Food

It’s funny….

I thought the foods that I would miss the most would be the restaurant type of food (e.g. Wendy’s, Burger King, Pizza Hut,  Applebee’s, Ingredients, etc).  because I’m not much of a cooker.  I do miss those places from time to time but for the most part I forget they even exist until I see something on the Internet or someone mentions it.

The food that I miss the most are actually home cooked meals.  Stuffed pasta, spaghetti pies, carmelized pork, pasta salad, homemade mac-and-cheese, and grilling.

Today, I was thinking about why I miss certain food because after all shouldn’t eating be about getting necessary nutrients and being full?  I realized it’s because they’re comfort food.  I associate these home cooked meals with spending quality time with family and friends.

I miss grilling.

Grilling is something I grew up with as a Midwestern girl.

The first nice day in the spring is when everyone starts rolling out their grills.  Everyone starts spending time outdoors and catching up with friends after a winter spent indoors.  People enjoy the beautiful weather, sunset, and green grass.  It’s like watching the world come to life again after the winter.  Rabbits, birds, and deers are out and about.

There’s still something about grilling outdoors even when it gets too hot to be outside during the summer.  Hitting up the swimming pool and then heading to someone’s house to grill as the sun goes down is the ideal summer day.  We walk around in flip-flops or no shoes and enjoy the cool evening breeze as we eat our meals.

The food that I miss the most are the food that are usually served during holidays or at gatherings.  This connection made me realize that maybe it’s not the food so much that I miss itself (although I do miss certain food and will certainly indulge myself whenever I get access to certain meals), it’s the warm feelings that one gets when they spend time with friends and families.  Feelings aren’t tangible, food is….so it’s easy to mistaken food for something it’s not.