When I head back to Omaha, there are always two things that I have to eat, every visit. I just can’t get them anywhere else. You non-Omahans will think they’re gross but the first one is an original Runza and the second one is fish & chips from the Dundee Dell.
My oldest leaves for college tomorrow morning and his last meals before leaving town are going to be at Zaxby’s and the Waffle House. He won’t be able to get either of these on the left side of the country. He has spent so much time with friends at both of these (way too much time), it’s not his fault he has a working momma and eats out a lot.
I realized this weekend that these are his comfort foods. He will never be able to come home and not want to go to both Zaxby’s and Waffle House.
There’s a lot of psychology around ‘comfort food,’ of course I looked it up. But it all comes down to comfort foods triggering a sense of security and associations with good times. And I’ll add, I just really like certain foods a lot. Yum.
So, as much as my kids can appreciate that I may drag them to my favorite spots when we are visiting my home town. They don’t love a dough filled cabbage and beef sandwich or chips drowned in malt vinegar the way I do.
And that’s okay, I have one son who will always want it covered and smothered.
This also explains why I’m always looking to try the foods that a city is known for when I’m traveling. I really try to stay away from the chains. I guess I’m always looking for those comfort foods that make an area special. What’s your comfort food and city, I’ll add it to my list.
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