I have started to become an afternoon snack guy for some health reasons and it has been an absolute delight that that has been a tremendous benefit physically and mentally, and I‘ve been very excited to try new things and it’s nice to have a lil‘ treat in the afternoons. To share my joy and enthusiasm, I wanted the IC community to share their favorite snacks, share pictures of any cool snacks they find or got, maybe give each other fun some new snack ideas. I was thinking today of that story recently when snacks during gaming came up on an IC episode of Frank eating one popcorn piece at a time while strategizing in Baldur’s Gate.
Today I had some olives for the first "real" time and they were incredible! I always found them gross and avoided them whenever they showed up on pizza or salad as a kid, but now that my palette and tastes have changed as I get older, oh my goodness, they're heavenly! I had black olives and have been recommended to try Kalamata olives next.
Snack time is the most delightful time of the day and I've been having a blast mixing it up with a lil' surprise every day while listening to some ska music.
@HeavenlyHalberd you have some wonderful moments ahead of you if you’re unfamiliar with olives. i recommend trying to find a high end grocery store that has an olive bar you can try out.
@HeavenlyHalberd I used to be a manager at a hoity-toity wholistic grocery store. That is to say, my business used to be charcuterie. (Among other specialty foods.)
If you’re loving olives, I cannot recommend Castelvetrano olives enough. Try to avoid olive bars if you can to have them as fresh as possible. They are soft, savory, and buttery.
Hot take, but…. Peanut Butter is yummier than Almond Butter. West coasters act like Almond is the superior nut and maybe it‘s healthier for you, has less ingredients and is less processed…. at the end of the day, I’d take peanut 110% of the time. It has the superior texture and flavor profile. It's smooth and easy to spread onto an apple or rice cake.
Peanut Butter is made for the average working stiff. The nut butters of the common man are as noble as those of any king. It's the stuff of life, why shouldn't it be the stuff of snacks? [You get it, don't you Charlie?](https://youtu.be/LiN26NHb4ao?si=saHkJB18pUE_jUS8)
My go to snack at work has been raw vegetables - usually carrots, celery and red pepper - with hummus. Sometimes I make my own but I usually buy Hope brand. Good stuff.
@MoH I guess my circle of friends and colleagues tend to be health nuts and California supremacists, so I assume the conventional logic is that almond butter is the more expensive, all-natural, “premium” choice for discerning consumers. Also a lot of young parents out here tend to buy it for their kids, so that when they go to school their pb&j doesn't make kids with peanut allergies go into anaphylactic shock from smell. I think almond defenders argue its more bitter and full-bodied taste is more mature and the grittier texture is no big deal. But even if it makes me sound like I have a babyish palette, I think peanut butter is yummier.
@HyggeState I have a meal idea someone recommend to me that includes olives and I've been thinking which kind to use. I was recommended to try kalamata but I also want to try your suggestion. Why not both? ;P
@tomjonjon I plan on trying hummus for the first time. Should I go with regular to experience it for the first time or start right off the bat with some sort of pepper variety?
@HeavenlyHalberd Bar as in salad bar, but in this case it's olives. Just a bunch of different kinds of olives to try out, often purchased by weight. Olives rule and are a great snack.
I‘m born n raised in California and peanut butter will always win over almond butter. The crunchier the better. It’s also a good source of protein when I am exercising, that can also act as a treat. When I am being healthy I'll always munch on PB and celery.
And anything brought in the house that is peanut butter and chocolate won't last 12 hours. Seriously. I can't help myself with that combo. If you want to set a trap in order to capture me, bait it with Reese's.
I don't really eat either peanut butter nor almond butter – as in, I pretty much never make a sandwich or whatever using either. However, I usually have a jar of each in the pantry as they are both useful ingredients in general cooking.
My most common snack is probably either some roasted almonds, or a mix of roasted nuts. However, the snack that I simply cannot resist is salt & vinegar potato chips. I love them so much. The more tart and acidic the vinegar part of the s&v combo is, the better. I **love** that one chip in the pack that somehow is just absolutely caked in the seasoning dust and performs a flawless 10 hit combo on my tongue.
@HeavenlyHalberd I'd try regular to start, and try a bunch of different brand or makers. I thought I hated hummus for a long time because my first experience was with a crummy brand.
@HeavenlyHalberd At the same job I mentioned, we also sold high end fruits and paired them with fresh baked breads and cheeses. I’d eat the slightly bruised grapes, plumbs, or cherries all day. I wasn’t technically supposed to, but I did. (Protocol was to throw them away.)