CREDIT: TENTHOFTHEFRASER.CA
KD: don't you just love it?

So I've finally cooked a whole bunch of Kraft Dinner these past few months. Macaroni and cheese — it can't get any better, really. I've heard much about the influence that Kraft Dinner has had on Canadian culture, and now. I've seen it first-hand.

My dad used to tell me stories of when he was a bachelor, living in a single-bedroom apartment in the city of Calcutta, India, where I grew up. To this day, he recalls how he survived off Maggi noodles and Coke. Now, in case you are wondering, Maggi noodles are pretty much the easiest thing for teenagers and bachelors who aren't fond of cooking to actually cook. Kraft Dinner, I've come to understand, is Canada's Maggi noodle. The boxed dinner (renamed "Kraft Macaroni and Cheese" in the United States not long after its debut in 1937) has always retained the original name in Canada as well as a cult-like following.

Considering how Canadians have a huge love for all things Canadian, I've wondered why there exists such a massive fondness for a box of "cheesy sauce and noodles." And then I came across a quote by Canadian Rex Martin who I believe is a pretty important figure in Canada's political scene. His quote went something like this: "Kraft Dinner revolves in that all-but-unobtainable orbit of the Tim Hortons doughnut and the A&W Teen Burger. It is one of that great trinity of quick digestibles that have been enrolled as genuine Canadian cultural icons." That quote got me thinking that if Canadians mention KD in the same sentence as Tim Hortons, then it must be pretty important.

We get Kraft Dinner in India. If I remember correctly, it was sold as "Macaroni and Cheese," exactly the same way they brand it in the United States. Being a largely vegetarian culture in that part of the world, you could expect that something that is 100 per cent vegetarian would sell like hotcakes, and it does. But it doesn't come close to the demand for Maggi noodles and understandably so.

I've just seen the new "KD distraction noodle" commercial on TV, and it got me thinking again. I should really stock up on more Kraft Dinner, despite my love for cooking. For if current Prime Minister Stephen Harper does something similar to what I love doing, then I assume I must be doing something right. "I'll never be able to give my kids a billion-dollar company, but Laureen and I are saving for their education," said the then-aspiring Conservative leader in 2004. "And I have actually cooked them Kraft Dinner — I like to add wieners."

I've probably gone through close to a dozen boxes of Kraft Dinner — all by myself, I might add. And I've loved every minute of it. Right from ripping open the box with a youthful exuberance to carefully measuring out the butter and milk so that I don't ruin the proportions. I'm addicted to the stuff, probably just like you, and there is no turning back. KD for the win.
Editorial opinions or comments expressed in this online edition of Interrobang newspaper reflect the views of the writer and are not those of the Interrobang or the Fanshawe Student Union. The Interrobang is published weekly by the Fanshawe Student Union at 1001 Fanshawe College Blvd., P.O. Box 7005, London, Ontario, N5Y 5R6 and distributed through the Fanshawe College community. Letters to the editor are welcome. All letters are subject to editing and should be emailed. All letters must be accompanied by contact information. Letters can also be submitted online by clicking here.