A Lot On My Plate
My views of comfort food and the solace it brings amidst the falling meteors in my life.
Story & Pictures by: Elisa Lioe
Personally, having time and space for myself is essential for me to disconnect and reflect. But with advancements of technology making us more interconnected than before, the opportunities to run away from interactions with people, to recharge and reconnect with ourselves seem to close at every door.
A classic example would be the recent outbreak of COVID-19, which forced everyone to work remotely. No office, no school, no physical interactions allowed - literally, isolation. Space innit? Yet, with the advancements and increased usage of video-calling interfaces such as Zoom, hourly video calls are no anomaly in one’s schedule. And thus, the underlying irony of increased connection through disconnection.
Comfort food holds different meanings to every individual. Perhaps, it is a form of a guilty pleasure, a trip down memory lane, or maybe a source of childhood nostalgia. For me, my source of comfort food is more than just cravings. These foods also serve as a form of companionship and delayed gratification to me.
It is a reward and pat on the back for myself when I have harder days, to tell myself - “Hey, you did well today, you deserve this.” It's simple, it's temporary, but it leaves a substantial effect on me.
Now, one might question the irony of labelling cravings as a form of delayed gratification. While cravings are usually consumed immediately as instant gratification, my comfort food intake motivates me to build my discipline and self-control when it comes to the food I want to eat and the amount of money I want to splurge on those meals or snacks.
It creates a healthy boundary for me in many aspects, while keeping the satisfaction derived from these foods balanced.
Call me kiasu (having a grasping or selfish attitude arising from a fear of missing out on something), but my healing routine starts from storing my comfort foods at home. Doing this provides me with the assurance at the back of my mind, that my comfort food is available to me at any time of the day. As such, on nights that I am drained and in dire need of my own time and space, I’d stream a movie at 2 am when the night is quiet and feed my source of solace.
“You’re eating at 2 am?!” - are my friends’ most common reaction upon learning my recharge lifestyle. Fattening? Indigestion? Thoughts like these are valid, but are not a large concern on my end. After all, my go-to’s for comfort food lean towards the healthier spectrum of foods. The foods I turn to are unsweetened Hōjicha tea and coffee, store-bought Boost juice, sushi, matcha ice cream, milk, or anything with chilli in it. Besides the latter, these foods that bring me joy and ease are relatively light and do not pose as a detriment to health.
Nonetheless, regardless of whether one’s comfort foods are of a healthier choice or not, I would strongly encourage anyone to go ahead and consume whatever they desire, at any time of the day. If it brings joy and consolation to feed oneself. More than just the stomach, one’s comfort food feeds the mind. It is perfectly fine to eat what one enjoys and even more importantly, that we do not deprive themselves of the happiness it brings to our souls. Sure, some foods may do more harm to one’s health, but there are many other alternatives to counter the cons, such as regular, well-balanced diets, exercise, and setting healthy, reasonable boundaries.
Ultimately, it all boils down to finding the right balance, as well as one’s discipline and ability to identify their wants from needs.
How much is on your plate today?
