Ultimate 5 : Snacks

Today's entry is less introspective and more gastronomical. It is also shamelessly un-health-conscious. I do eat healthy snacks, but they don't make the top 5.

1. Chocolate

Number one. Obviously. KitKat has been my favourite for a long time, as far as chocolate bars go; it's simple, with its wafers and chocolate, and it's shareable. I might share it with you, or I might share it with myself. If I'm writing something, I can eat one stick, or half a stick, at a time. It's hard to split up a Snickers, but those are very good too (although I have to hide them from my dad). Cadbury's has excellent variety, and can be snapped into squares - those bars got me through many an essay.
Hedgehogs. Purdy's are consistently good, but my sister brought me gourmet hedgehogs made with dark chocolate from Saltspring. Oh my goodness. Yum.
Chocolate mousse. Chocolate cheesecake. Creme brulee with chocolate ganache. Mint chocolate, orange chocolate, mocha cake. I'll take any of the above. I like my chocolate ice cream to have stuff in it, but I enjoy plain dark chocolate.
I don't know why I love it so much. I suppose that chocolate lends itself to many textures, from solids to liquids, so it can be enjoyed in a variety of ways. Anything chocolate is often the dessert of choice at a party. It's rich, but not always expensive. I like the sound of the word itself. I like melting good-quality chocolate in my mouth and tasting the complex flavours. And, whether it's scientifically proven or just an added benefit, chocolate makes me happy!

2. Popcorn

I love popcorn. Particularly stovetop-popped with butter and salt. I think this goes back to when I spent my elementary school lunch breaks at my friend Rachel's, and her mom would make ridiculously good corn. I have an awesome stovetop popcorn popper from my great uncle, with a crank handle that spins the kernels around so they don't burn. I also love kettle corn, and occasionally Kernels double butter. Jody and Camilla like theirs with some kind of health food store yeasty topping, but this must be a Kootenay thing.

3. Licorice

Red only, please. No licorice allsorts, no cigars, no black pinwheels. I will, on occasion, eat green or purple licorice, but strawberry is the best. Especially if it's Twizzlers, or Nibs. I like to eat my Nibs in conjunction with my #2 favourite, especially in movie theatres. Mmmm. If I am very very lucky, some people buy me RedVines when they go to the States.

4. S'mores

There's toasty marshmallows PLUS chocolate here, and the graham crackers keep it from burning my fingers. They're really just a vehicle for the tasty filling - am I right? And burnt marshmallows are not a problem - I just eat the outside and stick the mallow back in the fire. Thin chocolate wafers are good because they melt all the way, and Hershey's or Dairy Milk are yummy whether they're melted or not, so I'll take either one. S'mores are one of the best things about camping or beach fires. I wish I could have them all year round, but when I can't I just eat a S'mores Chewy bar.

5. Cinnamon buns

Cinnamon...brown sugar...warm dough... The only other necessity? Buns must be free of raisins.
If I didn't love cinnamon buns before, I certainly would have after reading Robin McKinley's Sunshine. I couldn't stop thinking about them as I read that book. I craved them, and wished I could make cinnamon rolls as well as the heroine - but I'll leave the vampire conspiracies to Sunshine.
Until the technology to transport edibles from literature exists, I have to limit myself to Sally's or Cobb's cinnamon buns. I tried one at my local cafe and could not eat more than two bites. It was disgusting. If I am desperate, Pillsbury is good, but I always eat too many and they're full of stuff I don't care to contemplate. But Sally's... or Cobb's... delicious. Sally's makes a plain one, and a blueberry-pecan one. Cobb's has icing, and is more bunlike; Sally's is more roll-like and in no need of icing. I think that when I finish my resume - which I have promised myself will be later today - I will go to Cobb's as a treat.