At the risk of sounding like an ad for Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, many things are good when mixed together. I like peanut butter and jelly. I like vodka and orange juice. Mashed potatoes and gravy, chocolate and peanut butter – they’re all excellent.
But my current addiction is trail mix – the kind with peanuts, cashews, raisins, almonds and M&Ms, and I want to know: When I reach into the bag for a handful, why is it so hard to get an evenly mixed group of items?
The perfect handful would be, obviously, one peanut, one cashew, one raisin, etc. I know that’s asking a lot, however, so I’d be happy with a relatively random grouping. I can even live with not getting an M&M in every handful, since the M&M is obviously a poorly represented demographic in the trail mix.
However, here’s what happens. I’ll reach in and pull out a fairly random handful, which makes me happy. But then, even as I chew, sighing contentedly, I reach for another handful, to be greeted with four cashews. Or a peanut and three raisins. Or – I kid you not – eight M&Ms and a lonely little almond. Then I am no longer happy, and I am forced to replace some of the items and search for others.
There are reasons for this, you know. First of all, I don’t want to reach the bottom of the bag and be left with nothing but cashews. I want to make sure there’s an even sampling all the way to the bottom of the package. Getting too many raisins early on virtually guarantees a dearth of raisins later – not a pleasant thing to look forward to.
But most of all, I do it because I want a sampling, dammit. That, after all, is the reason for trail mix in the first place, is it not? If I wanted a handful of raisins, I would go buy a box of raisins. I want to feel the flavors and textures mingle and socialize as I chew, as if they had been chosen by a master chef. So I’m left throwing almonds back into the bag while I decide if I want another peanut or perhaps a cashew with this handful, and I can’t help thinking that snacking should not be this much mental work.
Perhaps it’s time to switch to something less OCD-conducive, like Doritos.
May 30th, 2008 at 5:12 am
Tip: Give it a jiggle before you dig in.
Ironically, you can also use this technique xxx xxx xxx xxx.
Try it at home!
May 30th, 2008 at 6:18 am
The old Indians had a solution to this: they pounded dried venison, nuts and berries all together into a somewhat powdery form, mixed it all together and carried it in a little pouch. You may have to do that…or not.
May 30th, 2008 at 7:14 am
Moooooog: tried the jiggle (on the trail mix.) The end result is that all the heavier items sink to the bottom.
Yeah, I’ve spent way too much time on this.
May 30th, 2008 at 7:15 am
Montucky: Do you mean pemmican? I tried that once and was not impressed. Though if they didn’t have to sort their nuts and berries, I might have to reconsider…
May 30th, 2008 at 8:30 pm
Yup, pemmican. I’ve been doing that too although not intentionally, it’s just the way stuff settles in my pack; dried fruit, six year old venison jerky, etc. It’s very nourishing, although not much of a recreational food.
May 31st, 2008 at 4:34 pm
You need dispensers for each ingredient that you can individually set for the perfect mix.
Of course the whole mechanism would have to fit in a backpack if you want to take you mix on the trail.
June 1st, 2008 at 11:47 am
Why not just pour it all into a bowl and pick at it? Of course, this won’t work at all if you’re actually HIKING, but if you’re noshing at home…
June 1st, 2008 at 12:35 pm
Rest assured that somewhere there are scientists finding an answer to your dilemma.
Good to read you as well. I left Writing Up and, when I returned, it was nowhere to be found.
June 2nd, 2008 at 8:08 am
Brent: See what I mean? It’s too complicated to snack.
June 2nd, 2008 at 8:10 am
Miss J: That, of course, is the perfect solution. If I didn’t need more blog posts, I might just try that. As it is, this way I can continue to complain about trail mix for another two posts at least.
June 2nd, 2008 at 8:11 am
BAIFP: I just hope somebody doesn’t make a million dollars from a solution without including me in the financial mix somehow.
WritingUp went belly up, and a few of us managed to stay in touch.
June 10th, 2008 at 10:49 am
I have to disagree with the whole “putting it in bowl” scenario. The basic insurmountable problem is gravity: the heavier items (especially brazil nuts) will always sink. The only sensible way out is to spread it all out on a shallow tray. It may take up a greater square footage but it would solve so many problems of the unwanted cashew variety.
Doesn’t really help when looking for a quick sugar fix half way up an alp.
June 26th, 2008 at 9:36 am
I thought I was the only one who needed an equal ration of ingredients, thanks, now I don’t feel so alone. I throw a handful on a paper towel and rearrange and pick what I want, the overage that’s left over goes to my husband b/c he will just take whatever is left and empty the whole lot of it in his mouth. I’m not even sure he chews it. We also eat Jelly Bellys this way. I eat one at a time, chewing carefull to get the full range of flavors, he’ll empty a medium size bag into his mouth and masticate it into one giant gooey jelly glob the size of a tennis ball with no discernment for flavor whatsoever.
June 26th, 2008 at 4:36 pm
No, it’s not just you. I’m beginning to sense a niche in the market here - something that measures and dispenses your trail mix.
Must give more thought.