Starting the New Year with Bubbles and Junk Food

Starting the New Year with Bubbles and Junk Food

Over the holidays I hosted a casual New Year’s Day brunch. To add a fun, interactive component to the celebration I decided to invite guests to bring a chilled bottle of bubbly—alcoholic or non—along with their favorite junk food to share with others. Secretly, too, I was curious to see if any correlation existed between my friends’ personalities and their choice of junk food. Turns out, there was. But that’s another story.

So that we’re all on the same page, let’s establish some parameters for this week’s topic of junk food. What is it and other than satisfying our cravings, does it have any redeeming qualities?

How to define “Junk Food”

According to Wikipedia:” ‘Junk food’ is a term used to describe food that is high in calories from macronutrients such as sugar and fat and often also high in sodium making it hyperpalatable and low in dietary fiber, protein or micronutrients such as vitamins and minerals.” Also known as HFSS food—meaning "high in fat, salt and sugar food”—junk food is unquestionably bad for your health, especially if consumed in excess.

As I looked around the buffet table where my friends’ contributions of savory junk food were attractively displayed in bowls and baskets for our “first course,” I wondered about each item’s backstory. I decided to dive into the matter the day after the party when all the cleanup had been completed. To better understand the choices, I posed these questions to the attendees in a follow-up email:

1. What do you consider as a junk food?

2. What role does junk food have in your life, if any?

3. What did you bring and why?

Here’s what several of my guests divulged:

Low in nutrition but high in emotional value

Joan Brower, retired mega publicist specializing in travel and wine, was the first to respond to the post-brunch query. “I always consider junk food to be that which has low nutritional value but high emotional value! Junk food gives me comfort as a fun and appealing indulgence. Key is moderation.”

Joan’s offerings were German marzipan (acquired from Schaller and Weber) candies shaped like real fruit. This was so Joan, a thoughtful woman with a razor-sharp mind who looks for connections and meaning in everything she does.

Joan selected her marzipan because these were “colorfully designed in the ironic image of ‘healthy’ fruit. I thought the sugary marzipan would be a playful addition to your New Year’s Day dessert table. Plus, these candies always make me smile.”

Not only did the miniature marzipan fruits make me smile too, but they also brought me back to my youth in Belgium. Here, during the cold, interminably long and rainy month of December, one of the few bright spots was the little massepain pigs you’d find in all the pastry shops. As I recall, this traditional confection was exchanged between friends from Christmas to New Year to bring good luck in the coming year.

Junk food: in their sweet and savory incarnation

Linda Gist, former television news producer, identified junk food as “Chips and Ruffles, Doritos, Cheetos, maybe any Frito-Lay product as well as flavored, spicy or cheesy crackers.” But junk food was not limited to salty as Linda also included “candy bars, Hostess cupcakes, Twinkies and that kind of packaged, single serving desserts” to her comprehensive list of inescapable American junk foods.

Considering all my guests were trim, fit foodies, it was no shock that everyone claimed that junk food had very little role in their lives. However, Linda freely admitted to sneaking in a candy bar once every three years. When she does, it’s always a Snickers. Linda also revealed that she frequently chooses “a tiny bag of flaming hot Doritos on a Jet Blue flight. Sometimes I’ll buy a small bag of potato chips if I’m making a tuna or egg salad sandwich.” Junk food in moderation. You go girl!

Linda brought a bag of Pepperidge Farm Goldfish to the party. “I love them but never have them in my house. Someone at the party said they weren’t junk food because they’re baked.” That’s true plus, according to their labeling, Goldfish are made with 100% real cheddar cheese plus no artificial flavors or preservatives. While they might not be as bad for you as other junk foods, according to Linda, “they certainly fall into the over-processed camp.”

I bet you can’t eat just one!

Ellen Negrin, wine sales manager extraordinaire, was somewhat miffed by the brunch’s theme. “When I first read your invitation, I thought I don't have a favorite junk food. It's not something I think about or keep in my house. Then I realized, if I did want some junk food it would be potato chips! Who doesn't love them? Especially with sparkling wine. You can dip them, put caviar on them, or just eat them plain. I bet you can’t just have one!”

Which brings up the issue of ultra processed foods. Their enhanced levels of salt, sugar and fat create an environment specifically designed to activate the brain’s reward center. As I learned in the recent New York Times Well Challenge series (https://bit.ly/4gLd0EN), UPFs tickle your brain which generates cravings like those in response to alcohol, nicotine or other addictive substances.

But back to the crazy-good potato chips which Ellen contributed. “So many choices to choose from,” she concluded. “Different brands and flavors: BBQ, salt and vinegar, and just plain sea salt which is what I decided to go with. In doing some research prior (to the brunch), I found out that Kettle Chips were the way to go. What that means is controversial, however. Kettle Chips are not healthier. They are cooked in batches and that makes them crispier. Bottom line is they are still fried in oil, and equal when it comes to fat, calories and carbohydrates. “

Secret confessions of a food snob

I must admit whenever I’m in Paris, there’s always a small bag of chips in the apartment to go with my apéro. My choice? Brets buckwheat chips flavored with sel de mer from the Guérande. Absolutely no additives or extra flavorings added, just buckwheat fried in sunflower oil, an unsaturated fat. A possible healthy junk food?

While Ellen expressed surprise at being the only person to bring potato chips to the January 1st gathering, she did notice that the real crowd pleaser was popcorn. Multiple variations of popcorn made it to the line-up including popcorn flavored with truffles, mustard and chocolate. There was even home-made Orville Redenbacher’s “gourmet, natural, and gluten free” popcorn on hand.

Mainlining popcorn

Jan Hazard, former food editor of Ladies Home Journal, proffered “My junk food is popcorn. As I mentioned earlier, popcorn is my crack! Why? I think when I had braces (full metal mouth) I was not allowed to (or suggested very strongly) have popcorn. Once something is denied the desire can grow stronger. Once the braces were removed, I became a popcorn addict!”

Jan brought to the table not just one but two New Year’s Eve top hats brimming with Orville’s popcorn she had made at home. Jan advocates using a microwaveable Lékué silicone popcorn maker. Considered the healthiest way to make popcorn, Lékué requires no oil or saturated fats. Just popcorn kernels and a little salt. Then, in two and a half minutes you have quick, easy and delicious popcorn. But Jan counseled that “you must only use Orville’s yellow popcorn as the kernels are larger than the white ones!” As for the taste preferences—some people claim the yellow corn has a richer taste, while the white is supposedly nuttier—Jan admits it really makes little difference. “Especially once I add my butter and salt.”

We never eat the stuff

When I asked Lila Gault, former wine marketing guru and journalist, to describe junk food, she offered that “Junk food has slim to no nutritional value, but addictive and tastes good. Fortunately for our health, Bill (her husband) and I eat almost none.

“That said,” she revealed that “it was a challenge that made us laugh to bring ‘a favorite junk food’ to your otherwise elegant brunch. So, we dropped into our newly opened nearby Target and bought the biggest jar of cheddar cheese balls ever seen.” She was correct. The plastic tub contained 1 pound and 4 ounces of corn snacks! With tongue in cheek, Lila aptly named her contribution as “International Junk Food Jubilee 2025 - Best In Show.”

Being adventurous about junk food

Kate Hanenberg—my renaissance pal who practices architectural design for a living but secretly writes plays, poetry, and music for fun—tackled the topic from an analytical perspective with a touch of rye wit.

“Like everything in life,” Kate mused, “my notions on what is junk food have changed! While I probably always realized that there was something suspicious about the resilience of Twinkies or the blinding pink of Snoballs, potato chips were a reasonable and welcome addition to a school lunch,” agreeing with Linda Gist. “And they remain a favorite snack (especially since they are gluten free),” Kate wickedly admitted.

Kate contributed three different packages of junk food. “I brought Fritos (since nothing that salty could possibly be healthy); Cheetos for the satisfying crunch and powdery orange residue, and potato sticks which I am putting back into the category of acceptable foods!”

Pigs-in-a-blanket: America’s #1 crowd pleaser

My contribution should come as no surprise. I selected “Pigs-in-a-blanket,” a dish which holds the dubious distinction of being adults’ favorite cocktail party food. While everyone knows they are high in calories and sodium—not to mention the nitrates in those mini frankfurters—most of us secretly partake and will even go back for seconds when no one is looking.

A healthy lunch as an antidote

Lest you think that all we consumed that afternoon was champagne, chips, and popcorn, please know that there was also a healthy brunch. Guests were served poached salmon, thin slices of honey-glazed ham, and three different salads: Ina Garten’s arugula and roasted carrots; quinoa and chickpeas; and finally, my Moroccan beet salad with orange segments, mint and chèvre tossed in an Argan oil dressing.

Bracing oneself for 2025

A final offering of the guests’ sweet junk foods was elegantly displayed alongside my dessert of chocolate mousse and poached pears. It was a sweet feast of holiday cookies; hand-dipped chocolates; popcorn covered with white and dark chocolate; marzipan mini fruits; and warmed slices of Trader Joe’s Danish Kringle, an almond-flavored pastry.

What better way to kick off 2025 than with an afternoon of friendship, bubbles and random junk food indulgences. After all, one does need to brace oneself before succumbing to the tyranny of Dry January. And let’s not forget the perennial resolutions for a healthier lifestyle in the coming year.

Dear Readers,

I am off for a few days in Paris and promise to bring back an accounting of the highlights of this winter trip.