A few days ago, my step father passed away. It was not really a surprise as he had been in and out of the hospital the past several years with heart problems brought on by years of alcoholism, smoking, and unhealthy eating. Yet, as prepared as were should have been and despite my distant relationship to him, I had an unexpected reaction. I was sad and I wanted to go home. I wanted to be close to my family.

Home is three thousand miles away. My work schedule is crazy. I have just started my third semester of college. And it is the beginning of my daughter’s week with her dad. Going home at the last minute really wasn’t an option.

So, what does a good southern girl do when she can’t be with her family during a crisis? Turns out the same thing we do when we are with our family. We eat.

First it was the large bag of Cheerios I had taken to work for a snack chased by the juice drink. The next few days it was pretty much anything that wasn’t nailed down. On Saturday, the day of the funeral it was a gentleman’s size lunch, browsing the downtown candy shops, before wrapping it up with a Hawaiian dinner and monster size dessert.

Why do southerners eat when we are sad? The truth is, I don’t have a clue. Maybe the pain of being that bloated and full is way better than the pain of whatever we are sad about. Or maybe all the talking works up an appetite. All I know is that is what we do. Southerners eat.