Obiter Dicta Issue 14 - April 6, 2015 | Page 9

ARTS & CULTURE Monday, April 6, 2015   9 A Nice Box of Kraft Dinner My eleven golden rules justin philpott › staff writer I n 1946, George Orwell had an article published called “A Nice Cup of Tea” in which he describes the proper way to make tea. The way in which he thoroughly and eloquently describes a process as mundane as making tea has always made me chuckle. Recently, I have been wondering whether there were any other topics in need of such profound insight. Finally it hit me. Canadians purchase 1.7 million of the seven million boxes of Kraft Dinner sold globally each week. That is a lot of KD. Arguably, it has become our de facto national food dish. However, if you pick up a box of Kraft Dinner and look on its side, you will find a few lines of sketchy instructions which give no ruling on several of the most important points. This is curious, not only because of Kraft Dinner’s iconic status in Canadian culture, but because the best manner of making and eating it can be the subject of violent disputes. With this article, I aim to put some of the most contentious points to bed. Here are my eleven rules, each one of which I regard as golden: First of all, one should use genuine Kraft Dinner. This should go without saying. Walking through Dollarama last week I noticed a couple KD knockoffs. Law school is expensive, I get that. However, being thrifty in this particular area is an eyebrow raiser of epic proportions; especially considering how cheap it already is. People, there is but one true Kraft Dinner. Secondly, Kraft Dinner should be made by the box. If you cannot finish a whole box in one sitting, tough; save some for later. Do not be one of those people who make only part of the box and put the rest back in the cupboard. That is just silly. noodles sliding down your throat, scratching the soft lining of your esophagus—is there anything as off-putting? Stir frequency—while not overly important—is still worth noting. I stir the noodles three times. Once right after I add them to the boiling water and then every three minutes until ready. Forgetting to st \