Recently you may have seen a new trend emerge in the world of junk-slash-comfort food. It's the practice of dumping ingredients into a snack sized bag of chips and calling it a meal. The first I heard of this trend was when my husband told me about a food vendor at his workplace who was serving "Taco in a Bag." Last month we had friends visit from out of town and one of the meals our families shared was this concoction. The kids preferred to dump their taco ingredients into a bowl and use the Doritos as edible spoons but the adults poured meat, cheese, sour cream, salsa and veggies into an open snack bag of Doritos and dug in with a fork. Here's a photo of the aftermath:
And then this past weekend I went to the Seahawks game in Seattle and joined some friends for tailgating beforehand. One of the dishes served was "Frito Pie.... In a Bag." There was some discussion about technique, order of ingredients and ratios but, in the end, the recipe was simple- open a bag of Fritos, dump in some chili, toss on a bit of cheese and top it with sour cream. Viola!
Contained within the title of this blog are the words "good food." And I knew when I started this project that eventually I would need to address what those two words, used together, mean to me. How food qualifies as "good" in my world and why eating it is so important- to me. My mission has never been to instruct others on the way to eat or to to try to convince you that you should agree with my food philosophy. As such, my definition of the word "good" as it applies to food is extremely broad. And it involves things not at all related to what is on the menu. Good people and a happy space are just as important as the food being consumed. In the case of both of my recent experiences with junk-food-in-a-bag the "with good people" box was checked. Plus, I like junk food. I don't eat it all the time. But it tastes good! So when I do eat chips or cookies or french fries I enjoy them on their own terms. These things aren't meant to sustain my healthy body. But they do sustain my healthy soul. And, to me, both of those things are equally good.