April 11, 2017 at 12:11 am

The only time I ate chicken and dumplings was when my mom made it. The closest thing to it that I’ve eaten was at a Jewish restaurant: chicken matzo ball soup. Both are very comforting.

April 23, 2018 at 12:50 am

One study divided college-students’ comfort-food identifications into four categories (nostalgic foods, indulgence foods, convenience foods, and physical comfort foods) with a special emphasis on the deliberate selection of particular foods to modify mood or effect, and indications that the medical-therapeutic use of particular foods may ultimately be a matter of mood-alteration.

The identification of particular items as comfort food may be idiosyncratic, though patterns are detectable. In one study of American preferences, “males preferred warm, hearty, meal-related comfort foods (such as steak, casseroles, and soup) while females instead preferred comfort foods that were more snack related (such as chocolate and ice cream). In addition, younger people preferred more snack-related comfort foods compared to those over 55 years of age.” The study also revealed strong connections between consumption of comfort foods and feelings of^] An article, “The Myth of Comfort Food” asserted that men tend to choose these types of savory comfort foods because they remind them of being “pampered” or spoiled, while women choose snack-related foods because they are associated with low amounts of work and less “cleanup.” It also suggested that women are more likely to reach for unhealthier foods in times of stress due to more weight-conscious mindsets.