Let's check the pantry
Hello, Snackers. Doug here with a quick note for everyone.
1. THANK YOU for being here. I truly appreciate that you read this newsletter. Snack Stack email open rates are typically above 55 percent (which is a LOT for a newsletter), and in a world with ten bajillion things to read, it’s lovely to have so many of you taking the time to have a snack break with me.
2. I’m taking this week off for a much-needed break. If you’re craving some snacks, see below for some posts you may have missed. I’ll be back next Wednesday, September 7.
I don't have a lot of ideas lined up for fall content right now (new possibilities are constantly popping up, of course, and I'll always think of something), so if you have any requests or suggestions, please send them my way! Drop a comment here or get in touch at hello@snackstack.net or on Twitter @douglasmack. Help me stock the pantry!
3. I’ve set up a discussion thread for all of you while I’m gone. It’s about food and memory and I’d love to hear your stories! Watch for that prompt in your inbox on Wednesday.
4. If you’ve been busy but want to catch up on some snack posts, here (below) are all the stories from the last couple of months. I’ll start sending these out recaps once every now and then, just so you have a list of recent additions gathered in one place.
Posts with a star (⭐) are my own recent favorites.
Posts with a lock (🔒) are available only to paid subscribers. If that’s you, thanks for your support! If you’d like that to be you, go ahead and sign up for a paid subscription. I promise you’ll love the extra content and it will also help support this work and allow me to keep doing it. I'd really appreciate it. Paid subscriptions are just $5 per month or $52 per year.
Recent investigations
Toaster waffles and toaster pastries (USA)
Official state foods (USA)
Jell-O Pudding Pops (USA)
⭐Everything bagels (USA, mostly)
⭐Steamed hams, both meme and reality (USA, mostly)
Baking with crushed crackers (USA, mostly)
Baked/fried ice cream (USA and France)
Cheese straws (USA, England)
History and methods of sandwich-cutting (worldwide)
Communion wafer leftovers (also known as host cuttings) (Québec)
Recent introductions
🔒Chipa (roll from Paraguay)
🔒⭐Zapiekanki (baguette pizza from Poland)
🔒Cholado (elaborate cold drink from Valle del Cauca, Colombia)
🔒⭐Gato (various fried fritter-like snacks from Mauritius)
🔒Pylsa/Pulsa (Icelandic hot dogs)
🔒Calentita (pancake/flatbread from Gibraltar)
🔒Fricassée (sandwich from Tunisia)
🔒⭐Pav bhaji (vegetable curry with a soft roll from Mumbai, India)
Recent essays, lists, and miscellaneous stuff
🔒The snack that went to court (the true tales of four legal matters where a burrito was crucial evidence)
The 1980s snack that melted away (the rise and fall of Jell-O Pudding Pops)
🔒⭐The snacks at the patent office (a look at the patent filings for Nachosaurus, the Fantastic Fruit Holder, pretzel spoons, and other real snack-related inventions)
⭐The snacks at the Minnesota State Fair (how the evolution of novelty foods at the fair reflects the state’s demographic changes)
The snack that supported a war (freedom fries, cancel culture, and the legacy of a most ridiculous rebranding effort)
🔒⭐The sound of snacks (how what we hear changes our perception of what we eat)
The snacks of political protest (Paschal's soul food, Greek yogurt, Argentine pastries, and other fuel for the fight)
Notes on Cheez-It Tostadas and [insert other novelty food here] (some thoughts on corporate novelty foods that desperately want to go viral on social media)
⭐Chocolate chip cookies and other lies (notes on food origin stories and the mythology of the things we eat)
Happy snacking!
— Doug Mack, Snack Fan
PS—Here’s a fun tweet that’s very relevant to our interests.
