My god, what have they done? First there were your typical restaurant nachos coming in at around a pound. Then there was Mount Nacheesmo coming in at 5 pounds. Then whatever the weight of the secret menu nachos as Disney World is. And now, at a whopping 14 pounds comes the “Big Papa Nachos” at Mex 1 Costal Cantina. They’ve pulled out a literal 14 pound dish and let it flop on the table, extending their arms and saying, “What are you going to do about this?”
Read MoreNachonomics Live Today!
Today! Sunday, September 15th! Nachonomics is again performing live from StART on the Street in Worcester Massachusetts. Where exactly? Why, Park Ave, Worcester, Massachusetts, United States, Earth, Milky Way! That's all the information they gave me I'm afraid, so you'll have to do a little but of sleuthing, but I trust that you'll be able to find me. Literally the picture above is what you want to look for, so get on it. Come see the original NACHONOMICON! Come get some of the few remaining NACHO SHIRTS! Come get a nacho related Christmas Card signed and written specifically for a loved one you know who might also love nachos! Could this be the last ever live Nachonomics show? It's possible, we're into nachos not fortelling the future. That said, swing by and I'll teach you how to diving the future by pulling corn chips out of a bag. It's called Chipromancy and it is highly scientific, but you'll have to show up to learn all about it. See you there!
NachoProviCon 2019
Usually it takes aeons for the stars to turn right and unspeakable horrors to stir, but now all it takes is two years and a lack of Tums before eating an order of nachos. Yes folks it is the biannual (in the “it occurs every two years” instead of the “it occurs twice a year” meaning) eldritch voyage to Providence, Rhode Island for NachoProviCon and all the nacho consumption and arcane occultism that goes with it. You may think that after all these years there is nary an establishment left in the Renaissance City with an uneaten order of nachos, but you would be wrong.
Read MoreGUMMY BEARS AND NACHOS?!?!
Like everywhere else online, the internet of nachos is no stranger to clickbait titles trying to draw you in. I’ve seen them all, from, “She ordered a plate of nachos. You’ll never believe what happened next!”, to, “When you read these 19 SHOCKING nacho facts, you’ll NEVER want to eat nachos AGAIN!”, to, “You think these are just normal nachos? Wait until you see what’s inside...” Usually I can resist their siren call, but when I see something like, “Readers Respond to a New Northwest Portland Restaurant That Sells Gummy Bear Nachos”, how can I not be expected to click that!
Read MoreHappy 124th Birthday Ignacio Anaya!
Since the bloom is off the rose of Google doodles and they are rarely talked about anymore, it is my duty to make sure that you look at today’s doodle. It is a very special one and we cannot ignore it. Happy Birthday Ignacio, we wouldn’t be here without you!
August 15, 2019
Ignacio Anaya García’s 124th Birthday
On this day in 1895, Mexican culinary innovator Ignacio Anaya García was born, whose proper name is not as familiar as his nickname: “Nacho,” a common abbreviation for Ignacio. As shown in today’s Doodle, illustrated by Mexico City-based guest artist Alfonso de Anda, this particular Nacho revolutionized world cuisine by melting grated Wisconsin cheese over some jalapeno slices and totopos (tortilla chips), thus inventing the dish he dubbed Nachos especiales.
The year was 1943, and García was working as Maître d' at Club Victoria, a popular restaurant in the border town of Piedras Negras, Coahuila. A group of American women, wives of soldiers stationed at nearby Eagle Pass Army Airbase, stopped in asking for a snack. Unable to find a chef, García took matters into his own hands, improvising the tasty treat much to his customers’ delight.
Word soon spread about the Nachos especiales, which were added to the Club Victoria menu, imitated around town, and written up in an American cookbook as early as 1949. By 1960, García had opened his own restaurant, El Nacho.
In the 76 years since their invention, nachos have spread all over the world. A mass-produced version was introduced in 1976 at Arlington Stadium in Texas, with liquefied cheese sauce pumped out of large cans. Stadiums were quickly selling more nachos than popcorn.
Although García refused to patent his creation—“It's just a snack to keep my customers happy and well-fed,” he reportedly said, “It's like any other border dish”—his name has gone down in history. Each October, Piedras Negras hosts the International Nacho Festival, and the town has erected a plaque in his honor, a fitting memorial to one man’s delicious legacy.
Guest Artist Q&A with Alfonso de Anda
Today's Doodle was created by Mexico City-based guest artist Alfonso de Anda. Below he shares his thoughts on the making of the Doodle:
Q: Why was this topic meaningful to you personally?
A: This topic was meaningful to me at a gut level, quite literally.
Q: What were your first thoughts when you were approached about the project?
A: Making a Doodle has been in my illustration bucket list for a while now, so I was instantly stoked when I read the email. It was such a nice way to start the day.
Q: Did you draw inspiration from anything in particular for this Doodle?
A: There isn't a whole lot of information on Ignacio, so I shifted my focus onto the dish itself. My approach was very straightforward; imagining Ignacio making his first plate of nachos while implicitly communicating a sense of fun.
Q: What message do you hope people take away from your Doodle?
A: I hope people get an instant crave for a snack after they see the Doodle. I also hope that they instantly drop whatever it is they're doing and satisfy that craving.
Concept sketches by guest artist Alfonso de Anda
