potato chip simulacrum and medium grain ephemera
unsnackable vol. 61
At the heart of every good meme is a core truth. If you look closely enough, you may find even more- a rationale, an interrogation, or even a message that speaks to the nature of humanity itself.
This meme isn't just a bridge between two of my favorite seasonal foodstuffs (sweet corn and candy corn) but an interrogation of the liminal state where I have found myself trapped.
Why have I, a verified snack, been unable to put a single word about snacks on the page? I don't live a life lacking inspiration. If that was true, my afternoon snacks wouldn't look like this.
Thai Lays เลย์คลาสสิค กลิ่นสโมคแซลมอนครีมชีส with smoked salmon, capers, and cream cheese with everything bagel seasoning
My true self lives in opposition to the thresholds my brain continues to enforce. My constant self-flagellation can't overcome that. Instead, I slide a quiet penance your way in the form of a new set of unsnackables
the unsnackables
sweet
LA CAMPAGNOLA DULCE DE BATATA (Argentina)
I feel myself growing more formidable as I trade bright summer tomatoes for a perpetually replenishing mosaic of root/roasting veg scattered upon a sheet pan. Some are eaten with singed fingers straight from the oven on a busy workday, and others make their way into hearty rice bowls. In the case of sweet potatoes, the magic happens when they walk the line between sweet and savory. It makes me dream about helping this candy-like sweet potato paste find its home on a cheese plate or in a sandwich next to bitter greens and leftover roast chicken.
savory
MÌ LY THỂ THAO SPORT+ ACTIVE HƯƠNG VỊ GÀ HẦM NHÂN SÂM (Vietnam)
Ginger with chicken is a combination powerful and restorative enough to overcome my cynicism about the concept of a "sporty cup noodle" (because making it through the day is an athletic achievement too)
thirsty
A.LE COQ LIMONAAD PLOOMI KELLUKE (Estonia)
Alongside blackcurrant, plum is one of the many flavors I wish America would embrace. Feels unfair that peach is the only stone fruit treated as a "flavor" when plum has so much potential. Something to sip on while I dream about the best (now-discontinued) starburst flavor of all time.
boozy
LICOR DE CREMA D’ARRÒS 1860 (Spain)
After dragging my feet for years when my last rice cooker met an untimely demise and regaining the favor of my ancestors by learning to make small batches of rice on the stovetop, I finally bought a new rice cooker. But it's still sitting in the box, and instead of using it, I bought a tub of instant Korean rice during my last trip to H Mart and kept tacking on orders of rice to my takeout. I find comfort in the ephemera of rice in any form, even more so when it requires less effort, like pouring a glass of this rice liqueur.
I’m still figuring this out, but hopefully, you enjoyed v.61 of unsnackable.
If you didn’t please don’t tell me, tell your friends to subscribe because they hopefully have better taste than you.
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