a pan with unsweetened cocoa and milk and sugar.