We gather around the dining table for many different reasons, often out of pure necessity. In the same way that food can serve as an emblem of joy and celebration, it can also nourish us in times of grief and stress. It's in those moments that we turn to comfort food.
That said, the idea of cooking for comfort may feel empty or selfish when there are so many problems in the world. It's hard to feel comforted when disorder is seemingly omnipresent on our TV screens and Twitter feeds. Earlier this week, I was talking to my coworkers about these feelings of futility, when Salon senior writer Mary Elizabeth Williams gently interjected.
