'Drates

There comes a point each winter when uncontrollably, and quite unapologetically, I crave carbohydrates.  Last night I had a very seductive dream involving me and a bowl of Kraft mac and cheese.  Somehow, this makes me seem weak-willed, as if I'm some addict strung out on mashed potatoes.  Perhaps this guilt comes from the Atkin's diet craze.  After nearly a decade, American culinary consciousness is still recovering from that time in history when a large percentage of the population pounded down steaks and bacon while shunning all breads and pastas.  About this time, humorist Dave Barry, wrote a column about carbohydrates, entitled "Carbohydrates Pose Major Threat to Mankind."   Barry describes carbs as if they were a highly illicit drug and coins the term 'drates, conveying the idea that we, do indeed need street slang for complex carbohydrates.  My household ever since has called any form of starchy food a 'drate.  I've even gone so far as to say, "I really need some 'drate-y 'drates" with the edgy desperation of a junkie.

So, before I run to the store for some boxed macaroni and cheese, I wanted to share with you the link to my latest essay published in Connotation Press, which is about another glorious form of 'drate, the homemade noodle.  Handmaking noodles at home is not nearly as complicated as it sounds. In fact, I might whip up a side of noodles to eat with my mac and cheese.  A 'drate junkie knows no limits.