"Comfort Food"

Posted by Bookworm on December 19, 2003

In Reply to: "Comfort Food" posted by Chef Boy R Dee on December 19, 2003

: I just heard a co-worker say, "I sure could go for some 'comfort food'."

: What is comfort food? Where'd this term originate? And is it high in calories?

From Merriam-Webster:

Main Entry: comfort food
Function: noun
Date: 1977
: food prepared in a traditional style having a usually nostalgic or sentimental appeal

My two cents' worth: I've never thought of it as having "sentimental or nostalgic appeal". It is just food that is fatty and high in calories that people eat when they are depressed, upset or stressed. When I think of comfort food, I think of macaroni and cheese, brownies, cheesecake, etc. Of course, after you've eaten all of that, you are more depressed than before, so the "comfort" provided is only fleeting.

• "Comfort Food" Brian from Shawnee 19/December/03
  • "Comfort Food" R. Berg 19/December/03
    • "Comfort Food" JohnC 23/December/03