Pick Or Pass On These Comfort Foods To Find Out How Many Kids Are In Your Future
- by Theo Kogod
- – on
- in Lifestyle
Food is the sustenance of life, but good food also sustains the soul. And good comfort food can do both. From favorite home-cooked meals to the dishes we grew up on to those filling desserts that are so much more than just sugar, people love their comfort foods. Many of these foods seem to have a lot in common. Seriously, ever stop to think how many comfort foods consist of lots of starch and fried food (or fried starches)? French fries and potato chips both are included among people’s favorite comfort foods, but so are a lot of breads and meats. We cover as many types of comforts as we can here, to make sure everyone’s favorite foods are included.
Furthermore, what one does in the past determines what one will have in the future. Meals now do not merely affect their health, but also can determine other factors. In this quiz, we are going to try and predict how many children people can expect to have based on their favorite comfort foods. Which comfort foods one picks here, and which ones they pass on, should reveal just how many children to expect in the (near) future. Take the quiz to find out!
Pick or pass on a bowl of crisp potato chips?
This iconic snack food that somehow takes one of the healthiest and heartiest starch-based staples of a balanced diet and turns it into a salt-drenched crisp of empty calories with only slightly more nutritional value than the average candy bar. A delicious treat, people can eat potato chips by the bagful (though all too often, those bags seem overfilled with air, when they ought to be filled to the top for maximum enjoyment). Whether one has the original flavors or goes for some new flavor like barbecue or salt and vinegar, these are a popular comfort food. Does the crunch of potato chips sound appealing right now?
Care for a bite of a burger?
Burgers are a popular dish the world over. Whether served with bacon or mushrooms and cheese or topped with guacamole, there is no shortage of the ways one can enjoy a burger. The burger is even a symbol of international relations, with the first ever McDonalds in Moscow being a sign of the country opening up to the West. Furthermore, the origins of burgers are shrouded in mystery, with some believing the dish comes from the German city of Hamburg, and others citing Mongol cooking as the source. So we gotta ask: want a burger?
Who doesn’t like fried rice?
Frying food basically just takes food and makes it better. This is literally the business model of 90% of fast food restaurants. However, when it comes to fried rice, the results are hard to argue with. There is A LOT one can do with rice, and those who do not grow up with rice as the main grain in their diet can take that for granted. However, one of the easiest ways to add some new flavor is to fry it up with a bit of oil and whatever else is at hand. So, who wouldn’t want fried rice?
In the mood for some fish and chips?
The signature food of the United Kingdom, fish and chips is that perfect mixture of flaky oil meat, a soft hot starch, and a crisp exterior that hits the palate with all the right sensations of taste and texture. Maybe spritz on a bit of lemon or a dollop of tartar sauce, and the dish seems good to go. Then again, everyone’s dietary preferences differ, and depending where someone lives, the local white fish might not be the best choice to turn into this breaded and fried dish. So, in the mood for this comfort food?
What would ya say to a fresh pizza?
Pizza is the kind of dish that perfectly mixes really healthy high class food with all the key elements of junk food. Seriously, on the one hand, we have an elegant flat bread meant to be baked in a brick oven with sea salt in its crust and fresh ingredients based on ancient recipes cherished by the Greeks and Etruscans who lived in what is now modern Italy. On the other hand, it’s a mess of hot cheese and tomato paste melted over bread. Care for a slice?
Would macaroni and cheese be a pleasant meal right now?
Macaroni and cheese is pretty much the laziest and yet most popular of all noodle dishes. Pasta is pretty straightforward, and adding cheese to pasta isn’t exactly a lot of work. That said, try someone else’s preferred way of making mac’n’cheese and just watch as the disappointment (or discovery) comes with every bite. The internet has its share of flame wars and memes over the right and wrong ways to prepare this dish. Would a plate of cheesy macaroni make for a pleasant dining experience?
Pick or pass on a grilled cheese sandwich.
Grilled cheese sandwiches are one of those simple easy delights that can be easy to do and to add just a little bit of nuance to. Frequently the dish is made with a sliver of cheap orange cheese on white bread, but when the dish is given just a little bit more complexity and better ingredients, it REALLY works in whole new ways. Cut into a fresh loaf. Insert slices of aged cheddar. Heat minced garlic in the pan. The dish will never be the same. Who could pass on such a dish?
Is fried chicken a favorite comfort food?
Fried chicken is an important part of pretty much every culture on the planet. KFC has spread to almost every country of the globe. East Asian countries consider the dish such a divinely delicious treat that it's eaten on Christmas (with preorders of fried chicken beginning in October). Even the ancient Romans had dishes for fried chicken and breeds of extra-stuffed roosters to maximize on flavor. Is this a favorite comfort food, or something to pass on?
Are pancakes the right dish to start the day?
Pancakes. Flapjacks. Latkes. Okonomiyaki. There are so many names for this popular dish. Thought of as the ultimate breakfast food by most Western countries (or at least, a common breakfast food), these are filling and easy to make, sponging up syrup in a rich flavorful start to one’s day. There are plenty of pancake variants which make for a better lunch or dinner, but not many which can come close to being quite so iconic in the popular global consciousness. Don’t pancakes start a day off right?
Who doesn’t love waffles?
Waffles are like pancakes, only better. Pancakes 2.0. Or pancakes that have been ridged for our eating pleasure. Their surface allows them to absorb syrup while still having a nice firm texture and structure. The dish actually can be traced back to medieval recipes for communion wafers, which might lead foodie fanatics to even proclaim their flavor is divine. Whatever the case, they are certainly a dee-lish dish! What’s more, they are just as enjoyable as a breakfast meal as a late evening snack. Who doesn’t love waffles?
In the mood for some scrambled eggs?
Eggs carry in their structure the very essence of life—and humans have made a habit of eating all of those nourishing proteins in a variety of dishes. For this dish—scrambled eggs—we are assuming the eggs in question are bird eggs (and probably chicken eggs when we come right down to it, though scrambled duck eggs are also a nice treat). They can be light and airy or crisp and tough. Feeling in the mood for some scrambled eggs?
What would ya say to a big bowl of chili?
This dish is most associated with the state of Texas, but has spread all over because of its popularity. Chili cook-off competitions are a phenomenon all over the place because of the prized recipes that get just the right mix of spices, beans, meat, and temperate to maximize the flavorful impact of this classic Tex-Mex staple. Beans and ground beef tend to be the core of it, but really, chili is all about the spices (and how spicy one likes it). So, what is the takeaway on a big bowl o’ Texas chili?
Who couldn’t go for some tacos?
Tacos are a classic of Tex-Mex and probably the most iconic of all Texan dishes. There is really no limit to what one can do with them. Fresh vegetables and meats are the core filler, of course, with bits of preferred sauced thrown in (be they salsa, guac, sour cream, or others besides). However, this is one of those rare dishes that does just as well with the less prestigious cuts of meat, with tongue and brain making for delicious savory additions. Who wouldn’t want tacos?
Give us an opinion on sushi.
The official dish of Japan, sushi is an international sensation enjoyed everywhere fresh fish can be found! Sushi chefs expertly slice each fish to bring out its natural flavor, lather the grains of rice in vinegar to perfect the texture, and choose the rice they like best from the more than 200 different types of rice that grow in Japan. In the Tokyo fish markets, people bid in the dawn light for fresh-caught tuna with the best cuts of meat. Give us a quick take on this “oishi” dish of fresh fish!
What’s not to like about chocolate bars?
Chocolate bars are a universal delight for anyone who bites into one. From Mars Bars to Snickers and from Godiva to Meiji, there is a chocolate bar for everyone. Sure, dark chocolate might have a bit of a dark past (and present, when one looks at some of the reports about Nestlé). But chocolate was treated as a sacred substance by the peoples who first cultivated it and it has been a way which people bond together over enjoying its delicious savor for centuries now. What’s not to enjoy about chocolate bars.
Feelings on apple pie?
Apple pie is one of those foods so iconic it has become a symbol of culture and good times as much as a meal in and of itself. In the US of A, people treat this dessert as a national symbol alongside baseball and reality TV. But this is just one of those easy-to-make hard-not-to-love dishes that just seems to always be the right thing to serve up. Then again, tastes vary, and not everyone loves baseball or reality TV, so not everyone may love apple pie. Give us an opinion on this dish.
Tell us an opinion about rhubarb pie.
Rhubarb pie is a delicious bittersweet dessert, though far more sweet than bitter. It is immensely popular throughout the United Kingdom, where people have been cooking and eating it for a good four centuries. Supposedly, the dish first entered the diet of European peoples when it was introduced by Marco Polo following his time living abroad in the court of the great Mongol leader Kublai Khan (the same process that brought pasta to Italy). What’s the big opinion for us on rhubarb pie?
Is there ever a wrong time for nachos?
Nachos are pretty much the prestige dish of chips. Topped with anything one wants to put on them (but almost certainly heaped with (un)healthily massive servings of melted cheese), these corn chips are that perfect dish for when one wants a light snack, an appetizer to split with friends, or a meal. They also should be given more praise for turning chips from junkfood into real food. Is there ever a wrong time for diving into a bowl of these delicious cheesy chips?
Who wouldn’t want some curry?
There are so many kinds of curry out there, but most of the ones people think of can be traced back to dietary trends from India and the surrounding regions. Curries can be made as spicy or savory as one likes (or can handle) and can be mixed with all manner of vegetables and meats, being served with rice for a hearty healthy meal. Curry powder makes preparing the dish easy, despite the spices being regionally specific. Who doesn’t like curry?
Tell us: yay or a nay to some hotdogs.
Hotdogs are a food popular at ballparks, barbecues, Koshur delis, and pretty much anywhere else. Some are little more than elongated slabs of mystery meat with a chemical aftertaste. Others, like the pilsir of Iceland, are dishes so flavorful that they are considered points of national pride. There is also a sense of mystery around hotdogs, with such profound questions as “what is REALLY inside them?” and “should I spell hot-dog as one word or two?” coming to mind. So, when it comes to hotdogs, what’s the hot take: yay or nay?
How do ya feel about butter tart?
While opinions vary, depending who one asks, butter tarts are pretty much the official dessert of Eastern Canada. These rich sugary buttery delights can differ depending who cooks them, but overall, the flavor is generally pretty standard. That said, some popular spinoff flavors include pumpkin, maple, and bacon (because everything is better with bacon). National Geographic even wrote about the cultural significance of this food back in 2013. So, answer this questions by telling us some honest feelings on butter tarts.
What’s the final verdict on pumpkin spice?
Depending who one asks, pumpkin spice is either a delightful seasonal flavor or a nefarious and icky form of orangish plague infecting taste buds of people who do not know any better than to imbibe this fad flavor. We still have not decided whether this October drink condiment is better or worse for the fact that pumpkin spice frequently does not have any pumpkin in it at all but is actually made from squash. So, what’s the final verdict?
How does ice cream sound right about now?
There is that old children’s song that I scream, others scream, and we all scream for ice cream. Generally, anyone screaming over a dessert should probably be an indication that the dish is likely something to be avoided. That said, aside from brain freeze, this dish seems to give few people cause to scream, though many might cheer or make other loud sounds of delight at getting a bowl of their favorite flavor. How does a huge serving of ice cream sound about now?
Who doesn’t enjoy French fries?
French fries are a popular potato dish pretty much all over. They go great as a side dish. They make a fine snack on their own. Condiments paired with them vary drastically, from ketchup and mustard to mayonnaise to vinegar. There are interesting variations too, such as the curly fry, the waffle fry, and the ever-coveted tater tot. Thick steak fries are great for absorbing juices while thinner fries tend to be crispier. Who does not find enjoyment in French fries?
What’s better than a bowl of ramen?
Some people think of ramen and the first dish to come to mind is a Cup o’ Noodles—those stale freeze-dried college dorm room noodles. Real ramen is a lovingly made soup with spongy rich noodles served with a hot flavorful broth. Ramen houses are some of the great eateries of Japan, and different ramen dishes are one of the most recognizable aspects of regional cooking through different parts of Japan. What could possibly be better than a hot bowl of ramen?
Care for a serving or two of Nutella?
Nutella is perhaps the greatest of all those condiments which are collectively known as chocolate spreads. Ever since the spread was first created in the early 1960s by the Italian company Ferrero, it has been a major hit—probably because it’s basically peanut butter that replaces all traces of peanuts with sugar, hazelnuts, and chocolate. There is even a major holiday celebrating the gloriousness that is Nutella (seriously, it’s February 5th). So, we gotta know: care for a bit of Nutella?
What could be better than a burrito?
Burritos are the greatest Tex-Mex dish ever conceived of. And they are so much more than just that (though it is no small achievement). They are perhaps the greatest finger food. Seriously, a burrito is a log of flavor wrapped in a tortilla. Proper burritos are thicker than police batons and have the nutritional contents necessary to keep someone going on their feet all day without need of another meal. These are hearty delightful meals. What could possibly be better?
Care for some fresh cornbread?
Cornbread is a delicious crumbly bread whose yellow flaky content is filling and flavorful. It is frequently associated with regional cooking in the Southeast and Southwest of the United States. That association actually betrays the fact the dish is far older. Many of the First Nation peoples cooked bread from corn, among them the Creek, Choctaw, and Cherokee, and it was a dish that was then appropriated by the settlers in the New World. Care for a slice of fresh cornbread?
How do bagels sound for grabbing a bite?
Bagels are pretty much the perfect bread. These boiled rings of dough are savory and soft. There are also no limit to the amount of variations one can put on bagels. Poppy seed bagels, blueberry bagels, egg bagels, chocolate chip bagels, and Asiago bagels are just some of the popular varieties. The best bagels are a personal choice one should decide on between oneself and one’s respective religious figures, but essentially what we’re saying is that bagels rule. So we ask, how do they sound right now?
Give us thoughts on peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.
Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches are pretty much an iconic food for kids growing up. They’re a classic! And sure, peanut allergies have more or less limited their use in many schools nowadays (limiting their widespread consumption and redefining childhood across the globe). But what about this dish works so well? Peanut butter has basically been a hit since George W. Carver invented it. But jelly is a pretty common condiment. Yet the different flavors all come together to just hit the spot for most kids. Thoughts on this sandwich?
Tell us the verdict on onigiri.
Onigiri is basically the Japanese equivalent of a sandwich, only instead of bread, the inner filling is surrounded by a ball of rice. Many have a bit of dried seaweed on the exterior. Some are filled with fresh vegetables or umeboshi (sour plum), while many others have fish or meat or roe inside them. These are affordable and delicious. One can buy them on the go at a convenience store, or else make them from home with rice and whatever they have on hand. Give us a verdict on them.
Care for a hot cup of cocoa?
Drinking hot cocoa is one of the best ways to warm up on a cold winter day. It is also a historically ancient beverage, and was consumed by Mesoamerican people three thousand years ago. The Mayans used to drink hot chocolate, and it was brought to Europe after Spaniards conquered the region. That said, the dish has changed over the centuries. Today, it is much sweeter and the best way to drink it might be topped with marshmallows. Want a cup?
What’s the hot take on lasagna?
Lasagna is a dish mixing sheets of noodles with sauce and cheese, as well as other possible ingredients, layering them atop one another in a loaf-like structure. Like most pasta dishes consumed within the Western diet, it originated in Italy, in this case, specifically in the city-state of Naples. The dish probably emerged in the Late Middle Ages, but has some ancient influences in regional cooking. Also, this might seem trivial, but fans of the fictional cat Garfield will remember it is his favorite dish. What’s the takeaway on this dish?
In the mood for churrasco?
Churrasco is literally seared meat. It is essentially barbecue. Popular in both multiple countries in Latin America and Europe, it is a core staple of Spanish, Portuguese, Brazilian, and Chilean cuisine, among other cultures. In Ecuador, steaks are flavored with chimichurri. In Puerto Rico, it is predominantly made with cuts of skirt steak. In Uruguay and Argentina, it has roots in the gaucho culture of cattle herders who ate it with potatoes and salad. In the mood for this delicious beef barbecue?
Tell us whether a Caesar salad sounds like a kingly dish or a tragedy.
Many dishes in this quiz have historical roots that have been discussed, tracing their origins to ancient Mesoamerica, medieval trade caravans, and feudal Japan. Here, we have a salad named after the great Caesars of old. Except, well, it’s not. Caesar salads are actually a relatively new invention, being created in San Diego in the early 20th Century by a restaurant owner named Caesar Cardini, a dish he served to residents of Hollywood, helping to popularize it. Feelings on this imperial salad?
How does mocha go over?
Perhaps the sweetest rice dish to come out of Japan, mocha is a delight of texture as well as taste. It can be made into ice cream, served at room temperature, or filled with strawberries when one is not in the mood for the usual red bean paste stuffing. But what is really cool about mocha is watching it get made. Seriously, this dish is hammered into a dough by two men wielding a giant mallet as they mix the dough. It’s stunning to watch! How is mochi?
Who doesn’t enjoy miso soup?
Miso soup is salty and warm and has just the right medicinal properties to promote healthy gut activity. The soup is frequently served with scallions, some diced tofu, and a type of extra flavorful seaweed called wakame. Using dashi stock and miso paste, this popular Japanese soup is a great way to start a meal, warming the body and cleansing the palate while still offering a bountiful taste all its own. Who can honestly claim not to like this delicious dish?
Want a casserole?
There are lots of variations on the classic casserole. In Greece, moussaka is a prime example. Across the Mediterranean in North Africa, there is the dis tagine prepared in earthenware crockery. Shepherd’s pie is a type of casserole which originated in either Ireland or the United Kingdom (or both). Generally, the term is used for a massive array of different dishes cooked in pans, and include everything from Macaroni casserole to Kugel to funeral potatoes to Frito pie. So d’you want a casserole?
Would ya say yes or no to gnocchi?
Gnocchi is a delicious pasta from Italy that is probably one of the most universally beloved comfort foods from the country, with each of the different regions having their own take on the dish. The islands of Corsica and Sardinia prepare gnocchi very differently than one can find it in the Tuscan villages or further north in Milan. It has also spread to France, Poland, Croatia, Brazil, Uruguay, and Paraguay, each country giving the dish a twist. So, gnocchi: yes or (g)no?
Is sweet tea a sweet refreshment or tiny disappointment?
Sweet tea is more than just iced tea with sugar. To quote poet Dave Harris in his poem “Sweet Tea” (which he performed in the 2014 CUPSI competition), the first time he tasted real southern sweet tea, “it did not taste like Lipton and sugar. It tasted like God and juvenile diabetes!” Sweet tea is one of those regional dishes that really cannot be emulated, but which is worth trying to make whenever possible. Is it a sweet refreshing beverage, or is it a disappointing drink?
In the mood for cabbage rolls?
Cabbage rolls are a dish popular through many countries, but which are particularly well known in Eastern Europe, Russia, and across the steppes of Central Asia all the way to northern China. Known as sarmale in Romania or töltött káposzta in Hungary, regional tradition claims a single batch can keep one on their feet for three days. Holishkes are frequently eaten on the Jewish holiday of Sukkot to celebrate the harvest. In Russia, they are stuffed with mincemeat while Swedes prefer to use pork. Feeling like some cabbage rolls?
Pick or pass on a plate of spaghetti?
Spaghetti is possibly the most famous and commonly eaten form of noodle anywhere on the planet. It is incredibly simple to make, and equally affordable. It is a dish that is right up there with rice, beans, and Cup Noodles freeze-dried ramen for being a staple of broke college students and early 20-somethings who lack funds for such exorbitant luxuries as a balanced diet. However, there is a sense that spaghetti can be a high-class dish in a way Cup Noodle never will. When it comes to these stringy noodles, pick or pass?
Care for some cheesecake?
Cheesecake is a fairly brilliant concept when one thinks about it. After all, who thought that making a cake which is best eaten cold and which is made up of a cold cheesy body would be something to be baked in an oven? This just goes to show that where there is a desire for sweets, humans will find a way. Then again, millennia before the invention of refrigerated food storage, the peoples of ancient Greece made a form of cheesecake. Care for a slice?
How does takoyaki sound as a snack?
Takoyaki is a Japanese dish that can literally be described as octopus balls. These breaded balls are baked with finely chopped bits of octopus meat inside them and served in a special sauce with the original name of “takoyaki sauce.” One of Japan’s great fried foods, like many of the others, it is a regional specialty of Osaka, though it can be found in little takoyaki shops all over the country. How does a nice big serving of fried dough balls stuffed with octopus sound?
Who doesn’t enjoy a cup of coffee?
Coffee is life. That is pretty much the business model which gives places like Starbucks and Caribou Coffee and Excelsior in business when their product has undermined the flavor of the coffee by oversaturating it with sugary syrups. But there is no wrong way to drink a cup of coffee. From espresso as black as midnight in Mordor to the most over-sugared fru-fru whip cream-topped extravagance from Starbucks, all forms of coffee are great (except decaf, which is no good). Who doesn’t like coffee?
What’s the verdict on salami?
Preserved meats are delicious. Salami in particular is a delicious form of preserved pork (or, occasionally, beef), a cured sausage that has been air-dried and fermented. It has an incredible shelf-life and does not need to be refrigerated. Once it was considered a staple of the peasantry of Europe, but now it is a dish enjoyed by all people across class lines, with regional variants from different communities. What is the final conclusion on whether salami is enjoyable or not?
How does a plate of fried green tomatoes sound?
Fried green tomatoes are a dish so incredible that they have their own book and movie named after them, as well as a joke reference in The Simpsons. Green tomatoes are not great for eating raw the way pretty much all other types of tomatoes are. They do not compliment the flavor of a salad or a burger. But frying these green vegetables after they’ve been properly breaded makes for a dish that has all the best elements of oily and acidic dishes. How do they sound at this time?
Does pad Thai sound like a good dish right about now?
Pad Thai is a street food cooked throughout Thailand. In a country where street food is more common than restaurants, pad Thai is the ruling flavor of the streets. A form of stir fry, it is cooked in heated pans where the long rice noodles are mixed with eggs, meat, sugar, red chili peppers, dried shrimp, fish sauce, and plenty of other spices, as the chef may dictate according to preference for their personal recipe. Does it sound like an enjoyable meal at this moment?
Care for some tempura?
Tempura is one of the few fried dishes in Japanese cuisine not connected to the city of Osaka. Rather, this method of cooking vegetables and fish in oil originated in the city of Nagasaki, and was supposedly inspired by culinary influence brought over from Portugal. Shrimp tempura is a classic, but some of the best dishes include mushrooms, sweet potatoes, Japanese pumpkin slices, and lotus roots cooked into tempura fritters. It is as aesthetically pleasing a dish as it is delicious. Want some?
Want some bacon?
Bacon is pretty much everything one could want in a pork product (or for that matter, in any form of meat). It is crisp and savory, salted in the curing process to bring out the flavor, and it keeps for a while. While some cultures cannot partake of this food for religious dietary reasons, bacon is a dish that we generally encourage any not limited thusly to try as frequently as possible. The question is not whether it is delicious or not—just whether it is something desired at this time?
