Gotta Have It: What Makes You Crave a Dish?

Cravings come unannounced, unheralded, and whether you want them or not! We'll be walking to work and suddenly get the urge for that particular soup we had that one time. Or (as often happens to us) a chocolate craving descends from out of the blue. Regardless of where they come from, cravings are definitely hard to ignore.

The latest issue of Remedy Quarterly was all about cravings and there were some definite trends through the stories and articles. Many cravings seemed to come from a loss or lack: a fruit that was out of season, a grandmother's recipe that she never shared with anyone, the body trying to get more nutrients. Also, cravings often have roots in a particular time or place, like a restaurant from childhood or the food eaten on a particular vacation.

The issue really made me think about my own cravings. For instance, I've recently been craving scallops like nothing else. I used to eat scallops fairly regularly when I lived in Boston, but now that I've moved to the Midwest, they're more rare. And expensive. Hence: craving. (Luckily, I have a Boston trip planned soon!)

I also crave chocolate chip cookies every few months like clockwork. These were my childhood favorite, and they never fail to hit the spot.

What are you craving right now?

(Image: Flickr member quinn.anya licensed under Creative Commons)

Comments (31)

SUSHI!
Must. Eat. Sushi. NOW.
(I live in the middle of nowhere in Manitoba so when I get the chance to have some sushi I go on a binge)

(forgot to mention) You only crave chocolate chip cookies once every few months? LUCKY! I could make a batch everyday and not get sick of them.

In the words of cookie monster: C is for cookie, that is good enough for me!

I've been on a major hamburger kick, eating an appalling number over the past week, at all price points. And I usually don't like hamburgers. Protein craving, anyone?

salty crunchy stuff (all those snack foods that are oh so bad for you). I have found some healthier alternatives, but my brain cannot be completely fooled... ugh!

Sandwiches! I have no idea why. I can go months without wanting a sandwich. But lately, it's all I want to eat. I think it's making my husband crazy!

Usually strong tastes- Pickles, Pho, Red Velvet Cupcakes, thai tea, and really good hot wings with blue cheese.

I think I'm extremely impressionable. In certain moods a good photograph (like here on The Kitchn), a TV commercial (pizza? I want pizza!), or just the mere mention of something I love (soup dumplings, Thanksgiving dinner, fish tacos, Cafe Latte's raspberry cream torte, seared monkfish liver on toast at Prune, cake donuts from the donut shop in Grand Marais, clam pizza from Pepe's) will set me off.

I easily get food stream-of-consciousness where seeing someone eat pasta in a movie will remind me of other noodles I've had which reminds me of some other food and suddenly I crave pad thai with shrimp and fried tofu.

I go through phases where I really want potato chips. Like, if I don't have them, I'll go nuts. I'll pick up a bag of Cape Cod or Deep River chips and I'll be good for a few months.

I crave pizza, or melted cheap cheddar cheese on bread, which is about the same thing. Unless I'm stressed and then I get a carton of full fat target brand monster cookie ice cream and eat only that for a weekend with cheap wine. That's usually not a good time for me.

I also crave seasonal fruits, which I then buy in abundance and don't eat. This is probably why I'm fat.

In no particular order:
a McCafe mocha frappe (I know---McDonalds)
Emerald brand salted cashews
Pink lemonade freezer pie
Pad Thai
Bacon, Lettuce, and Tomato sandwich on white toast

Oh Kestrel... I think you and I were cut from the same cloth!!

-Chicken Shawarma (sp?) wraps
-Pasta with Fresh tomatoes, garlic, basil and olive oil.
-Melted Brie on fresh ciabatta
-Cinnamon sugar coated almonds
-Smokey bacon potato chips (sadly I can only find them in Canada, not in the states!)

Lately I've been craving pad thai (which a few other people mentioned - weird coincidence? a hot weather thing?)

I also have a little problem... when I hear the word "milkshake" I simply MUST have one. It's bad.

BACON!!! I'm like that dog in the Beggin Strips commercial. The smell of it, the sound of it sizzling, LOVE IT!!! BACON!!!

Whenever I miss home I would attempt to my something my from Indonesia like Rendang, Soto etc or something my Grandma would make.

Lately, it's been chicken in yellow coconut-milk curry, big greasy hamburgers (there's a place in Dallas called Burguesa Burgers that makes them with a fried bean tostada, avocado, and a creamy spicy salsa-based dressing. I could eat one EVERY DAY), and Cheetos. I'm usually all about the fresh fruits and veggies, but maybe I'm not getting enough salt, lately, because I NEED CHEETOS. NOW. Time to pick up their organic alternative at the store tonight...

And I never ate Cheetos or Indian food growing up, so it's not like I'm nostalgic for them. I just want them. ALL THE TIME.

I think I have and will crave just about everything there is to eat. Ethnic cuisine is one of my big cravings. I crave hamburgers, steak, rich seafood. Good coffee. Spit-roasted pork. Fried chicken. Pasta. Pickles. Barbecue. Pie. Really good roasted vegetables and sweet corn.

stupid Berry Chantilly cake from Whole Foods. I cannot figure out what they put in the creamy frosting, or in the spongey cake. Maybe Grand Marnier, I don't know. But we live 1.5 hours from WF, and everytime we come near it, cake comes home with us.

@caliH try pappadum (they're Indian wafers made from black lentils and they seriously scratch my salty-crunchy itch). They're still fried but at least they're not just potatos.

I crave noodles. Lately, it's been curry noodles, although pasta with an egg on top works. Or stir fried noodles from the Korean place down the street. I think it's a texture thing.

Does chocolate really even count as a craving? It's more like a necessary factor for living. And dangit, now I want chocolate chip cookies with dried cherries in them. Curses.

I read a lot of food blogs and these give me all sorts of cravings. Also, seeing a new ingredient at my local food store will put me in an obsessive way on how to cook it.

I crave a lot of the dishes my parents and grandparents grew up with. I don't know if it's genetics or if there is a comfort in eating the same food my family once ate.

I get all sorts of cravings -- great hummus, fettuccini alfredo, olives, cheese, chocolate, Kettle brand chips, Cheetos, Root Beer, pizza, cheeseburger, cottage cheese, beans, fish tacos. Generally savory things; other than good chocolate, I rarely crave anything sweet. I could probably go without eating a cookie for the rest of my life and be perfectly happy (minus Pamela's gluten-free lemon shortbread cookies, which are amazing. But again, not very sweet.)

I had the pad tai craving tonight! Weird. Otherwise, chocolate, everyday. Tex Mex every friday afternoon, I grew up going out for it on Friday nights. I craved a cheeseburger like mad for the first time in years this past weekend.
Kettle potato chips after years of only wanting tortilla chips and salsa. I used to crave milk and be able to drink it by the gallon, but now it makes my nose itchy. I recently went thru a vinegar phase and I'm still adding balsamic vinegar to any soups or pasta dishes I make.

I often crave a nice hearty dish of pasta with some bread on the side to soak up all the deliciousness left on the plate. Comfort food at its finest.

Flavor combinations. Some things just fit so well together, no matter how strange they might seem: fried chicken and waffles, chocolate and peanut butter - how about chocolate, strawberries, and...Kahlua? Mmmmm.
http://www.servedraw.com/2010/06/kahlua-cakes-on-the-cob/

Popcorn. Salty snacks in general, but I sometimes must have popcorn. Hot and Spicy microwave popcorn from Meijer which my sister has to send me now that I live out east. If you can get such a thing in Boston please tell me!

(Yes, I know I could pop corn on the stove and put butter and ancho chili powder on it. Sadly it is not the same.)

Also all summer I crave cheerios with fresh fruit. I don't eat much processed food, but these two things get me every time.

I can't have a genuine food craving now without wondering what else is going on with me. Sat down once in a restaurant and ordered (was craving the) crab, (Not a favorite of mine At All) Yep, pregnant and didn't know it. 3 years later, having given up on #2, craving crab again, ordered some (not so good) crab cakes, went to drugstore for a pee stick, did the deed, and there was my plus sign. What is it with that creature? Spooky. And fritos or chocolate in my cart means stop in the femine products aisle, sorry fellas, imagine organizing your life around that!

I've been eating primarily vegetable and whole grain dishes for a while now, and cutting way back on meat consumption. Possibly as a result of this, I've been craving hamburgers like nobody's business! So, every few weeks I indulge in a fancy hamburger made with good meat.

Always crave pizza (any kind) and Starbucks' Mocha Frappuccino.

Pho... must have it once every week! Doesn't matter if it's scorching 100 degrees outside. MUST. HAVE. PHO!
Ramen *drooling*...

And.... wings... from Hooters.... I know I know... I crave it ALL THE TIME! I seriously don't know what is wrong with me. I NEVER like chicken growing up. Never cared for wings until this year.... so weird...

Cobb salads with bleu cheese dressing
Avocado and cream cheese sushi rolls
Slow Cooked Pot Roast or Brisket and Gravy
Sweetwater Blue Beer

I hate to admit it, but I love McDonalds Iced Mochas. I don't eat there, but their coffee drinks are amazing, and I'm a coffee snob! I have awesome independent coffee shops around me all the time, but sometimes nothing hits the spot like those darn good iced mochas.

I had a thing for sweet and salty combinations, so I loved to make ice cream sundaes with hot fudge sauce, walnuts, and sea salt! Seriously, try adding a pinch of sea salt to your ice cream and you'll see what I mean!

Have you heard of this vegetarian phenomena called Bacon Mayonnaise? It's at some grocery stores, and it is hella good!

SUSHI! Pizza, spam masubi, and cake. mmmm. And in the summer, watermelon!