Food is Comfort
Comfort food at its finest.
Many things bring families together, including good times and bad. Last week we had a share of both in our family. One of my aunts passed away last weekend so, sadly, we began our planned holiday gathering with a funeral on Wednesday. Family descended on the funeral home to share our sorrow at the untimely loss of one of our large clan. After the funeral, we followed tradition and celebrated my aunt’s life at a luncheon in an Italian restaurant in the Bronx. The restaurant arranged large tables and seating in a private room that could accommodate all of us, and brought out an amazing procession of satisfying, comforting food.
We started with a light and crisp flatbread pizza, followed by the most delicate fried calamari and eggplant rollatinis. Naturally there was a pasta course with a choice of marinara and cream vodka sauces. 
A perfectly dressed salad was delivered to the tables with the chicken and sausage dish, and the tender veal milanese. It was difficult to stand up after all of that delicious food, but we managed it anyway, in order to circulate around the room and share memories of my aunt.
Although we thought we couldn’t take another bite, the dessert was irresistible. Puff pastry was filled with melted nutella and topped with whipped cream. Why didn’t I ever think of this?
While we enjoyed the wonderful feast that was brought out to feed our bodies, we never lost sight of the reason for our gathering. It was a bittersweet way to find comfort for our hearts during a tough time.
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I’m sorry for your loss. The Chinese have a tradition of gathering on the aniversary of a loved one’s death and eating the favorite foods of the one who died. They share memories that are probably bittersweet. I think it is amazing how food can bring comfort to the soul by causing us to remember.
I never heard of that tradition but I like it. My aunt usually made my grandmother’s cheesecake recipe on Thanksgiving, so I missed it. I may just have to find time to make it at Christmas.