Everyone has a pastry or dish that they view with fondness or nostalgia. They’re known as comfort foods. Comfort food can come in many forms from a simple snack or an elaborate dish.
Students at LBHS were asked about their comforts and why they have their choice as a comfort food.
Stefanie Alvarez (11) was asked about her favorite comfort food to which she said, “Tostadas de Mole are my favorite comfort food.” Tostadas de mole are a dish from Mexico where mole, sauced chicken is placed on a tostada.
Alvarez said, “Growing up, my mom always knew how much I loved this dish, and so for every special occasion, celebration, or simply a nice gesture to make my day, she’d make it specifically for me. It is my comfort food because when I eat it, I think of the love my mother has for me, then and always.”
Junior, Carlos Ravalero, said his favorite comfort food was “Enchiladas Suizas.” Enchiladas Suizas, also known as Enchiladas Verdes, are tortillas wrapped around some filling, usually cheese or chicken. Unlike Tex-Mex enchiladas, Mexican enchiladas are not oven baked, but instead the tortillas are dipped in the sauce and the filling is wrapped in the sauced tortilla.
When asked why Ravalero said, “Growing up when I was a kid in Mexico, whenever family or family friends came over, my dad used to make this so it reminds me of my family back in Mexico and also reminds me of how my dad was when I was a kid and the relationship that we had back then, so when I eat it, it reminds me of my family in Mexico and my childhood.”
The comfort foods shared so far have an element of family or memory involved. Comfort foods like the ones above are usually formed during childhood, summarized from Paul Breslin’s statement, a nutritional scientist, in the New York Times article, The Science of Comfort Foods.
Guadalupe Ruano (11) said, “My favorite comfort food is chicken noodle soup because it feels like a warm hug after being kicked like a dog.”
On this occasion the comfort food, shared by Ruano, gives a warm feeling. While not associated with family directly, it could be similarly be caused by the same circumstances of positive association during her childhood.
Junior, Kaylee Perez, when asked, said her comfort food was “Chorizo con Papas” and asked why she said, “ It’s so delicious and tasty! I love the way it melts on my tongue and it instantly makes my mood great!”
Chorizo con Papas is a simple Mexican dish. It’s Mexican Chorizo, which is spiced sausages, sauteed with potatoes.
Freshman, Ariel Serrano, said her comfort food was ”Tacos “ because “They’re really good and tasty. I like to eat them in large quantities because they’re that good.”
Emiliano Carrasco (9), when asked said his comfort food was “Mole” because “I think it tastes good and I could eat two large plates of it in one sitting.”
The three comfort foods above were primarily comfort foods based on taste. These could be created from different circumstances than comfort foods created because of childhood memories. According to Dr. Uma Naidoo, Nutritional Psychiatrist at Harvard Medical School, in the New York Times article, “The Science of Comfort Foods,“ “In addition to past memories, the context in which we eat foods shapes how much we enjoy them in the moment…” The last three comfort foods could have been created because of when the interviewees ate the dishes.
Overall, the comfort foods shared by the interviewees all had some things in common. Almost all of the comfort foods shared were prepared dishes, besides the chicken noodle soup. Similarly all of the comfort foods shared all have savory details. Lastly, two, or potentially three, of the comfort foods shared had memories related to family, and two were related to the taste of the food.
