[pct-l] Corn Pasta

[CHUCK CHELIN]

Good morning, Diane,

Corn pasta has undergone a manic-depressive swing in the last decade or so.
As originally popularized by Jardine it became the knee-jerk primo hiker
food – at least until enough people decided they really didn’t like the
stuff.  Now most hikers disparage it and claim to avoid it entirely -- that
strong is the power of popular opinion, both one way and the other.

For all that I disagree with much of what Jardine espouses, I will agree
with one thing:  I really do like corn pasta.  I won’t attach any great
mystical powers to it: I just happen to like the taste.  I don’t use it on
the trail if I choose to cook my meals because compared to common semolina
pasta it is more difficult to find; it is less often available in the small
quick-to-cook shapes; and because of its whole-grain composition it seems to
require a somewhat longer cooking time.  Also, pound-for-pound it has fewer
Calories than the more highly processed semolina.

My favorite way of eating corn pasta – and I eat lots of it – is simply
deep-fried with a little salt.  I can prepare it myself at home, but it is
much simpler and easier to just buy it ready-made.  My favorite is
called *Fritos
Corn Chips*, although I also enjoy other variants such as *Doritos* and
fried taco chips.  All of them are simply corn pasta.  Whole ground corn is
a good source of carbohydrates; residual cooking oil increases the Calorie
density; and hikers always seem to need the salt to replenish electrolytes.
Other similar corn products are even more basic than pasta, for example *Corn
Nuts* and simple ‘ol popcorn.

Think about that before disparaging corn pasta.  In the meantime, please
pass the *Corn Flakes*.

Steel-Eye
Hiking the Pct since before it was the PCT – 1965
http://www.trailjournals.com/steel-eye
http://www.trailjournals.com/SteelEye09