mac attack

Roadfood

When we lived in Charlotte there was this great dive, Lupie's, just seconds from our home that introduced me to the best winter comfort food of all-time: chili mac. Admittedly I can be somewhat of a neophyte when it comes to all things food-related, so cheese (hold the onions) on top of chili on top of spaghetti with a side of cornbread was new to me when we took the plunge from the Northeast to the South in 2005. Three years later chili mac became my go-to comfort food when I was pregnant with Catcher (winter pregnant, not middle of the summer pregnant) and it satisfied my cravings with Scout, too.

This January has been sunny and beautiful in Austin, and I haven't thought of chili mac once...until today. Thus far my late-stage pregnancy indulgences have centered around milkshakes--specifically of the peppermint variety from local burger stand P. Terry's. But today was rainy and cold. I use the term "cold" loosely because it was 62 degrees; however, compared to the 75+ we've been enjoying the past week, it was cold. And I wanted chili mac. I'm sure in the place where chili is the official state food I wouldn't have to look long to find a decent bowl of chili mac, but you can't beat the mismatched dinnerware and mason jars from Lupie's.