This week I am roasting tomatoes, still eating the cupcakes I baked for Steph's birthday and, like all of you, trying to stay positive and productive amidst the updates and upheavals of this pandemic. Food is always comfort, but I've also been searching for a mantra or song to get me through—something to soothe the soul and tame the doomsday voice that keeps knocking on my psyche, trying to get in.
For days I've been hearing Bob Dylan's lyrics in my head— "the wheel's still in spin... .for the times they are a-changin'" and John Lennon's "nobody told me there'd be days like these... strange days indeed. . ." on looping refrain.
I'm craving some kind of psychic balm— just the right song. As I flip through a copy of 1,000 recordings to hear before you die, the first entry is Abba. I don't need a guidebook to understand the magic this Swedish foursome wields. Effervescent and buoyant— perfect music for keeping hearts and spirits light. Agnetha, Björn, Benny, and Anni-Frid became ABBA in 1972, the same year Frito-Lay introduced the nacho cheese Dorito.
As the story goes, in 1955 the Frito-Lay company opened a Mexican Style restaurant in Disneyland called "Casa de Fritos." Their tortillas were being produced by Alex Foods, a local Tortilla factory when a visiting salesman noticed they were dumping their stale tortillas into the trash. He suggested the restaurant repurpose them by cutting them up and frying them. Sometime later, a marketing exec from Frito-Lay tastes them, loves them and the Dorito is born. By 1972, the line of flavors expands to include the Nacho Dorito. Isn't that just like Disney magic? Introducing the world to one of our most beloved snacks?
What kind of magic are you nostalgic about these days? What are you listening to? I'd love to hear how you're occupying your hours and distracting your fears during the COVID-19 pandemic. Until next time, stay healthy and listen to whatever gets you through the night.