Cheeto's.
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| where they belong: on the floor, under a train seat. ok littering is not nice, but this really is Garbage. |
I don't know why, but whenever I am anywhere other than America and someone asks me what I miss, I automatically say Cheeto's. OK, maybe my family comes to mind first, but it's not unnatural for me to think of food. It's funny though - I do really like this fluorescent snack food, but it's not like I really ate them all that much when I was in America.
When JD and I discussed our longing over the absence of crunchy Cheeto's in Australia - definitely the crunchy ones - we went to the store, determined that we could find them. But, however, unfortunately, nevertheless, lamentably - words cannot express the disappointment over the Australian alternative - we found Bacon & Cheese Balls instead. We had both had the faux-cheeto balls before, usually in extremely large Costco-size barrels found at school functions that were just as orange-finger-staining and belly-aching-addicting, so we assumed the bacon addition would be an extra tantalising tongue teaser. Words cannot express how those previous descriptions do not match the taste. I think I might have blocked the memory out of my mind, but I am pretty sure I spit out the cheese ball right there and then without a second chew or an attempt at swallowing. I've never tasted dog food, but these Bacon & Cheese balls would equivocate to what I would assume dog food would taste like, in an artificially flavoured puffed up version. I couldn't and still can't describe it as anything else - no offence to dogs. I refused to take another handful out of the bag let alone admit the amount of money spent on such a product. I suppose, after studying SLOW FOOD, I should know better, but then again, mum asked me what I wanted/missed from America and again, I said Cheeto's. This time jokingly, but at the same time almost not, after such a bad experience and wanting the real deal.
And so, when mum arrived, she brought with her an open bag of Chex-Mix - which her airplane snack was my immediate late-night post-work dinner. I didn't miss Chex-Mix, or even think of it once while abroad, but the salty, familiar taste of it was comforting and welcoming.
60% less fat?! keep munching. 60% less fat...than what??
Then. Then I eyed the bag of Cheeto's. And I squealed. I waited however, to open them. And when I did, the following night, it was hard to put the bag down. Luckily, I did study nutrition and SLOW FOOD and know how unhealthy they are. But they were not the Bacon & Cheese version, these were the very addicting, very tasty, very crunchy taste of America that I could say I missed.
And for the record, this bag of Cheeto's was savoured from Perth to Alice Springs, to Uluru, to Brisbane, and finally devoured to the very last crumb, every bite indulged and appreciated, to Melbourne.
That was my American guilty-pleasure addiction satisfied.
For now.
Until next time.
Broccoli anyone?
