The Irony of "Worthy Food"

As I write tonight I am struck by the irony of what I had for dinner. Don't get me wrong...I love food that I deem "worthy". And I'm pretty sure many people would agree that worthy food is tasty, fresh, beautiful, "real" and prepared with love (or at least care). But the word worthy is so subjective. To me it means all the things I've listed above, but it also sometimes means that it's a food that just simply satisfies me on some level at any given moment.

I got out of work late feeling kind of tired and worn out, with no idea what to have for dinner. I opened the fridge and stared in, mildly hoping something would, if not exactly hop out at me, at least nudge me into production. No luck. Persistent, I rifled through the freezer for a bit, and a quart of corn chowder with chiles, lime and smoky ham caught my eye. (First time around I served it with a cilantro cream dolloped on top and homemade popovers). The thought of second time around met with resistance because my husband had his heart set on fish (undefined cooking method and still frozen at that point).

This is where the irony comes into play. Not in the mood to do a cost/benefit analysis of either corn chowder or fish, I suggested we opt for a dinner that would satisfy my momentary laziness, lack of creativity and need for grease...Waffle House!

Say what you want about my choice, don't knock it til you try it. It's greasy diner food at it's fast-food-equivalent best. My personal favorite is cheesy scrambled eggs, 3 slices of bacon, hash browns smothered in onions and cooked "brown" . And the coup de gras...heavily buttered raisin toast! I'm in heaven and I didn't have to dirty a dish! So, while I am infinately passionate about good food I'm not always a food snob.