BBC随身英语｜为何我们在冬天偏爱“慰藉食物”？

Why do we love comfort food in winter?

Warning! This article could be bad for your health!

As many of us endure the long, cold winter, we are tempted to tuck into some filling and fattening foods. This is sometimes because it helps us to keep warm and to give us energy, but often it's because we need something to cheer us up. And, for a short while at least, it makes us feel better – which is why we call it 'comfort food'.

The type of food that makes us feel good varies from person to person – it depends on your palate and the association you have with particular tastes, textures and smells. But probably the most universally popular edible comforter is the biscuit. It's thought this go-to snack often brings back happy memories of childhood and family, as well as giving us that all-important sugary pick-me-up.

Moving on from the sweet and sugary snacks, famous chef and food writer Mary Berry knows about the kind of meals that warm us up and give us comfort in the winter. She told BBC Food magazine: "I think it becomes natural to think about comfort food as soon as the weather chills and the nights become darker." She suggests soup and warming foods as feel-good winter treats.

The other thing about comforting dishes like mac and cheese, noodles or pizza is they don't require culinary skills in the kitchen; they are easy to make so you can get your fix of feel-good food quickly.

However, we often feel so good that we eat too much, and even though we know the ingredients are high in carbohydrates, sugar or salt, we continue to pig out. Psychologist Shira Gabriel told the BBC: "We feel guilty because we don't realise that what's happening is our minds are finding a way to trigger a really positive emotion and they're making us eat that food to do so."

Maybe we should take comfort from the fact that eating certain food just makes us feel happy. But, for some people, eating any kind of food brings joy, warmth, happiness and comfort.

词汇表
endure [ɪnˈdjʊə(r)] vt. 忍受，忍耐
be tempted to [ˈtemptɪd] 禁不住，忍不住（做某事）
tuck into [tʌk] 痛快地吃，尽情享用
filling [ˈfɪlɪŋ] adj. 能填饱肚子的，饱腹感强的
fattening [ˈfætnɪŋ] adj. 使人发胖的，增肥的
comfort food 慰藉食物，暖心食物，治愈系食物
palate [ˈpælət] n. 味觉，品味，品尝力
texture [ˈtekstʃə(r)] n. 口感，质地
edible comforter [ˈedəbl ˈkʌmfətə(r)] 可食用的慰藉物，慰藉食物
go-to snack [ˈɡəʊ tuː snæk] 首选零食，常备零食
all-important [ˌɔːl ɪmˈpɔːtnt] adj. 至关重要的，极重要的
pick-me-up [ˈpɪk miː ʌp] n. 令人振奋的东西，提神物（尤指食物、饮料或活动）
chill [tʃɪl] v. （使）变冷，冷却
feel-good [ˈfiːl ɡʊd] adj. 令人愉悦的，使人感觉良好的
mac and cheese [ˌmæk ən ˈtʃiːz] 芝士通心粉
culinary skills [ˈkʌlɪnəri] 烹饪技巧，厨艺
get your fix 获得满足，过把瘾，解馋
carbohydrate [ˌkɑːbəˈhaɪdreɪt] n. 碳水化合物，糖类
pig out 狼吞虎咽，大吃特吃
take comfort from 从…中获得慰藉，从…中感到欣慰

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