Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Comfort Foods



On a trip to town this morning, I had time to wander around and casually look at the magazines on the racks. To me, magazines are indicative of what we are thinking – collectively – as a nation.

Better Homes & Gardens has no less that three special publications with the title “Comfort Foods” and even more that highlight “comfort foods”, slow cooking & casseroles. But the main theme is “comfort foods”. Same thing for Southern Living, Taste of Home and even those little Bisquick cookbooks on the racks b the checkouts.

Most of us know what comfort foods are. They are the foods we cuddle up with in a nice soft chair, wrapped in our blankies, preferably in from of the fire when we are fending off….yes, that’s the key – fending off. Fending off the flu, fending off exhaustion, fending off being stood up, fending off a spouse producing a pink slip. Comfort foods are the foods we enjoy because our lives have for some reason become miserable, we are sure no one really loves us, so we turn to the “friend” who is there day and night – the fridge.

According to the North American Center for the Study of Obesity, 65% of Americans are overweight or obese, 26% are actually clinically obese. Should current trends continue, 75% of adults in the United States are projected to be overweight and 41% obese by 2015. Approximately nine million children over six years of age are considered obese. And if that’s not bad enough, today I received an email from Royal Canin, stating that even our dogs are over-weight. 20% to 40% of dogs in the general population are obese, and nearly 50% of dogs between 5 and 10 years of age are either overweight or obese.

We are scared, alienated, and uncertain of our futures, of the future of our children, our society, our nation, our world. We desperately seek comfort, and many of us find that comfort in the familiarity of the foods we ate as children. Macaroni and cheese, chicken soup, Hershey’s bars – well, you get the picture.

What if we sought comfort from other sources? From our families? Our friends? Our God? How much stronger would we be as individuals, as families, as communities and as a nation if we sough solace and comfort from one another? Would the percentage of obesity drop? Would people start to learn to get along and look out for each other, instead of relying on the government to care for us? Would families become stronger, communities more safer and pleasant places to live?

Here's my plan...How 'bout we try to love each other, or at least be nice! We can build our pantries at the same time we are re-building our relationships with each other. Because face it, folks, we need the pantry to live, but we need each other, too. You know the phrase, "No man is an island." If you're here on this site, you likely have family of some kind that is important to you. Let them know that today.
Give them a hug. Tell them you love them.

It’s something to think about tonight over our macaroni and cheese, isn’t it?

More on Keeping A Pantry - Survival Mom

In the last post, I talked to you a little about keeping a pantry. Now, y'all know that we live in a very rural area...back in the holler, as we say. But not every one concerned with being prepared lives in the country. In the video below, I'd like to intriduce you to a wonderful suburban mom, Lisa, owner of a blog called "The Survival Mom" (http://thesurvivalmom.com). I think you'll enjoy Lisa's perspective and down-to-earth manner.