“Normally, it’s gross,” announced my son Louie, setting up a discussion about a certain prospective snack ingredient. “It tastes like poop,” clarified his friend Ella. “I don’t usually like it,” observed my son Remy, who is the chef of the family. “But in this form I do.” When Ella realized to which snack we were referring, she lurched toward me like a starving zombie. “You have kale chips,” she stated in a firm monotone that was both question and statement. The rest of the gang joined in pursuit of the fresh batch of kale chips I’d made for their lunches. Perhaps someday in the future, food technologists will have the tools to solve the deep, mysterious alchemy of kale chips. Even today, our crude brains can at least comprehend that grease, salt, and crispiness will all make food taste better. As for what exactly happens to that part of kale’s …