When you're sad, lonely or it's just too late at night, do you ever crave a really strange food? Something that isn't even that good, but you can't feel at peace until you've eaten it? For me, that food is SpaghettiOs.
I've tried to quit the habit, but I just can't help it. I can cook pasta you'd pay $30 for at a restaurant, but that won't satisfy me when a craving hits. Until recently, I never understood why.
SpaghettiOs are my go-to comfort food. My friends think it's a little odd, but it makes sense once you know how I grew up. My mom made them for me as a small child with cut up hot dogs or saltines just as her mom made for her. It's a family tradition. Something about those tiny rings of soft pasta in that slightly sweet, soupy tomato sauce that fills me with a sense of peace.
Now, I'm not saying this habit is healthy in a traditional sense, but I've stopped trying to fight it. Unless it causes someone some major health issues, comfort foods that actually comfort you are good to indulge in, so long as it's in moderation. My mom unknowingly gave me a gift that I just recently began to understand. My mom may not always be available to me, but I can go to a convenience or grocery store pretty much anywhere in the country and buy something that will give me just a little bit of motherly comfort.
My first semester of college, I was in a really bad place with my health and was really homesick. I would work long hours and get done at midnight or 1 a.m. The cafeteria would be closed, so I would walk from the bus stop to SuperAmerica and pick up a can of SpaghettiOs. I would be up into the wee hours of the morning doing homework, and would often want nothing more than to talk to my mom and have her fix everything. Instead, I got a bowl of something that comforted me enough to wrap it up and go to bed.
Now, I'm doing a lot better, but I still get that feeling when I'm stressed or I stay up too late. I make sure to keep a steady supply of Whole Foods brand pasta rings in my cupboard. I'm pretty certain I buy half of their supply. But that's OK. A few extra carbs here and there is worth the stress those sweet O's alleviate. It's interesting to think that people, especially children, can develop a lifelong emotional attachment to something as a cheap can of food.
My advice is to find what reminds you of something or someone comforting, whether it's food that reminds you of your mother or a song that reminds you of your favorite city. It's the sentimental value and nostalgia that matters.
