Day 170: These are a Few of my Favorite Things

Mashed potatoes are my most favorite food to eat in the culinary world. I realize they aren’t exactly haute cuisine, but I love them and the comfort I find in their creamy goodness. Lilac reminds me of my Mother and its scent brings me close to her. Christmas is my favorite holiday, no offense to Kwanza or Chanukah, I’m not a Christian so I only celebrate it as a secular holiday. All of these favorites also bring me comfort and a certain sense of security. Why are our favorites, favorites and why do things we love tend to transcend beyond simple preferences and to bring us comfort?

Comfort evokes different things for people. I did not have an exceptionally happy childhood past the age of 10 or so, but all three of my favorites do originate from home and my Mother. For instance, in our house Christmas meant every room was decorated, a dozen different types of cookies, candies and breads were baked and aromas of pine, cinnamon, and berry were evidenced throughout the house. I remember being very happy as a young girl and these things epitomized my life at that time. So the comfort comes from primarily my Mother and that insulated feeling of safety parents give their children. Not too much later all that would be blown apart, but there was a nice time there for a while when life seemed pretty good and our little house, hearty fare and the lilac bush outside my Mother’s window was all I needed to feel happy.

As we grow and change it is natural that our favorites also evolve. What makes us happy and comforted may not be associated with a childhood memory, but perhaps a memory of our travels or a special event. There are some tastes that when I close my eyes I am back in the city or sitting in a piazza in Madrid. These are great memories, but for me the ultimate's are still those happy years with my Mother and that little house where I grew up. Comfort and favorite things go hand in hand often because they originate from the same thing. Mom was home to me, wherever I go as an adult she is firmly rooted within me and my favorite things are enmeshed with the memory of her.

I guess my point, is that my favorite things bring me comfort because they relate to the person in my life that was the most comforting. Not everyone has a great childhood or supportive parents, but hopefully there is that safe, warm place for all of us and somewhere inside of that there is likely to be a favorite. So while my mashed potato fetish clashes a bit with my cosmopolitan palate, it’s more about my state of mind when I ate them as a young child. Lilac bushes, farm-worthy dinners and festive holiday celebrations still influence me to this day. The world is a big place and I have traveled all across it, but to this day, give me a merry Christmas or a big bowl of buttery mashed potatoes and the world doesn’t need to be any bigger than my immediate happy state can grasp.