The pasta chips tend is taking over Tik Tok, and we are not here for it

WORDS Ella Jane PHOTOGRAPHY Courtesy Instagram PUBLISHED Tue, 6 Jul 2021 - 9:00 am

What - and I cannot stress this enough - is up with the people of Tik Tok finding abysmal ways to utilise pasta?

If you were begging your algorithm to be spared from countless videos of people mixing penne into trays of coagulated feta and tomatoes over and over again a couple of months ago, you weren't alone. You also will not be alone in your horror when you find out what is now trending. A prospect so upsetting that, had I known it would go viral, I might have deleted Tik Tok in protest of the trend that is "pasta chips". "Pasta chips" are achieved by simply boiling pasta, covering it in olive oil and parmesan, and then air frying it for 10 minutes, where it becomes - so I'm told - chip-like. Not only does this seem like the worlds most effective waste of time, but it also begs the question: why are the people of Tik Tok so determined to spoil pastas good name? Is it no longer enough to be eaten in the way it was intended? Call me a conservative, but I will be happily perishing upon my traditionalist hill until the end, Cacio e Pepe in tow.

Tik Tok can be such a wonderful resource for cooking and food, and then it can also be a place where "pasta chips" exist. Where it feels as though 12 year olds who want to experiment in the kitchen are running wild on the app, driving air fried, boiled pasta to hit viral status. Sigh. I digress, if you are urged to eat/make something chip-like that isn't just a literal potato chip, firstly, just live your life and eat a potato chip, secondly, below are some alternative options that feel a little more zesty, and don't involve going out and purchasing an air fryer.