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Why millennials are feral for chicken Caesar wraps

Could a chicken Caesar wrap and a Diet Coke really heal millennial ennui?

Why millennials are feral for chicken Caesar wraps

Could a chicken Caesar wrap and a Diet Coke really heal millennial ennui?

For most Americans who have ever eaten lunch, a chicken Caesar wrap is simply a tortilla-wrapped tangle of lettuce, grilled chicken, and creamy dressing. But aficionados see this midday meal item as exponentially more than the sum of its simple parts.

They’re the singular glimmer of happiness in a work day that’s designed to humble us. They’re comfort food for a swath of burnt-out millennials. They can foster tremendously useful office small talk. They’re also very good, sometimes, I’m told.

That’s perhaps why people post prolifically about them. When those humans aren’t posting, they’re ostensibly eating them. When they’re not eating them, they’re telling us that they’re in hot pursuit of the next one.

People have strong feelings about the beloved CCW. Its meteoric ascent and vocal fandom are evidence of that. Like any obsession, though, these feelings often say more about us than they do the thing we’re infatuated with.

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Why wouldn’t you want a chicken Caesar wrap?

The first thing you need to know about the chicken Caesar wrap is that it is, scientifically, delicious. Dan Souza, chief content officer at America’s Test Kitchen and expert in the unfathomably expansive subjects of food and taste, says the wrap (and the salad it is adapted from) can be a truly fantastic bite of food.

Romaine and croutons are crispy and crunchy, two extremely desirable textures. Its dressing is liquid umami; there’s a distinct savory flavor hiding in the filets of anchovies and within the tiny crystals of Parmesan. Lemon juice adds acidity, and olive oil and egg yolk impart fat. Rich and delicate, buttery and tangy, salty and bright — these are all combinations that spark attention in human tastebuds.

Many recipes are works in progress. Some can always be a little bit better. But a Caesar salad offers little room for improvement. “It’s sort of the conclusion of a recipe,” Souza told Vox. “I don’t think it needs to be tweaked or changed in any way.”

While Souza’s case for Caesar salad is convincing, I told him that I didn’t fully understand the necessity for a wrap. Why add another variable to what is a theoretically perfect food? Why not just have a Caesar salad?

“Oh, so you’re in that camp,” Souza said, before making his next argument.

Souza says there is something deeply American in turning food on a plate into something we can eat with our hands. “We’re a sandwich nation,” he said. Burgers, fried chicken sandwiches, burritos, hot dogs and corn dogs, and various meats and cheeses on a stick — Americans love them. Given our track record, it is only natural that the citizens of this great country would prefer to eat Caesar salad with our hands.

“For me, just picking it up and being able to get that sort of perfect bite is........

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