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Comfort Food

Today, my dear readers, I felt it necessary to write to you about comfort food. Outside, it's cold, it's wet, it's windy. (It's Aberdeen, I hear you say!) It was, for sure, one of 'those days.' And, as I can guarantee you've all had one of 'those days', you would fully understand that, on coming out of a two-hour seminar on the reasons for American entry in the Spanish-American War, I was on a search for cake, and would not settle until I found some. So, as my friend (who was also having one of 'those days') and I were polishing off our much sought-after cakes and tea, that we found ourselves discussing the topic of comfort food. (It was, at this point, that my friend produced the latest Sainsbury's magazine, much to my delight!)

Comfort food is quite possibly one of the nation's favourite types of food, and probably for this reason: it is entirely individualistic. It comes in whatever shape, form, taste and colour you want it to be. So naturally, it is incredibly easy to come by. With the aim of bringing us back to a state of positivity and general well-being, the times when we are in desperate need of comfort food are times when calorie-counters can take a break and diets can go out the door, window or through any other exit you find necessary. Your comfort food of choice can be specific to you for a number of reasons. Perhaps it's nostalgia: your favourite might bring back happy memories from childhood. Or perhaps it's homesickness: you're far from home and you're craving something that'll make it seem a little bit nearer. Or perhaps it's just pure convenience: after a tough day at work all you want to do it curl up with a microwave mac'n'cheese.  A quick look on the internet shows that the nation is generally united in their opinions about comfort food. People turn to warm, hearty dishes such as  lasagne or cottage pie. For those with a sweeter tooth, it's chocolate, ice-cream or cake. And not namby-pamby pretty cakes with cute icing. It's proper cake. The kind you can eat it with your fingers, not a cake-fork. The kind that leaves you feeling morbidly obese after eating. That's proper comfort cake.

So what's your comfort food of choice? For me, it would have to be a banana sandwich (on brown bread) or a Starbucks Caramel Machhiato. Or proper cake. Certainly the banana sandwiches hit the nostalgia mark, but Caramel Macs are incredibly comforting: they're sweet and warm. Absolute comfort.