The Dip That Changed Me

As I step out of the car, all sore and cramped up from the grueling fourteen-hour drive, all my worries and sorrows suddenly escape. I can smell the salty ocean and feel the warm breeze tickle my skin. I am overcome with happiness and excitement. It is my favorite week of the whole year. I am in St. Augustine, Florida with my entire family (cousins, uncles, grandparents, and everyone in between), and I am ecstatic. I know I am about to spend a week full of making memories with my family, goofing on the beach, partying, singing, and of course, eating delicious food.

My family lives all over the country, and, to my dismay, I hardly ever get to see them. They span all the way from Georgia to Nebraska to New Jersey. We started the tradition of going to St. Augustine to visit my great-grandmother. She sadly passed away a few years ago, but we have kept the tradition of going there for a week over the summer.

Explaining the excitement of this trip is almost impossible. If you ever met my family, however, you would understand. They are crazy. Absolutely insane. But so much fun. We spend the days baking out on the beach, my older family members drinking beers and making cocktails. My uncles always plan something fun for the day, like a corn-hole tournament or frolfing (frisbee-golf, which I must say is the hardest sport ever). My crazy uncles will be a few drinks down by mid-afternoon and make a scene on the beach: foolish dancing, belting out songs like ‘Sweet Caroline’ or ‘American Pie,’ and searching the beach for chicks (their favorite hobby). A typical teenager may be mortified by this behavior, but not me. I absolutely love it and eventually join in.

St. Augustine is home to many of my ‘firsts,’ starting back to when I was young. I took my first steps there one summer. I went deep sea fishing for the first time there – never again. I had my first sip of alcohol (my grandpa, who was a little out of it, gave me a drink of his ‘vodka on the rocks’ when I was seven, but that is a whole different story). And finally, I tried Skyline dip for the very first time. While the Skyline dip seems trivial compared to all the other fascinating ‘firsts,’ it was the most magical.

Skyline Chili is very famous in Cincinnati, my hometown. No, it is not just any ordinary, chunky chili. Not at all. It is a sweet, smooth, cinnamon-like chiIi – it is life-changing. Skyline restaurants are all over Cincinnati, but I was a picky eater when I was younger and refused to try it. Boy was I missing out! It was going to take a lot for me to try this strange food. It was going to take St. Augustine.

I will never forget the moment I took my first bite of the gooey sensation. We had just come in from the beach, and we were ravenous. My Uncle Tim had mysteriously disappeared from the beach earlier, and it turns out he wanted to surprise us with a delicious dish. As soon as I set foot in the condo, my nose was overcome with a remarkable aroma from the kitchen. What was being cooked?! I was so excited and anxious, expecting a three course meal to be put on the table. However, I was seriously disappointed with the results. He made skyline dip. I immediately made a disgusted face.

All of my relatives were shocked. “You don’t like skyline dip??” They could not believe it. None of them lived in Cincinnati, which meant none of them got the chance to eat Skyline regularly. They grabbed chips and dove their hands faster in the dip than anything my eyes have ever witnessed. In between chews and swallows, they kept taunting me to try the dip. I could not take it anymore – I gave in. I grabbed a chip and skeptically placed some dip onto it. My whole family was staring, anxiously waiting for my response.

The perfect blend of the melty cream cheese, smooth chili, and drizzled cheddar cheese slid down my throat, and I was instantly changed. I had just fallen in love with something for the first time in my life. The dip was outstanding, better than anything I had ever tasted, and I could not believe I had been missing out for so long on something so amazing. I joined my family in inhaling the rest of the dip and volunteered to make some more the next day. That day tops off as one of the best of my life; I was with my family in my favorite place and just tasted my new favorite food. I cannot think of anything better than that.

That vacation was one of the only times I was even slightly excited to leave St. Augustine. I was beyond eager to get back to Cincinnati and go to a real Skyline restaurant. I forced my parents to stop there on the way back before we even got to our own house. I ate a 3-way, which is Skyline’s most popular meal. The waitress brought out a masterpiece – curly spaghetti lying on the bottom of the plate, with smooth chili dripping through and fluffy cheese on top. I savored every single bite, dreading the moment the last one went in my mouth. It was delectable.

Skyline is still my favorite restaurant, and the number one thing I miss about Cincinnati (sorry mom and dad). Whether it’s for the Skyline dip, a 3-way, or a coney – a hotdog on a steaming bun with chili falling through the cracks and that same fluffy cheese on top – I get mouthwatering cravings several times a week. I had to make the eight-hour drive to Cincinnati a few times last semester just to satisfy that craving.

While I cannot make every wonderful Skyline meal in my dorm, I can recreate the skyline dip – the original food that sparked my undying love. I love to make the dip for my friends and roommates so they get the opportunity to taste what I am constantly raving about. They, like I was, are always skeptical of the dish. However, when I pull the pan out of the oven and they hear the sizzling chili, smell the gooey cheese, and see the beautiful creation in front of them, their doubts disappear. One bite in and they have instantly fallen in love.

I am forever grateful for St. Augustine, my family, and Uncle Tim for making me try Skyline dip. Every time I take a bite into the dip, I think back to that one day that changed my life.

RECIPE:

1 (8 ounce) package of cream cheese

1 can of Skyline Chili

1 (8 ounce) package of shredded cheese

DIRECTIONS:

1. Spread cream cheese at the bottom of a casserole dish.
2. Pour the Skyline chili over the cream cheese.
3. Cover with shredded cheese.
4. Heat oven at 350 degrees.
5. Cook for about 10 minutes or until cheese is bubbling.
6. Serve with chips.

By: Carly Noel