Some foods are for moods. I love cheese, for example, but only crave fondue on rare occasions when I'm neither particularly hungry nor full and the thing I'm after is more the conversation oozing out over and around the pot rather than the fromage inside it.

Gumbo—same. Love gumbo. But it has to feel celebratory in some way, because that just goes with gumbo. You need a spoon and you need celebration. Whether you put rice or eggy potato salad in there doesn't really matter—that's up...