What makes us feel like we belong in a place — like it is home to us — is often the familiarity that thing brings. Familiarity breeds comfort and coziness. So whether it’s a song you used to sing with your elementary school best friend or a movie that helped you through your awkward middle school days, the memories we associate with certain things evoke the comfort we need to feel less alone as we go through each day. Likewise, food is often something we correlate with our culture and childhood, which is why the concept of “comfort food” is universal.
To me, comfort food takes on many different forms. It’s the strawberry-banana smoothie my mom used to bring me after school when I was in third grade and her warm apple pie recipe that no one else could replicate perfectly. It’s the sweet Nutella crêpes she makes for breakfast that my little brother, Shaan, messily devours. It’s the fish sandwich she makes because she knows it’s my favorite dinner and the moist chocolate chip banana bread she sends me while I’m away at college, missing her and her cooking.
Comfort food is the gulab jamun my grandmother, sister, mom, and I make every year for Diwali. Hand-rolling the lumps of dough into little balls before getting them approved by my grandma to move them to the frying stage. It’s the turmeric and honey mixture my grandma makes to heal my throat whenever I’m sick.
See, I reject the singular notion that comes when people ask you what your comfort food is. Comfort foods (plural!) are about far more than what you crave. They are about the people and memories you miss, the moments you’ll always cherish and long to have again. They have made the hard moments a little easier to handle, and they are a product of cultures, cities, and too many cooks in the kitchen. There is not necessarily one I prefer over all the rest—just moments where I miss bites of some more than others. This is all to say that when I’m craving a certain food from home, it’s because I’m thinking of more than just the calories. I’m craving time with my family and friends, missing moments from my hometown, and reminiscing on childhood with fewer worries. I think it’s beautiful that food can bring such feelings.