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Fritos, chili con carne, Velveeta, freshly chopped white onions, and pickled jalapeños… It’s a recipe for a big bowl of wrong. And I loved every bite.

As much as I loved it through my childhood and adolescence, I’m not eating much junk food these days. Gotta keep that heart healthy.

So when the opportunity to eat something really special comes up, I jump at the chance. The once-a-year Houston Rodeo is a no-holds-barred triglyceride feast for me.

The only thing not perfect about the Frito pie in the image above was that it was served in a checkered deli basket and not a Fritos bag.

It’s a quintessential Texan dish. After all, Fritos were invented in San Antonio. And the chili is that uniquely Texan version of ragù, made with just chiles, spices, and ground beef — absolutely no beans! One writer for Texas Monthly put it this way: “don’t look for a united Texan front when it comes to defining ‘authentic’ (except for a near universal, almost hysterical aversion to the inclusion of beans).” See the link for a classic recipe.

We had a blast at this year’s Rodeo, our first time back since the closures. The Frito pie was immensely delicious. And Dr. Green was none the wiser.