5 Comfort Foods From Around The World

Vocabulary Review

Cope (v.) – to deal with a difficult situation or uncomfortable feelings.

Example: When I feel stressed from work, taking a short walk helps me cope.

Indulge (v.) – to allow yourself to enjoy something you really like, especially as a treat.

Example: After a long week, I like to indulge in a big bowl of noodles.

Reach for (a food) (v.) – to choose or grab a food because you want it.

Example: When I’m tired after school, I usually reach for something sweet.

A Pick-Me-Up (n.) – something that gives you quick energy or improves your mood.

Example: A warm cup of tea is the perfect pick-me-up during a stressful day.

Hollow (adj.) – empty on the inside.

Example: The cookie looked normal, but it was hollow and filled with cream.

To Drip (v.) – to fall in small drops, usually liquid.

Example: The boy put so much sauce on his burger that is was dripping on his shirt.

Sloppy (adj.) – messy, not neat, often spilling everywhere.

Example: The burger was so sloppy that I needed a napkin after every bite.

Strain (v.) – to remove the liquid from something.

Example: After cooking the pasta, she strained the extra water before putting it on her plate.

Savory (adj.) – having a salty or spicy flavor instead of a sweet one.

Example: I wanted something savory, so I ordered dumplings instead of ice cream.

Crack a Smile (v.) – to smile a little, especially when someone was not smiling before.

Example: Even though he was tired, the first bite of the pizza made him crack a smile.

Swirl (v.) – to mix something by moving it in a circular motion.

Example: After I pour milk into my coffee, I swirl it with a spoon so it mixes properly.

Put (Something) to Shame (v.) – to be much better than something else.

Example: Me and my mom both made cookies for the family party, but her cookies put mine to shame.

Batter (n.) – a thick, liquid mixture used for cooking, often made of flour, eggs, and milk.

Example: The chef dipped the chicken in batter before frying it.

5 Comfort Foods From Around The World

Sometimes the best way to cope with negative feelings is to indulge in a special meal or dish. If you’ve ever felt sad, exhausted, overwhelmed, or stressed out, you might have found yourself reaching for a specific food - something we often call comfort food. A comfort food is any dish we turn to for a feeling of warmth and happiness when we aren’t feeling our best. While everyone has their own favorite comfort foods, they definitely seem to be very different in each country. 

Paani Poori

If you have ever wondered what Indians crave for a quick pick-me-up, it's paani poori. Paani poori, which means “water bread” in English, is more than just a snack, it's a delicious experience. It's basically a hollow, crispy ball of whole wheat dough (the poori) that is deep fried and stuffed with potatoes, onions and some spices. After that, it's dipped into a bowl of sweet and spicy water (the paani). This is a dish you have to eat quickly - after only a few seconds, the poori (the crispy dough ball) will start dripping the water and begin to fall apart. This is a refreshing, cheap snack that you can find absolutely anywhere in India, and you can get about 15 of them for one dollar.

Sloppy Joe

Sloppy Joe… This is pretty much the national comfort food of America, and it’s just what it sounds like - it's sloppy! Sloppy Joe is a simple beef sandwich made by pan-frying ground beef, straining the extra fat and oil, and mixing the cooked beef into a sweet, but savory tomato sauce which is then scooped onto a soft burger bun. For this dish, you’ll want to be prepared and set plenty of napkins aside. Sloppy Joe is super messy and you’re likely to drip some sauce onto your shirt if you’re not careful - but the risk is all part of the fun!

Khachapuri

No matter what's gone wrong in your day, you can't take a big bite of khachapuri and not crack a smile. This is the national dish of Georgia and is essentially a long, boat shaped bread, stuffed with copious amounts of mozzarella and feta cheese and baked until its golden brown and crispy. After khachapuri comes out of the oven, it's topped with a raw egg and butter. Finally, as soon as you get your khachapuri and you're ready to eat, you've got to swirl it all together so that the egg cooks a bit and mixes with the hot cheese and butter. It's a beautiful, golden-crispy, cheese-stuffed bread boat!

Korean Corn Dogs

Although corn dogs are one of the few truly American foods, you can forget the American version because Korean corn dogs put them to shame. American corn dogs are just a sausage on a skewer covered in batter and deep fried, basically just a sausage wrapped in a pancake - but the Koreans took it a step further… The Korean corn dog is dipped into batter a second time, and then rolled in potato before being deep friend again. After this, the corn dog is two or three times as big as the American version and then it even has mustard, barbeque, and ketchup drizzled over the top - it's sweet, savory, crunchy, and probably too big for you.

Halo-Halo

If any food could ever give someone instant diabetes, it's definitely the Filipino street food called halo-halo. While it might look like an ordinary cup of colorful ice cream, it's so much more. Halo-halo can be made in many variations, but the most common halo-halo will include several flavors of shaved ice with a variety of candies, jellies, fruits, custard, and sweet beans between each layer, this is all stuffed into one cup with condensed, sweetened milk poured over top. The key is to mix it all together and enjoy it before it melts.

Questions:

• Which of these comfort foods would you like to try?

• What comfort food do you reach for when you need a pick me up?

• What is the most famous dish from your country and how do you make it?

• Besides having some comfort food, how else can you cheer yourself up?

• Is the food in your country usually healthy or unhealthy? Why do you think so?

• Has the typical diet in your country changed in recent years?

• Which country's food do you like the most?

• What was your favorite childhood snack or meal?

• Do you like to travel abroad?

• would you ever like to be a food tourist?

• Do you think people in different countries are very different? if so, what makes them so different?