Comfort Food

Mona has been sick this week. She slept for two days with a trip to the emergency room for X-Ray and a prescription for antibiotics and an inhaler. A touch of Pneumonia. She hardly ate any food. It was hard to get her to even drink water. On the third day, she perked up a little. She said, "Mommy, can you make me some rice balls and miso soup?" Yes. Yes, I will. She gobbled up 3 rice balls and a bowl of miso soup.

Rice Balls (Onigiri) and miso soup are the ultimate comfort food for us Japanese folks. I don't know why they are so good though. I mean, they are just balls of rice that are salted a little and wrapped in a sheet of seaweed. That is it. It makes me smile that my girls ask for them when they are unwell or had been away from home for a while. Scott and I used to have our "East Meets West" meals every now and then when we craved our comfort foods. Mostly grilled cheese for Scott and rice balls for me. It looks like I won all my girls over in Comfort Food Department. ;)

I had conversations with friends about comfort food. I think it's safe to say comfort food is often something we had as a child, the symbols of our childhood. Something warm and usually starchy and not too healthy ;) but oh so good.

So, about these Onigiri's, the elite Onigiri's are triangle shaped. I don't know why or who decided that, but it just is. My mom always made round ones though, so I grew up with Onigiri envy....until my dear grandma taught me how to make triangle ones. We made them together to bring along on our hike. Even now, when my girls ask for Onigiri's, I make them into triangles. It's funny how such a small event so long ago still stays with me.

What's your comfort food?