# Comfort Foods **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 1, 2025, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comfort-foods/1019087 "2025-06-01T22:29:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2025, 6:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comfort-foods/1019087/61 "2025-06-02T06:40:07Z")
> [@Spoons](#): > > Poutine. Somehow or other this abomination of good old fries and gravy escaped Quebec, and now has infected Canada and parts of the United States to the point where it is ubiquitous. Many regard it as a comfort food, but I don’t. It is uncommon enough in my experience that i wouldn’t consider it “comfort food”, but i agree that it’s a mistake to add gravy to fries. Definitely less than the sum of its parts. Fries should be crispy, not soggy. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2025, 11:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comfort-foods/1019087/62 "2025-06-02T11:41:30Z")
I used to bake a lot when my daughter was little—pound cake, shortbread, and cookies with either chocolate or butterscotch chips around Christmas; fruit pies and cobblers in the summer. Not so much nowadays, however. I count fruit cobblers (peach, cherry, apple, berry) and bread pudding fresh out of the oven as comfort foods, but the ratio of custard to bread in the pudding has to be at least 2 : 1. ---
**Author:** ![SCAdian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scadian/32/3292_2.png) [@SCAdian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCAdian)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2025, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comfort-foods/1019087/63 "2025-06-02T12:51:47Z")
I love most people’s home-made mac & cheese, but don’t like Kraft (or any other brand) boxed version. If it involves ketchup, I don’t want it. > [@puzzlegal](#): > > i agree that it’s a mistake to add gravy to fries. I normally don’t put gravy on anything. > [@kitap](#): > > Rice krispie treats are tasteless sadness. You’re giving them a compliment they don’t deserve. My favourite comfort foods are vanilla ice cream and home-made mashed potatoes. ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/958977/32.png) [@salinqmind1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind1)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2025, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comfort-foods/1019087/64 "2025-06-02T13:18:25Z")
What I don’t like: pancakes and waffles. We had them once a week for dinner when I was young. My brothers were ecstatic. I haven’t touched either in 50 years. Big wad of carbs sitting in my stomach like lead!..I hate 98% of canned soup, especially tomato…I don’t like burgerfries, if we went out to eat I would get appetizers or salad…what my comfort foods are, are spaghetti and meatballs. Or mashed potatoes (Bob Evans in the grocery store cooler are great! ). with a side of any buttered vegetables. ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2025, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comfort-foods/1019087/65 "2025-06-02T13:38:08Z")
> [@Patx2](#): > > Are there any comfort foods that just don’t do it for you? I’d have to say one of mine is mac and cheese. I like it, but I just don’t get the love for it. My homemade version is always a hit with others. It doesn’t matter if it’s mine, someone else’s, store bought, or from a restaurant I’m very neutral about it. I’m with the OP on mac & cheese. I make a copycat recipe of a M&C that’s served in a local restaurant that was featured on the show “[Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives](https://www.foodnetwork.com/shows/diners-drive-ins-and-dives)”. Everybody loves it; it’s always a big hit when we have friends and family over for a BBQ. I can take it or leave it. I usually don’t have any of it, other than a bite to taste. I let everybody else have it. There’s very seldom any left over. ---
**Author:** ![Patx2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/73ab20/32.png) [@Patx2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patx2)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2025, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comfort-foods/1019087/66 "2025-06-02T13:54:04Z")
I love Cottage Pie, I don’t make it nearly enough. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2025, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comfort-foods/1019087/67 "2025-06-02T13:54:54Z")
> [@needscoffee](#): > > Very different! I can’t even envision how the flavors come together. This will be my project for tomorrow evening. Thanks! Lemme know what you think! It might just be that I’m a weirdo, but I really like it. ---
**Author:** ![Patx2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/73ab20/32.png) [@Patx2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patx2)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2025, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comfort-foods/1019087/68 "2025-06-02T13:56:09Z")
There’s been some love and hate here for the tuna melt. I posted above that I don’t care for them. However, my mother-in-law makes the best tuna salad I’ve ever had. I don’t know what her secret is, and she says she doesn’t have one, but it is delicious. ---
**Author:** ![Hypno-Toad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b2d939/32.png) [@Hypno-Toad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypno-Toad)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2025, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comfort-foods/1019087/69 "2025-06-02T14:24:42Z")
I hate okra. So gumbo, fried okra, is right out. but it’s a comfort food for my family. Same with beans. I hate beans and so a lot of the side dishes at family events never touch my plate. But I have to deal with my aunts: “Hey, Hypno, you don’t have to eat only the ham, potatoes, meatloaf and turkey. there’s still some lima beans, pinto beans, 3-bean salad, beans in bean sauce, beans-beans-beans-spam and beans…” And ditto for “greens.” Apparently there is some kind of minimum required number of Greens dishes per meal. About 12 or so. I honestly think that they are mixing chopped spinach with lawn trimmings and a ham hock and calling it, “Greens.” ---
**Author:** ![Kron](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kron/32/12444_2.png) [@Kron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kron)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2025, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comfort-foods/1019087/70 "2025-06-02T14:35:50Z")
Mark me down as another that doesn’t understand why people willingly consume meatloaf. My genuine comfort foods are biscuits and gravy, and bread pudding. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2025, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comfort-foods/1019087/71 "2025-06-02T15:45:35Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > > [@Patx2](#): > > > > What comfort foods do you enjoy and which don’t you get the fuss about? > > > [@ThelmaLou](#): > > > > This was the OP’s question. > > Yes, but he also asked what comfort foods you DO like. > > > [@Ellecram](#): > > > > Totally missed that one. > > You are fine. Yes, but it wasn’t clear whether this list was what @Ellecram LIKED or DIDN’T LIKE. @DrDeth, that was **my** question, in case you didn’t read closely. Carry on. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2025, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comfort-foods/1019087/72 "2025-06-02T15:49:04Z")
> [@SCAdian](#): > > If it involves ketchup, I don’t want it. Same here. But with more emphasis. I think that was the problem with my mother’s meatloaf, it had a layer of ketchup on the top. I ate around it. I’m not sure I’ve ever had meatloaf aside from hers. ---
**Author:** ![SDWC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a698b9/32.png) [@SDWC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SDWC)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2025, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comfort-foods/1019087/73 "2025-06-02T15:54:42Z")
Good kettle corn is outstanding. Plus, a rare treat that’s awesome is dipping graham crackers into Nutella. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2025, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comfort-foods/1019087/74 "2025-06-02T15:59:26Z")
Hmmm… something like this? (_AI-generated_) [![](https://i.imgur.com/kiLba0K.png) ](https://i.imgur.com/kiLba0K.png) ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2025, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comfort-foods/1019087/75 "2025-06-02T16:02:47Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > Hmmm… something like this? Yep. These days I won’t even try to find the edible portion of something that has touched ketchup. Life’s too short. ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2025, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comfort-foods/1019087/76 "2025-06-02T16:34:42Z")
> [@Patx2](#): > > Are there any comfort foods that just don’t do it for you? I’d have to say one of mine is mac and cheese. I like it, but I just don’t get the love for it. My homemade version is always a hit with others. It doesn’t matter if it’s mine, someone else’s, store bought, or from a restaurant I’m very neutral about it. As soon as I read your first sentence, mac and cheese popped into my head. I can eat it, but I’m very meh on it. If it’s offered as a side where I have a choice, I never choose it. Just not my jam. A nice plate of spaghetti bolognese? I could eat that five nights a week. Feeds my soul. > [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > I had a transcendent egg salad sandwich once. I’ve been trying to replicate it for years (not very often but a few times a year) and I can’t do it. Bums me out. My transcendent egg salad sandwich was at Lindberg’s Nutrition’s lunch counter. They used celery seed in their mix, and this is what raised it to ambrosia for me. ---
**Author:** ![sciurophobic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cab0a1/32.png) [@sciurophobic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sciurophobic)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2025, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comfort-foods/1019087/77 "2025-06-02T16:53:49Z")
Not a fan of beef stew. Or pot roast. Or brisket. Big pieces of beef with potatoes and carrots in a brown sauce just doesn’t do it for me. If you fed me an English Sunday I’d eat the Yorkshire pudding and leave the rest. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2025, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comfort-foods/1019087/78 "2025-06-02T19:37:52Z")
Add me to the “Anti-Mac Coterie”. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2025, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comfort-foods/1019087/79 "2025-06-02T20:11:32Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > I usually dislike meatloaf, because it usually has peppers in it, and i loathe peppers. My dad’s recipe- which of course i dont have all the details on- had chopped onions, and 2 parts chopped beef to pork sausage- also cracker crumbs, Plus seasoning, which I dont know, and iirc topped with A1 sauce (never nasty catsup). No peppers. They are adding pepper now? ecch. > [@Spoons](#): > > Poutine. Somehow or other this abomination of good old fries and gravy escaped Quebec, and now has infected Canada and parts of the United States to the point where it is ubiquitous. Many regard it as a comfort food, but I don’t. In the Canada pavilion of Epcot, I had gourmet poutine, with fantastic gravy- and it was _great._ Regular poutine? meh. Give me chili fries instead. > [@SCAdian](#): > > If it involves ketchup, I don’t want it. Yep. I dont like thick steak fries aka chips and sometimes i will mix malt vinegar with a little ketchup, but even so it is just a stop gap. > [@SCAdian](#): > > My favourite comfort foods are vanilla ice cream and home-made mashed potatoes. Good choices. > [@Hypno-Toad](#): > > “Hey, Hypno, you don’t have to eat only the ham, potatoes, meatloaf and turkey. there’s still some lima beans, pinto beans, 3-bean salad, beans in bean sauce, beans-beans-beans-spam and beans…” Made me chuckle. > [@ThelmaLou](#): > > that was **my** question, in case you didn’t read closely. I did, which is why I quoted you. I agree the Op wasnt entirely clear. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2025, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comfort-foods/1019087/80 "2025-06-02T21:25:24Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > In the Canada pavilion of Epcot, I had gourmet poutine, with fantastic gravy- and it was _great._ Regular poutine? meh. Give me chili fries instead I didn’t want to put chili, or cheese, it really, anything but salt on my fries. I might do them in sometime immediately before eating them, but it’s dip, bite. So the fries don’t have time to get soggy. The comfort food that doesn’t do it for me is mashed potatoes. I’m willing to eat them. But omygawd they are boring, and just a mass of carbs. If they are the better sort, they have a lot of butter, too. But that butter can be better deployed on bread or vegetables or .. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comfort-foods/1019087.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comfort-foods/1019087.md?page=5)