Bologna deserves better and Guy’s Grocery Games reminded me why

With binge watching in full effect, episodes of Guy’s Grocery Games is on the menu. But one episode from 2019 reminded me of how bologna gets no love.

If you’re anything like me, you might be binge watching the Food Network and old episodes of shows like Guy’s Grocery Games. While this can be an interesting way to learn new cooking techniques and inspire new dishes, it is also a chance to be reminded of food products that often get a bad rap. And one item that saw no love in an episode from 2019 is bologna.

In the episode titled “Single-Aisle Showdowns,” which originally aired on Aug. 28, 2019, chefs took part in a contest that saw them getting a cart with three ingredients prior to shopping in a single aisle. The aisle they were allowed to shop in was aisle one, with all of the produce. And one of the carts featured chicken bouillon, sour cream, and bologna.

And if ever there was a cart that no one wanted, it would be the cart with the bologna. Apparently everyone was upset by the idea of having to use this lunch meat as part of a comfort food dish.

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Now I don’t know about you, but this was baffling to me. And I guess the reason for my confusion stems from the fact that growing up a comfort dish that my grandmother, my father, my mother, basically every adult in my life, would make was fried bologna with onions.

To have the entire produce aisle on hand with bologna, cream cheese and the chicken bouillon made me instantly think of a comfort meal and the fact that the three chefs dismissed this lunch meat was rather sad. In my mind, it would have been easy to make a fried bologna and onion dish with roasted potatoes and a creamy spinach side.

Obviously, in the heat of the moment on a cooking competition, it can be hard to come up with a dish on the spot. But the way the chefs made their disdain of bologna known was rather sad. As a kid, that was one of those items that helped build a solid comfort dish, and to know that chefs wouldn’t see it that way is disappointing.

Guy’s Grocery Games is inspiring me to want to have a lot of fun with different ingredients. And after watching this particular episode, it’s really making me want to grab a package of bologna and create my own unique comfort meal.

What do you think of bologna? Are you a fan of this lunch meat? Have you been watching Food Network or Guy’s Grocery Games? Did you see this episode of the series? Tell us what you think in the comments.