With the superb ingredients and quality foodstuffs that I get to cook with and eat, why this? So sue me, I just had to. Stocked in the refrigerated section and ready-to-chow in a couple of minutes, the BOX is the latest among heat-n-eat meals to incense sensible palates across the country. Gimmicked as Freedom Food (as opposed to fast food) and targeted towards people on-the-go, the 3.99 – 4.29€ price tag was just enough to lure me in. Notice that I said me and not WE, because MotH would never touch something like this in his life if I hadn’t insisted. Nuke box pasta is nothing new to the old country as France already has theirs with Sodebo’s Pasta Box and Fleury Michon’s Vraiment.
Of the 6 varieties to choose from and judging from the amount on the shelves, the trofie with pesto, sicilian-style fusilli and carbonara-style penne seemed the most popular. The bold graphics are definitely designed to distract you from the fact that you are about to gain sustenance straight out of a carton. Remove the fork, open one corner of the plastic-covered container, nuke for 2 minutes and dig in. Mixing the sauce and pasta afterwards was just plain awkward due to the graduated shape of the container but what everyone really wants to know is this – is it any good??? The answer to that is in this italian proverb of which I entirely place my faith (and stomach):
Ciò che si mangia con gusto non fa mai male.
What you eat with pleasure will never make you sick.
Wow! I feel that way whenever I eat canned spam and greasy chinese take-out, but this was forgettable and regretable. Thumbs down on penne alla carbonara (no black pepper?). Atleast the Box wins cute points in reminding you to separate paper and plastic!
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