Tater Tot Mitosis

A celebration of the American culinary treat, the tater tot.

It is the time of year when it is so cold out that it makes me hungry even to just breathe in and out. Let alone go outside. A hearty breakfast that sticks to your ribs can really make the difference on a cold winter's day.

On this particular day, among the featured treats on the breakfast menu were tater tots, one of my very favorites. A tater tot, for those who have never had one, is a crispy potato snack. Each tot is a little bigger than the end of your thumb. It is sort of soft inside and very crispy and golden brown outside.

We can buy them in the frozen section of any local grocery store, and heated up in the oven (even the microwave versions are good), they are hot and delicious. Especially nice when dipped in ketchup, or nacho cheese sauce, or salsa, or barbecue sauce even. The possibilities are practically endless!

The problem with tots, though, is that it so easy to eat them. Just gobble them up! Hot and tasty. Addictive. They disappear so quickly.

On this day, however, we were very fortunate to witness the hardly-ever-seen process of tater tot mitosis. These tots were obviously in mid-process as we watched intently. How wonderful - the tots are propagating! How many tots will we end up with? Maybe we can make a fortune at it!

Oh, but . . . *um, snarf, chomp-chomp!* Oh, so fine and hot and crispy! *crispy-chomp!* So delightful! And delectable! *blushyface* Oopsie. Well, so much for THAT thought . . . It was a very short-lived career there for me as a tater tot mitosis wrangler/profiteer. Don't worry, I won't give up my day job. I might, however, have to go grocery shopping for more tots!

The soundtrack: Weird Al Yankovic, Addicted to Spuds. This video is a parody of the Robert Palmer video, Addicted to Love, so I'll include a link that as well, so you may enjoy them side by side.