Comfort Food

Something about eating things that I recognize appeals to me. I like the familiarity of hamburger, chicken, pork, corn, potatoes, those kinds of basics. Unlike me...my son, Chris, has become quite the "foodie" and likes to try new flavors, some of them somewhat normal, some of them totally weird. He likes to watch the food network and look for new and adventurous things nearby, and then make an effort to go try them! Or add them to his list to try when he travels to a new place.

I'm not sure if this comes from his church mission in England, where they did eat some weird things, or the influence of Nathalie's parents who eat a macrobiotic diet, or if it's just a personality trait that came out late in life -- but hey, hats off to his adventurous spirit! (But, remember me, Chris? I'm the mom who tried to get you to eat really strange and exotic things  like...cauliflower! or coconut! or even [gasp!] liver and onions!)

Chris & Nath talked us into trying an Ethiopian restaurant in Nashville, where they'd eaten before. It really wasn't "bad..." it was just different. Dinner was served family style on a big tray, with three tiny stacks of meat, surrounded by lots of piles of veggies, grains, lentils, etc. -- and no utensils. You pick up your food with this cold, clammy, pancakey kind of tortilla thing that you tear off and use as a pincher, and eat along with what you're picking up. The food was honestly okay for the most part. And it was probably very healthy, no yummy carbs, lots of veggies.

It was just that one little bowl of ground meat (we don't know what meat) that got me. Such a weird flavor that I didn't want to ask questions, I just washed it down quickly with my drink and ate some more cabbage. You know, I recognize cabbage. I like cabbage. Cabbage is my friend...even when it's yellow.