Eight Dimensions of Me

To paraphrase the perennial classic, these are a few, well, eight, of my favourite things. Not eight discreet items, I’ve lived too long to have only eight favourite things. I do have favourite categories of things though, and after some thought, I came up with my top eight. In no particular order, here they are.

British TV:  I’ve always enjoyed British TV, from comedy (Monty Python, The IT Crowd, Blackadder), to game shows (Pointless, 15 to 1), to panel shows (Mock the Week), to drama (Shetland, The Bodyguard). Given the choice, I’ll stream something British on Netflix rather than watch my local cable TV.

Sweaters I’ve knitted:  I learned to knit as a child but paused for many years for other interests, like piano lessons and boys. I took up knitting again when I got married. I attempted to knit a pullover for Mr. S. but I ran out of wool halfway through knitting the second sleeve – I know! I took up knitting again when I had babies and haven’t stopped since.

Son1 in a cardigan knitted with the wool from failed pullover.

Desserts:  I always eat dessert after supper, a habit established in infancy – or at least as far back as my memory will stretch. Baking is my favourite way to unwind and I love trying new recipes. If you subscribe to my newsletter (www.luannastewart.com/newsletter) you’ll hear about my baking.

Bread:  A theme seems to be emerging – I like food. But I love bread, any flavour, any variety, from a chewy country loaf to a tender, buttery croissant. I could happily eat bread all day long.

Italian cuisine:  By far my favourite. Though I do enjoy the spices in Indian food – cumin, coriander, garam masala – and I enjoy a good stir-fry (check out recipetineats.com for delicious versions and other scrumptious recipes), my true comfort food is pasta topped with a sauce of garlic, tomatoes, and fresh herbs.

Music:  As a kid, we always had music playing on the radio or on the record player. Mum listened to Englebert Humperdink, Dad listened to Chet Atkins, my brother blasted us with BTO (Bachman Turner Overdrive), and I enjoyed Bobby Sherman and the Bay City Rollers. I mentioned piano lessons in an earlier category. I studied classical piano for much of my childhood early teen years and managed to pass grade eight of the Royal Conservatory of Music. So there I’d be in the living room practising The Horseman, Op. 68, No. 23 by Schumann, and my brother would be in the downstairs rec room serenading the entire house with Foreigner.

Travel:  I love travelling – except for the long uncomfortable plane rides – and would gladly spend half the year exploring foreign lands. We recently returned from a few weeks of travel in Europe culminating in a stay at a friend’s house in Cyprus. I had no idea what to expect from Cyprus and I discovered a fascinating country that requires further exploration.

One of the many spectacular views to be found around every bend in the road.

I also enjoy reading travelogues, or fiction that incorporates travel in the story. One of my favourite authors, Elizabeth Peters, takes us through Egypt and elsewhere in the Middle East in her Amelia Peabody series, which I re-read regularly.

Cats:  I’ve had at least one pet cat at a time since childhood. There have been a few breaks in feline dominance but never more than a year. Then the need for a furry friend becomes too strong to ignore and we hie off to the animal shelter to be chosen by our next overlord. We currently share the house with two cats – Bruno and Mogget.

Comfort Eating? Are you guilty?

by Diana McCollum

What is comfort food? Is it food we love and eat any old time, because we love it, or is it food we eat when we are worried, stressed or feeling sorry for ourselves?

com·fort food

bread pudding

noun

1. food that provides consolation or a feeling of well-being, typically any with a high sugar or other carbohydrate content and associated with childhood or home cooking.
2. 
   

Comfort eating:

 ​eating because you are ​feeling ​worried or ​upset and not because you are ​hungry

I could eat chocolate or cheese cake or pizza anytime it’s put in front of me. But when I’m upset or worried, give me homemade mashed potatoes smothered in butter. Give me bakery made sweet rolls or bread. I'll eat a couple pieces of toast with jam and a cup of tea. Those are foods I normally try to avoid. But when I’m upset, I need my comfort food!

My friend Kathy Coatney wrote a great blog post on stress eating. Check it out.

If you've ever wondered where the term comfort food comes from: 

It appeared in an article in The Atlantic in April 2015 in the 1977 Washington Post magazine article on Southern cooking.

"When the Oxford English Dictionary added a definition for “comfort food” in 1997, it traced the term’s etymology back to a 1977 Washington Post magazine article about Southern cooking: “Along with grits, one of the comfort foods of the South is black-eyed peas.”

So are you a stress eater or comfort food eater? What foods comfort you the most?