Snack Review: Cheetos Spicy Cheddar Cracker Trax

I have many fond memories involving Cheetos. The cheesy snacks weren’t my favorite thing to discover at lunchtime (that honor went to Oreos), but they were near the top of my list. The sensation of a Cheeto slowly melding to your tongue; dissolving to leave in its wake a sea of spongy, “cheez”-flavored goo, was and remains a simple and unique pleasure. One taste and it’s summer 1997… I’m at Performing Arts Camp, enjoying a brief respite from singing and dancing, frolicking with a merry band of fellow theatre geeks on a flawless Ohio summer day. I’d suspect I’m not alone in this sort of Cheetos-experience.

Yet for all its nostalgic value, you have to admit Cheetos aren’t the most attractive snack ever to grace a picnic table. When I observe the humble Cheeto, with its puffy, elongated ovoid shape and toxic-tangerine hue, I can’t help but imagine how at-home it would look in a newborn’s diaper. Cheetos have a one-of-a-kind feel and taste - but they’re very homely. Wouldn’t it be great if someone could capture the flavor of Cheetos, but give them a stylish new makeover?

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Snack Review: Kraft Macaroni and Cheese Crackers

Long ago, in a time lost in the mists of history, someone thought to put a sauce made of milk and cheese over tubes of macaroni. This heroic innovator had to stand over a stove, stirring the ingredients, making sure there were no lumps, boiling and draining pasta, baking the finished dish in an oven. But civilization agreed that it was good, and so, for decades, cooks suffered to provide this delectable combination.

Then, miracles of modern technology saved us from all that effort: We were given envelopes of powdered cheese sauce. They were even packaged in the right amount with a box of macaroni. Sure, you still had to boil water, cook the macaroni, measure some milk, and mix it all together. But now, here was a dish that anyone could enjoy in minutes.

Fast forward to the 21st century: now you can just take a package of macaroni and cheese and zap it in the microwave. Even a child could do it. What could be simpler?

Well, this could be simpler: Macaroni and cheese in the form of crackers. No heating. No fork. It’s almost like having it directly injected into your veins.

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