Deli Rounding Up

When I was a kid I had a ritual that would often be coupled with a viewing of one of the Star Wars movies or an episode of Star Trek: I would load up a bowl of Tostitos chips - the regular giant triangle-shaped ones, not one of the strange variations that have been more prevalent recently - and get another bowl of Pace "Medium" salsa in which to dip said chips, along with a mug of milk, and go to town. It was part snack, part endurance test (I sometimes braved the "Hot" salsa, but oh boy...), but whatever it was, it certainly happened a lot.

Then, as often happens with these sorts of things, I moved on to other things to accompany my sci-fi viewing: homemade malts, vats of orange Kool-Aid, microwave popcorn, ramen noodles, and the like. Oddly enough, when I graduated high school and moved out, I stopped eating the snacks I most enjoyed, probably because I had other things to pay for, like rent and such.

Recently, I have been reviving the ol' chips-and-salsa tradition, though but with somewhat of a twist. Instead of springing for the Tostitos, I have been opting for their cheaper counterpart, the classic round yellow "Deli Round" chips. You know the kind: yellow, salty, and available in dozens, if not hundreds, of off-brand labels at every grocery store in America (the bag I am munching on as I write this is branded "Super Crunch"). Even though they are cheaper, they are actually pretty good, especially when I stumble across one with an excessive amount of salt. And the salsa? It's still Pace "Medium," but it now comes in a half-gallon jug from Costco.

Now if only I could figure out how to turn a brick of cheddar into delicious cheese-sauce topping for Nachos. If anyone knows how this secret, please let me know...