LET’S TALK ABOUT FOOD ADDICTION… WITH PENNIE HALE

What is your favorite comfort food and how do you feel after eating it? That is the question I asked my Facebook friends. Some responses simply answer the question, some are funny and some are thoughtful. We all have that default food, the one we always have in our pantry and we eat because it reminds us of our childhood, it comforts us, or because it is easy to prepare. I hope you enjoy reading my friends’ responses as you contemplate your answer.

Mark Mckallagat: PB&J with a glass of milk. Usually around midnight though. Dropped 20 lbs when I gave them up.

Jim Benjamin: Chicken soup on cold winter day

Nicole Michelle Fluet: Melted Cheese (grilled cheese, nacho cheese, velveeta)… I feel so satisfied, and diet coke… It gives me a happy feeling, almost like a glass of wine

Bonnie Bell: Ice cream… guilty

Tallie Veras Abernathy: Dairy Queen Hot Fudge Sundae w/ Chocolate Soft Serve Ice cream, whipped cream, no nuts! And of course a Large McDonalds Diet Coke to even it out 😉

Amy Murphy: Homemade mac & cheese! My mom’s recipe! Yum!!! Oh and I feel full, guilty and happy all at once lol

Connie Molinaro: Hmmmm…well I know PETA would not like my answer, but Veal Parmagiana with extra sauce and some spaghetti. It is something my parents would get for me or make for me when I was a young girl and didn’t feel good, or just going to the old European restaurant in the North End to have a ice family meal. It brings back such great memories that I actually savor every bite when I have it. It is funny, but when I got diagnosed with Colon Cancer, my husband took me out to dinner and ordered it for me while I was in the bathroom. He told me “I know what you need right now” and when our dinners arrived, I started to cry, because he did know what I needed-comfort food!

Jennifer Dube: Mine has to be chicken noodle soup on a cold winter day because it just keeps you warm. Don’t forget a good piece of French or Italian crusty bread to go along. Yum, now I’m waiting for the winter just thinking about this.

Michael Plonowski: CHILI, and after I eat it I feel full and satisfied.

Mark Gray: Well I can and cannot answer that question. I don’t really have a ‘favorite’ food although the onion rings from Westfords’ Willows comes highly recommended. However I’ll say I can eat anything from prime rib to watermelon and I enjoy them both completely. The odd thing is, that despite an appreciation for many foods. I am very picky about what I eat. For instance I don’t touch, ketchup, mayo, mustards, sushi and more. This makes my palate incomplete, despite my equal like for many different tastes and textures. It’s ‘food’ for thought. I’m without different, but I can cook so I think it’s an angle, if you can use it.

Christine M Prescott: Macaroni and cheese..elbow mac with melted velveeta cheese. I’ll only eat it when anxiety kicks in. It’s been my comfort food since I was a kid. No matter how much I try to give it up I can’t. It’s an addiction…always has been. The fulfillment actually eases stress for me.

Cheryl Purpura: Cape Cod Potato Chips…once I start that’s it I can eat the whole bag !! Mmmmm then another is Peanut M&M….I have more too

Scot Bourgoin: Ice cream. Wanting more lol

Joe Papsedero: Oreo cookies and a big glass of milk… never fails to make me feel better…

Richard Pelletier: Milk and cookies. Pretty much every night.

Makes me feel comfortable and relaxed helps me sleep at night

Probably due to some issues as a child. Enough for now

Shaun Murphy: oatmeal..it makes me feel happy..reminds me of when I was a kid.

Anthony J. Bertolaccini: Anything Fish and greens !!! Charges u up and makes u want to GIT~ER~DONE !!! and keeps ur head clear and makes u smarter !!!

Dawn Tumenas Callahan: Buffalo chicken mac and cheese from TJ Callahan’s in Tewksbury. It makes you feel warm, full and happy because it tastes so good

Melanie Forzese: Juju fruits, I feel instantly guilty afterward

Christina Vera: Chocolate is my comfort food. Precisely Hersheys with almonds, but any will do when necessary. When it’s simply a “want”, it satisfies. When it’s a “need”, it’s like what I imagine valium is for those that need it. It calms me and restores my ability to work out what’s bothering me.

Barbie Voyer: Mini vanilla cannoli with chocolate chips.

You can email Pennie Hale at

penniehalelacouture@gmail.com