Comfort foods: men vs. women?
Caught a tidbit in the NYTimes City Room blog today that I hadn't heard before:
Is There Any Comfort in a $30 TV Dinner?
By Jennifer 8. Lee
...Research out of Cornell University suggests that females tend to prefer snack-related comfort foods (candy and chocolate) while males prefer more meal-related comfort foods (pasta or casseroles). The researchers speculate that the gender differences may relate to upbringing. Men may have been conditioned to prefer hot or labor-intensive meals (conjuring up memories of their mothers taking care of them) while women seek convenient comfort foods (a form of self-indulgence)"
At first I thought, that's not true, I am female and I like "dinner" foods for comfort. Then I realized that it doesn't work as well if I have to make the macaroni or soup myself. But candy and chocolate never cut it for me, because I like cooked or somehow prepared food. So I guess what comforts me is having a bit of fuss made over me, while the convenient foods are just too cold.
Anyway, not sure if there's much of a question there, so how's this: we've talked about what our favorite comfort foods are; I'd like to hear the reasons why they are so comforting.
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24 Comments:
My three comfort foods would be my moms Chicken Fried Steak, my moms Grilled Peanut Butter and Honey Sandwich or my dads omelette that he made with sharp cheddar cheese and strawberry jam. The reasons; childhood memories. Those are the three things my parents would make me when I was feeling down, but they were also the foods that were made when we had a family gathering (the chicken fried steak.) I still make the omelette and the sandwich on a regular basis, but I only make the Chicken Fried Steak when I am really in the mood for a full out comfort meal.
Tasty Morsel at 2:13PM on 06/23/08
I'm female and would much rather eat bbq'd ribs than nibble on a bag of M&Ms.
Carosone at 2:57PM on 06/23/08
Does the fact that my favorite comfort food is a big bowl of noodles or pasta or a casserole make me less of a woman? My husband loves snacks and chocolate, so perhaps he's a bit...womanly?
I think comfort food is just that - whatever you crave again and again when you're feeling sad, lazy, indulgent, hungover and in need of comfort. Please pass the pasta casserole :)
bitchincamero at 2:59PM on 06/23/08
I'm a guy, my comfort food is pasta, every time, preferably #8 spaghetti. Butter, canned plum tomatoes with basil, grated cheese and black pepper. It's like medicine.
simon at 3:08PM on 06/23/08
@ bitchincamero..... same deal here! my girlfriends favorite comfort food is mac & cheese, while mine is reese's peanut butter cups, esp. the little ones in the foil wrapping. if i'll be damned if someone calls me womanly for eating them by the dozen :)
foodbeast at 3:17PM on 06/23/08
One of my favourite comfort foods is bangers and mash, because it never fails to bring back my childhood memories. For whatever reason, when I was little, I would always ask my Mum to make me bangers & mash when it was particularly nasty outside. Now when I'm all grown up, I may still occasionally crave a bowl on a cold winter day.
Another dish that I've recently realised was my comfort food, is "mac & meat". My Mum used to make homemade stocks, and when she made beef stocks with meaty bones, she would remove the meat off the bone once it was cooked, mince it, saute it with onions and garlic and mix with pasta (usually, elbow macaroni or small shells). I rarely make beef stocks, but I had a craving for that dish not so long ago, and made it with homemade sausage (which, I guess, is a somewhat more "upscale" version of my Mum's frugal dish:-)). With the first forkful, it just screamed "comfort" at me. So I will have to agree with Tasty Morsel, comfort food to me equals childhood memories. I suppose, feeling in some way like a little girl again is rather comforting:-).
In general, while I really love chocolates and ice cream, I do not see them as comfort foods at all. I eat them for my enjoyment rather than for comfort.
brooke29 at 3:35PM on 06/23/08
This question comes at an interesting time for me. My cousin who has an almost 2 year old boy was just mentioning to me how she can tell he's a boy because of how much he loves cholent (a Jewish, savory stew of meat, potatoes, barley, etc.) She would elaborate on how cholent was such a heavy, guy thing to eat and that girls don't typically like cholent.
Now, I'm a girl, and I happen to love cholent, probably more than this kid. Sure, it's heavy but so what? And renzala, I'm just like you. I hate snack foods and much prefer a prepared meal to any sort of snack. When I'm hungry in between meals, I always crave burgers or just something more substantial...and yea, cooked.
That article has got me all wrong! Am I not ladylike?!
Hillary
Chew on That
Chew on That at 3:38PM on 06/23/08
Definitely meal foods. I don't think I've ever opted to eat chocolate when feeling down vs. a meal.
chiff0nade at 3:45PM on 06/23/08
Meal foods for me also. Pasta with butter and grated cheese is a favorite when I don't feel so great. I am very much a woman and please don't give chocolate!
izatryt at 3:53PM on 06/23/08
@foodbeast - Hahaha! For my husband, it's twizzlers and frozen mini chocolate bars.
bitchincamero at 4:10PM on 06/23/08
"Food is my comfort food," sez the boyfriend. Bad day=good meal, as far as he's concerned.
As for me...Mom's all-day, simmered-in-the-crockpot navy beans with hamhocks, served with fried potatoes and onions and a generous helping of ketchup over both. Which is weird, because I generally dislike ketchup. The only problem with this comfort meal is that I need to put in my order 24 hours ahead of time, so it's more like food for a bad week, as opposed to a bad day.
No chocolate or skittles cravings for this chick.
rosezilla at 5:03PM on 06/23/08
I think it's upbringing more than gender. My boyfriend's mom is from France so for him it's a gratin dauphinoise or beouf bourginon (apologies for potential butchered spellings) and for me and my Bostonian family it's pasta pomodoro, macaroni & cheese, or a root beer float. Even bread and butter would do the trick.
megannesta at 5:33PM on 06/23/08
Pasta and bread-carbs, all the way.
rosielucchesini at 5:50PM on 06/23/08
Hmmm... well, I don't really have specific items I would label as "comfort" food.
I just like to EAT.
If I'm eating -- I'm comfortable.
How's that? :)
FastFoodCritic at 8:28PM on 06/23/08
For those of you who enjoy reading about these kind of studies, I highly recommend getting 'Mindless Eating' which features this study and many other similar studies. You can check it out on http://www.mindlesseating.org/
It's also a great diet book for people who don't want to change what the eat but consume less. It's not about dieting per se, but the 100 - 200 calorie differences in a day that mean the difference in 15-20 lbs per year. For example, use smaller plates, eat until your not hungry as opposed to being full (dont clean the plate) etc...
Just keep in mind that these studies cover groups of people, so if the majority of women prefer sweets as comfort foods and you do not, there is nothing wrong with you... (and it doesn't make the men any more ladylike... necessarily) j/k
BirdDoggie at 8:29PM on 06/23/08
when i was traveling in spain, the habits of the men and women cracked me up. after work, the bars would fill with men drinking beer and eating tapas, and the cafes would fill with women eating pastries and drinking coffee.
my savory comfort food is a big plate of spaghetti with tons of freshly grated parmesan and melted butter. my sweet comfort food is ice cream.
and i, too, just adore cholent!
cybercita at 8:36PM on 06/23/08
A dry martini is my go-to comfort food, but after that, I guess ramen (instant gratification, and noodles too!). My dad used to make me Campbell's chicken noodle soup with buttered Saltines on the rare occasions when he was responsible for my comfort (usually when I was sick), and I loathe both now, but the memories are great. My mom made potato soup, but I can't find her recipe, and anyway she always put in lots and lots of pepper because she was the only one who liked it that way and then she could have the most. Still, after one bout with strep throat, it was the best thing in the world. So soup seems to be a theme here.
Likeswords at 9:00PM on 06/23/08
When I have a bad day, the only thing I want to do is go home and cook to dissolve all the tension...risotto may be my number-one comfort food (starch + cheese + salt + soft), with macaroni and cheese (more in theory than practice, since I can't handle that much dairy anymore) coming in a close second. I definitely crave heavy, savory foods when I am depressed, though I won't turn down chocolate when it's offered!
producestories at 9:17PM on 06/23/08
Grilled cheese.
smile at 9:22PM on 06/23/08
for me it depends, if its emotional comfort i need i can go either way, if the problem is romantic in nature give me chocolate anything, but if i'm sad over another type of loss or if i'm sick i need savory. flu demands tomato soup and buttered saltines. no substitutes!
huneybumper at 9:25PM on 06/23/08
Mashed potatoes filled with baked beans... Or chicken fingers and homemade fries... mmmmmmm... They get me through cold days and hard days...
pbisNOTmyname at 9:33PM on 06/23/08
When I think of comfort foods, I think of lasagna, warm and chocolatey cookies, grilled cheese with homemade vegetable or tomato soup, a fresh roll with butter and a hunk of sharp cheddar, and blueberry pancakes ... a wide range of everything, I guess!
poke87 at 10:14PM on 06/23/08
I'm female and yes, I fit the stereotype. When under stress, it's dark chocolate all of the way and muffins. Candy, even though I don't eat it normally, and pickable fruit like grapes.
HeartofGlass at 11:12AM on 06/24/08
Mashed potatoes with brown gravy, but I'm mashed potato impaired, so I usually settle for Bailey's and milk unless I'm near a restaurant. And I've lived in the relative country for 7 years and now in Israel, so being near a restaurant is not my strong point. Although last time I was depressed because hubby was out of town sushi and beer were a quite worthy substitute (Bailey's is expensive here!)
When I saw this story, I yelled to my husband in the other room to ask him about comfort foods, and his answer was "chocolate" without hesitation. His Navy nickname was "The Vanilla Gorilla" on account of his body hair quotient, so I don't think there's a question as to his manliness :-)
cowprintrabbit at 3:16PM on 06/24/08