Idiot-proof, delicious, filling enough to be called a light lunch, inexpensive and low in calories, they are almost the perfect food. For a paltry $1.50 and the nominal culinary input of pouring water, stirring, microwaving and stirring some more, you get an absolute treat of a gustatory experience.
It is almost magical the way that the powdered sauce and freeze dried pasta awaken in your microwave. The process is perfectly calibrated by what I assume are Betty Crocker’s finest research and development technicians such that if the instructions are followed to the letter, a delicious experience awaits you every time. To me, this is the most impressive aspect of this au courant offering. To make a bowl appétit is to say, boldly and proudly, “I am alive in the 21st century.”
Cultural ramifications notwithstanding, this wonder of applied science does have some issues. If you are truly hungry, the five minutes in the microwave can seem like an eternity compared to the apparent instant gratification available in Val. Once this eon has passed, the cooling process becomes a cruel joke as the aroma permeates the room. I have sat over many a bowl of piping hot pasta, the roof of my mouth saying, “no,” but my nose and stomach chorusing, “yes.”
While the pasta alfredo style is my favorite, there is an impressive array of options, ranging from herb chicken vegetable rice to three-cheese rotini. Surely there is at least one for every palette.