Food That is Comforting

Comfort food...it's my favorite type of food. It's food I can eat everyday of my life and be content. There are many varieties of comfort food. Many cultures of comfort food. Comfort food is delicious and more importantly, it's food that is comforting.

Today I had a bad day at work. It was the Monday after a long weekend, it was Monday in general and like many people on this Earth, I just don't like my job. Although I listened to my favorite 80s tunes on the way to my 9-5 it didn't stop the morning from crumbling. I set time goals through the work day to make the day go by slightly faster. My first goal is to get to lunch. Ah that glorious hour break from the office. Then after lunch you're half way through. Then comes the 3pm stretch with only two hours to go and usually a snack to accompany it. Finally it's 5! Snatch up your purse and go.

Anyways, I have digressed but that is the point of blogs, right? So as it hit 10:30am I already started thinking about lunch. Since I can't do personal research at work I asked my mom to find one of my favorite foods nearby: Cuban. I was feeling crummy so I thought Cuban food would do the trick. She found a local cafeteria with excellent reviews, sent me the address and when noon hit I was out that door. It took me a while to find this cafeteria but I finally did. When I stepped inside it was a small, quaint restaurant with nice, homey people. I read the specials of the day and saw two of my favorite: Picadillo(a somewhat ground beef hash) and chicharro(split pea soup)! I was very happy. For $7.50 I got a whole plate of food, bread, small cup of soup plus left overs (pictured below)!

The food comforted me in a way I can't explain. The food reminded me of my grandmother, my mom, my culture. It hit the right spot in my stomach and made chemicals in my brain ignite with happiness. The food felt like the hug I needed at that moment from a loved one. That is the true meaning of comfort food...at least to me. Food that hugs you. Food that brings you home. Food that can bright your day or at least an hour of your day even if it's terrible. That is why food that is comforting is my favorite.