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You are here: Home / Open Threads / Mostly Open Thread / More Wondering than Substance

More Wondering than Substance

by WaterGirl|  October 2, 202510:00 pm| 143 Comments

This post is in: Mostly Open Thread

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So today I got a bag of my favorite gummy bears (Albanese) as a reward because I dropped on the scale to a number that ended in 5.  And I had a deep thought after I started by carefully picking my least favorite colors (orange and grape) so I could save the best flavors for later.  I wondered, does everyone do that?

Whether it’s M&Ms or mixed nuts or fruit flavored gummy bears, do you have a style?  Go for your favorites first? Save your favorites for last?  Or do you truly live on the edge and you just take whatever you get when you grab a handful?

They also had the option of Albanese gummy butterflies – who the hell would want those?  Totally wrong mouth feel! :-)

Another deep question to ponder.  Let’s say you sometimes have before you awesome chocolate chip cookies (or whatever food is a favorite) and sometimes the chocolate chip cookies are just adequate.

So here’s the question.  Do you eat more of the cookies when they are awesome?  Or more when they are just adequate?  Or it makes no difference to you at all?  I may be in the minority on this, but I eat less when they are really awesome, because it takes fewer cookies to satisfy whatever needs to be satisfied.  When they are just adequate, it takes more cookies.  I can eat one incredibly awesome brownie, but if they are just okay, I find myself eating more.  Is that crazy?

Oh, and since it’s already off the front page, here’s the post of the September serenity pics from earlier today in case you missed them.

Taking a Break from the News

Hoping to keep this thread more on the less stressful side since there was so much shitty news today.

 

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Reader Interactions

143Comments

  1. 1.

    Craig

    October 2, 2025 at 10:03 pm

    I always eat to correct amount of cookies.

  2. 2.

    WaterGirl

    October 2, 2025 at 10:05 pm

    @Craig: what is the correct amount?

  3. 3.

    J. Arthur Crank

    October 2, 2025 at 10:08 pm

    I tend to eat whole bags, boxes, containers, etc. in one sitting, so I try really hard not to have the bags, boxes, containers, etc. around in the first place.

    For things like Trader Joe’s trail mix, I always pick out the chocolate bits first, then tackle the rest later.

  4. 4.

    Craig

    October 2, 2025 at 10:12 pm

    @WaterGirl: the proper amount. Probably depends on what kind of gummies I’m eating. Famous Amos, the whole bag. Fresh baked, probably 2. I’ve never heard your method of more of adequate cookies, but it makes some odd sorta sense.

  5. 5.

    BlueGuitarist

    October 2, 2025 at 10:12 pm

    Thanks for the serenity pics!

  6. 6.

    frosty

    October 2, 2025 at 10:13 pm

    Great tag: “Mostly open thread” First time I’ve seen that one!

  7. 7.

    Jackie

    October 2, 2025 at 10:13 pm

    Dark, dark chocolate. So satisfyingly good, I eat less as I’m sated quickly. I don’t have much of a sweet tooth, so a few bites and I’m done. I don’t like store bought cookies, but I love home baked chocolate chip cookies. Again, I do the dark chocolate chunks (rather than chips) so one, maaaybeee two cookies and I’m done.

    Don’t do gummy anything. Don’t care for the texture. I think I was the only kid I knew who didn’t like DOTS candy chews.

  8. 8.

    Old Dan and Little Ann

    October 2, 2025 at 10:14 pm

    Hmmmmm…..gummies……

  9. 9.

    Fair Economist

    October 2, 2025 at 10:15 pm

    I generally spread out my favorites. Some of the best, some of the others, some of the best. Based on happiness research (we most remember the start and finish) I have some of my favorites first and some last.

    I eat too much whether it’s great or mediocre. Only if it’s disappointing do I muster the willpower to stop.

  10. 10.

    Ruckus

    October 2, 2025 at 10:16 pm

    I buy Nabisco Chips Ahoy.

    About as good as mom made – all those decades ago. Not as thick as hers but I think pretty good nonetheless.

    I could make my own but I just never in the mood any more. Must be my case of old fartitus.

  11. 11.

    RaflW

    October 2, 2025 at 10:17 pm

    I have noticed that if I’m hanging out at my BF’s sister’s house, where Chips Ahoy are often available, yeah I eat more of those than I do fresh home made (or good bakery, fresh) chocolate chip cookies. I think its right that it doesn’t really scratch the itch. Funny how at least for some of us the response is moar, not ‘whelp, that’s not what I wanted.’

    Same sister-out-law gave us jelly beans at easter. They were in plastic eggs, maybe 8 per egg. I’d try yo only eat one egg per day, and I saved any lemon ones for last, they were the best!

  12. 12.

    Craig

    October 2, 2025 at 10:18 pm

    I just go buckwild and grab whatever gummy color.

  13. 13.

    frosty

    October 2, 2025 at 10:19 pm

    OK, now to the topic. We’re going to talk about potato chips, because in the world of junk food, for me it’s starch, grease and salt. Forget the sugar, blech.

    Choice of Grandma Utz/Kettle/Cape Cod vs. Lays/Martins? I would go for the best first and finish them before anything else.

    Second: More when awesome? Yes, because I like them! The others don’t satisfy and aren’t worth eating. Corollary to the statement above.

    Finally, a shoutout to Hanover, PA, snack food capital of the world!!!

  14. 14.

    dww4

    October 2, 2025 at 10:22 pm

    For those who are in the  FTFNYT coterie you should be watching Lawrence O’Donnell right now. He has been giving them hell for their double standard in covering Dems and The GOP.  Specifically on this 3rd Day of the Disaster-in-Chief The NY Times has been absolutely silent. Do not know how to cover this rapidly destructing CIC. So they’ve said nothing.

  15. 15.

    Craig

    October 2, 2025 at 10:23 pm

    @frosty: Zapp’s.

  16. 16.

    RaflW

    October 2, 2025 at 10:23 pm

    Also, I’ve had Rufus Wainwright’s Cigarettes and Chocolate Milk in my head on and off in recent days. Italics added.

    cigarettes and chocolate milk
    these are just a couple of my cravings
    everything it seems I like’s
    a little bit stronger
    a little bit thicker
    a little bit harmful for me

    if i should buy jellybeans
    have to eat them all in just one sitting

    everything it seems I like’s
    a little bit sweeter
    a little bit fatter
    a little bit harmful for me

  17. 17.

    WaterGirl

    October 2, 2025 at 10:24 pm

    @J. Arthur Crank: is that because the xhilate bits are your favorite? Or least favorite?

  18. 18.

    BenInNM

    October 2, 2025 at 10:25 pm

    Definitely in the saving the good ones for last camp. I’m a licorice fiend and so will always save the licorice jelly beans or whatever for last.

    Also never thought about eating less of something really good but I think it holds for me. I can eat a few pieces of really good licorice but if I have a bag of twizzlers I tend to just eat the whole thing

  19. 19.

    WaterGirl

    October 2, 2025 at 10:26 pm

    @Jackie: dots taste like chemicals. Good gummies do not!

  20. 20.

    Jackie

    October 2, 2025 at 10:27 pm

    @dww4:

    you should be watching Lawrence O’Donnell right now.

    I have him recording. I’ll watch him after the game’s over:-)

  21. 21.

    WaterGirl

    October 2, 2025 at 10:27 pm

    @Fair Economist: Favorites first and last. Very interesting! Rubs chin thoughtfully.

  22. 22.

    Sister Golden Bear

    October 2, 2025 at 10:27 pm

    @WaterGirl:

    what is the correct amount?

    All of them Katie. Especially after edibles. /s

  23. 23.

    WaterGirl

    October 2, 2025 at 10:28 pm

    @Ruckus: I would go hungry before I would eat a chips ahoy cookie!

    i am a chocolate snob, I think.

  24. 24.

    MobiusKlein

    October 2, 2025 at 10:29 pm

    Where should I send my serenity pics?

    Am I an idiot who can’t find my nose?

  25. 25.

    WaterGirl

    October 2, 2025 at 10:31 pm

    @frosty: have you tried Lays with 50% less salt? My favorites.

  26. 26.

    Jackie

    October 2, 2025 at 10:32 pm

    @WaterGirl: It’s the texture. I don’t like squishy chewiness. My kiddos and grandkiddos like chewies. I tried my kids’ chewies when they were actually kids. NOPE. Tried the grandkiddos. NOPE. Plus I’m not a sugar lover. Dark chocolate or nothing LOL

  27. 27.

    Trivia Man

    October 2, 2025 at 10:32 pm

    @frosty: Cape Cod with avocado oil and cracked pepper are their best.

    I also really enjoy Dutch Farms spicy Pickle potato chips.

    I stopped keeping ice cream in the house after I got The Sugars, so I use chips as an evening snack to get a mouth feel itch scratched. Only when they are on sale, full price potato chips are still a sticker shock.

  28. 28.

    WaterGirl

    October 2, 2025 at 10:33 pm

    @Craig: never heard of them. If I’m buying at a store and. It homemade, I try to buy with 5 ingredients or less.

  29. 29.

    WaterGirl

    October 2, 2025 at 10:34 pm

    @Jackie: have you had Jeni’s darkest chocolate ice cream???

  30. 30.

    Trivia Man

    October 2, 2025 at 10:36 pm

    @BenInNM: In a welcome surprise, I found that I can be satisfied with one spoonful of ice cream in the evening. As a teen I could (Did) finish a half gallon in a sitting and I bet I still could. But perhaps I’ve gained wisdom finally.

    For my birthday I got a Culvers Custard 4 pack of pints and it took me 3 months to finish them all. Proud of my self control. None in the house now, I am sure I’ll pick up another 4 pack soon.

  31. 31.

    schrodingers_cat

    October 2, 2025 at 10:36 pm

    @frosty: Cape Cod chips are the best. There is a small shop in Mumbai that makes chips in ghee and sprinkles them with stoneground black pepper. Its like you have died and gone to the potato chip heaven. They are still around and the chips are just as good!

  32. 32.

    WaterGirl

    October 2, 2025 at 10:36 pm

    We don’t just have to talk about food. Just wanted to get a conversation started.

  33. 33.

    frosty

    October 2, 2025 at 10:37 pm

    @MobiusKlein: The ones she posted from me all came from On The Road submittals. WG can answer but I’d suggest emailing her (link on the upper right) to tell her what you’re submitting and then use that form to send your pix. Then they’ll end in the FYWP library where she can pull them out and use them.

    Emailing them wouldn’t be nearly as easy to use IMHO.

  34. 34.

    WaterGirl

    October 2, 2025 at 10:37 pm

    @Trivia Man:  wow, I am in awe.

  35. 35.

    Trivia Man

    October 2, 2025 at 10:38 pm

    @WaterGirl: I have always found Oreos to be just meh. Although I have heard from people that eating one warm off the production line is divine. Very rare treat not many get to sample, but if you ever get an invite for a tour – take it!

    On a side note, I saw “Cookies and Cream flavored Oreos”. So… oreo stuffing?

     

    2 more Oreo facts –

    Nobody knows the origin of the name. Best guess, based on very early ad copy is the word CREAM with a round cookie obscuring the the C and AM.

    Oreo is actually the knock off. Hydrox was out for a couple years before the first Oreo hit the shelf.

  36. 36.

    Jackie

    October 2, 2025 at 10:38 pm

    @BenInNM:

    I’m a licorice fiend and so will always save the licorice jelly beans

    I DO like black licorice as in Good n Plenty, but I never go down the candy isle, so I don’t even know if they’re around anymore.

  37. 37.

    frosty

    October 2, 2025 at 10:38 pm

    @WaterGirl: Less salt??? Gack! I’ve been known to salt my bowl of chips. Blood pressure, so far so good.

  38. 38.

    Trivia Man

    October 2, 2025 at 10:41 pm

    @Jackie: “The Grateful Dead is like licorice. Not everybody likes it, but the ones who like it really like it a lot.”

    -J Garcia

  39. 39.

    WaterGirl

    October 2, 2025 at 10:41 pm

    @BenInNM: I love good black licorice! I used to love red licorice but now it makes me crabby.  So does cream of tartar in cookies. Or in anything else!

  40. 40.

    Jackie

    October 2, 2025 at 10:42 pm

    @WaterGirl: I love Fritos with 50% salt! They’re still salty – in fact the bag even warns “Not a low-salt food” lol

  41. 41.

    WaterGirl

    October 2, 2025 at 10:42 pm

    @WaterGirl: that was supposed to be NOT homemade

  42. 42.

    MobiusKlein

    October 2, 2025 at 10:43 pm

    @frosty:

      Thanks for the pointers. I’ve had a hankering to share various photo sets, but I suffer from too many pictures. Can never curate them to a useful subset and theme. Plus somebody Ninja’d my Death Valley trip, so I can’t do that one now.

  43. 43.

    Trivia Man

    October 2, 2025 at 10:44 pm

    @WaterGirl: ​
      Word association is a powerful social drive. “That reminds me of…”

    For 30 years I have been trying to make JIC happen online. Just Idly Curious seems like a perfectly cromulent way to pitch any topic or comment. Subject to bad actors FAKING idle curiosity and actually trying to throw shade or something, but the vast majority of my questions are JIC rather than agenda driven.

  44. 44.

    WaterGirl

    October 2, 2025 at 10:45 pm

    @Trivia Man:  decades ago, they had an Oreo hotline where you could call up and suggest different Oreo flavors. I called and suggested no stuff Oreos because I like the cookie, but I don’t like the white stuff or flavored stuff inside. Shudder! Not a big fan of frosting either. And fudge is usually too grainy too. I think it must be a texture thing for me.

  45. 45.

    narya

    October 2, 2025 at 10:45 pm

    I am definitely in the save-my-favorite-for-last camp for all foods. I have learned that often just a little of something is enough to satisfy me; it requires a little mindfulness, but also is less likely to result in feeling gross. Probably age-related, too.

  46. 46.

    Jackie

    October 2, 2025 at 10:46 pm

    @WaterGirl: No… I’ve never seen that label. Is it a national or regional brand?

  47. 47.

    WaterGirl

    October 2, 2025 at 10:46 pm

    @Jackie: yes they are!! My sister buys me a box every Christmas as sort of a stocking gift, without the stocking.

  48. 48.

    WaterGirl

    October 2, 2025 at 10:47 pm

    @Trivia Man: boy isn’t that the truth, on all counts!

  49. 49.

    coin operated

    October 2, 2025 at 10:47 pm

    The serving size for a box of Thin Mints is just that…1 box.

  50. 50.

    BenInNM

    October 2, 2025 at 10:48 pm

    @Jackie: For some reason black licorice is harder to find – if I’m in the airport or something and just looking for some I usually can’t find any

  51. 51.

    WaterGirl

    October 2, 2025 at 10:48 pm

    @Jackie: I have never seen that option with Fritos. Bet I would like that. I much prefer the king size Fritos, which is probably weird because it’s probably the exact same except the size but I think the king size ones are 10 times better

  52. 52.

    Peale

    October 2, 2025 at 10:49 pm

    Since we’re on to sacks, the new snickerdoodle Twix are quite tasty.

  53. 53.

    Trivia Man

    October 2, 2025 at 10:50 pm

    @WaterGirl: I talked to someone involved with Oreo marketing once upon a time, learned some interesting stuff about grocery shelf space. They obviously don’t want something that NEVER sells, and there are issues with product line glut that harm good cash flow and production scheduling, but there is more than successful sales. Notice the wall of Oreos and think about how many competing brands get overshadowed and lost in the OREO ARMY. Nobody will give that much space to 2 or 3 types or Oreo, but with the wall many people are likely to at least consider… do I want ANY ONE of these? Or even move immediately to, which package should I get?… not Should I get One package?

  54. 54.

    WaterGirl

    October 2, 2025 at 10:50 pm

    @MobiusKlein: so submit 10, random photos that you like for an OTR post. :-)

  55. 55.

    Trivia Man

    October 2, 2025 at 10:51 pm

    @BenInNM: Our local stores have some Australian brand at the checkout. The local chain but also the dollar store, Goodwill, and maybe Aldis. Maybe we are just licorice fiends around here.

  56. 56.

    WaterGirl

    October 2, 2025 at 10:52 pm

    @Jackie: national. just discovered it a few months ago and I’m not sure I would ever buy another brand of ice cream again.

    and the darkest chocolate flavor is like eating essence of chocolate. So good!

  57. 57.

    BenInNM

    October 2, 2025 at 10:53 pm

    @Trivia Man: Yeah – I used to have more of a problem with it too. I’d buy a bag, pretty much eat the whole thing, look at something like 100 calories per serving and think – that’s not too bad. And then see there’s 7 or so servings in the bag. Oops! But now I have a jar of little licorice bits and only have a few a day when I feel like it

  58. 58.

    WaterGirl

    October 2, 2025 at 10:53 pm

    @coin operated: isn’t that the truth!

  59. 59.

    RevRick

    October 2, 2025 at 10:54 pm

    When eating mixed nuts after grabbing a handful, I go from the fewest to the most. That way I get to savor the flavor of whatever is least so that it’s not overwhelmed by other nut flavors. With M&Ms I often eat by color, even though they all taste the same. But sometimes, I just scarf a bunch. I only get the single “serving” size.

  60. 60.

    Martin

    October 2, 2025 at 10:54 pm

    @frosty: Kettle salt and pepper is my go-to, but I have a lack of Utz here in CA which would mostly be nostalgic. Hanover does indeed punch above their weight. Snyders honey mustard pretzels are very high on my list. And you get Hershey on the other end of the snack spectrum just a short drive away.

  61. 61.

    WaterGirl

    October 2, 2025 at 10:55 pm

    Have you black licorice peeps tried the panda brand of licorice? My favorite!

  62. 62.

    Jackie

    October 2, 2025 at 10:56 pm

    @WaterGirl: I’ll have to look! I tend to tunnel vision when I shop and rarely look around to see what’s new – to me, anyway.

  63. 63.

    BenInNM

    October 2, 2025 at 10:58 pm

    For the licorice people, what do you think of the European licorice which is very salty? I personally don’t care for it as I want licorice not salt. I generally prefer a good Australian licorice but Panda is my go to daily licorice

  64. 64.

    WaterGirl

    October 2, 2025 at 10:58 pm

    @Jackie: they come in pints. Which are really 16 ounces, unlike Häagen-Dazs, which is now 14 ounces!

  65. 65.

    WaterGirl

    October 2, 2025 at 10:59 pm

    @BenInNM: mine, too. See me at 61.

  66. 66.

    WaterGirl

    October 2, 2025 at 11:00 pm

    @BenInNM: love Australia and love that they love black licorice but no, I do not eat that cause I don’t want my licorice to be salty.

  67. 67.

    J. Arthur Crank

    October 2, 2025 at 11:00 pm

    @WaterGirl:   most favorite!

  68. 68.

    BenInNM

    October 2, 2025 at 11:01 pm

    @WaterGirl: Yes – my go to licorice
    ETA: Ships crossing in the night!

  69. 69.

    WaterGirl

    October 2, 2025 at 11:02 pm

    @BenInNM: you have excellent taste. :-)

  70. 70.

    Craig

    October 2, 2025 at 11:03 pm

    @WaterGirl: they’re from NOLA. I only know them through a friend there. Their Voodoo is awesome, but a lot of salt and flavors.

  71. 71.

    RaflW

    October 2, 2025 at 11:03 pm

    I’m pretty neural on Oreos. If someone offers them, sure I’ll eat ’em. And can rather tuck in, but it’s mindless eating.

    Oreo lemon thins? Get thee behind me, Satan. (For anyone paying attention, yes, lemon sweets are a fave. Say “Key lime pie” and I’ll follow you almost anywhere.)

  72. 72.

    persistentillusion

    October 2, 2025 at 11:04 pm

    Ginger cookies and Cadbury’s Crunchy Chocolate spread.  *chef’s kiss

  73. 73.

    BenInNM

    October 2, 2025 at 11:04 pm

    @WaterGirl: Thank you! I love how this thread has evolved into all kinds of food related subjects

  74. 74.

    RaflW

    October 2, 2025 at 11:05 pm

    @WaterGirl: My brother’s wife was given some salty licorice in Estonia. She was game to try it, but as I strongly suspected, she did. not. like! (I don’t either. Some of my Swedish cousins claim to love it. Yuk)

  75. 75.

    WaterGirl

    October 2, 2025 at 11:08 pm

    @RaflW: have you tried the Oreo mint thins? Those are excellent, though I still scrape the insides out, but then the chocolate cookie still  tastes like mint.

    i like to crumble them up and mix them into sweet cream ice cream.

  76. 76.

    NutmegAgain

    October 2, 2025 at 11:08 pm

    I’m just shocked you don’t get Haribo!

  77. 77.

    WaterGirl

    October 2, 2025 at 11:09 pm

    @persistentillusion:

    what brand of ginger cookies?

  78. 78.

    Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)

    October 2, 2025 at 11:10 pm

    Whether it’s M&Ms or mixed nuts or fruit flavored gummy bears, do you have a style? Go for your favorites first? Save your favorites for last? Or do you truly live on the edge and you just take whatever you get when you grab a handful?

    If I have a bag of goldfish crackers in front of me, I probably can eat half the bag in one sitting

  79. 79.

    WaterGirl

    October 2, 2025 at 11:10 pm

    @NutmegAgain: I think these are better.  :-)

  80. 80.

    WaterGirl

    October 2, 2025 at 11:11 pm

    @Goku (aka Amerikan Baka): the baby goldfish crackers are really good too. Also, Annie’s bunnies! Those are little cheese crackers that look like bunnies.

  81. 81.

    marklar

    October 2, 2025 at 11:13 pm

    Empirical research suggests that providing a low level of a reinforcer can actually compel higher rates of responding than higher levels. This has been seen with drug dosage (e.g., smokers take more drags AND longer drags on light cigarettes than regular cigarettes, rats press levels more often for lower doses of cocaine than higher doses of cocaine) and with Doritoes (personal experience…when there isn’t much Nacho cheesiness I stuff my face with them, but give me a bright orange Dorito and I’ll just need one, placed flatly on my tongue to maximize the surface area so as to activate as many taste buds as possible).

  82. 82.

    WaterGirl

    October 2, 2025 at 11:15 pm

    @marklar: maybe I’m not crazy!

  83. 83.

    Ruckus

    October 2, 2025 at 11:17 pm

    @WaterGirl:

    And it’s how I don’t go hungry. We all have different tastes and concepts of foods and on and on and on. I like chocolate but it’s not my gotta have food item. The other side may be my age and my lack of a working sense of smell. Because a sense of smell is a part of the appraisal of food. Take it away (take my word for this…) and you take away some of the concept of what you like. For me Chips Ahoy is pretty good. Once upon a time it might not have satisfied me. That was then and this is now. I really don’t care to cook as much as I used to do, which was a lot. I learned to be pretty good at it over time because mom was a fantastic cook, and I actually learned. We all have our food likes and dislikes, our loves and hates. Some is learned, some is experience and some is something like being in the military and finding out how bad food can get – even if you normally like food items with the same name, military food might just put you off. That might is doing a lot of work.

  84. 84.

    persistentillusion

    October 2, 2025 at 11:18 pm

    @WaterGirl: Trader Joes, triple ginger. OMG

  85. 85.

    WaterGirl

    October 2, 2025 at 11:20 pm

    @persistentillusion: that sounds awesome. We do not have a Trader Joe’s

    so sad! Were a college town, I’m sure it would be popular. :-(

  86. 86.

    WaterGirl

    October 2, 2025 at 11:21 pm

    The most decadent food I item I like has to be crunchy Cheetos. They are like crack.

    I hardly ever let myself get them.

  87. 87.

    Benno

    October 2, 2025 at 11:24 pm

    @Craig: I’m with Watergirl on this. A less good cookie, or the chips that I didn’t eat because I chose some walnuts or something…I eat more or go back for the thing I really wanted in the first place. I’m assuming it’s the endorphins or whatever gets released from the pleasure centers of the brain. A bad cookie doesn’t do it as efficiently as a good one. I’m a doctor (of South Asian studies), so you can trust me!

  88. 88.

    Omnes Omnibus

    October 2, 2025 at 11:28 pm

    M&Ms should be sorted by color, evened up as to number, and then you eat one of each color until they are gone.

    Doing something like that with Skittles would be silly.

  89. 89.

    Benno

    October 2, 2025 at 11:29 pm

    @WaterGirl:

    The most decadent food I item I like has to be crunchy Cheetos. They are like crack.

    I hardly ever let myself get them.

    In Pakistan they have a Cheeto-like snack flavored like acchar (Indian pickle). What’s one step above crack? omgnomnomnom

  90. 90.

    WaterGirl

    October 2, 2025 at 11:30 pm

    @Benno: That describes it exactly! A bad Cookie doesn’t do it as efficiently as a good one.

  91. 91.

    Craig

    October 2, 2025 at 11:30 pm

    So, probably over sharing here. When I was a kid we would get Pringles, back when they had a corrugated liner. I used to make a ‘dip’ by shoving 4 Pringles into my mouth, chewing, and then transferring that premasticated blob onto a double Pringles, then eat that. Gross, yeah. In 7th grade a friend of a cute girl came up to me and said, ‘ my friend thinks you’re cute, but that Pringles thing is gross.’ I stopped doing the dip thing.

  92. 92.

    Melancholy Jaques

    October 2, 2025 at 11:32 pm

    I’m sure I engaged in ordered snacking when younger, but I lost my taste for sweets in my old age. I don’t eat candy, the exception being that I occasionally grab a bag of M&Ms peanuts while in the checkout line. But when I eat them, I don’t even look at them.

  93. 93.

    WaterGirl

    October 2, 2025 at 11:33 pm

    @Omnes Omnibus: I love that entire comment!

  94. 94.

    WaterGirl

    October 2, 2025 at 11:34 pm

    @Craig: I had forgotten, but I had a ritual thing with Pringles too. I used to always take two of them at once I never, however, chewed it up and spit it out. Lol.

    edit: yeah I’ll bet that did get you to stop!

  95. 95.

    Jackie

    October 2, 2025 at 11:34 pm

    @WaterGirl: Puffy Cheetos for me. I rarely buy them because I can’t stand the cheesy fingers mess. LOL But when I get a hankering…

  96. 96.

    WaterGirl

    October 2, 2025 at 11:36 pm

    @Jackie: The puffy ones? That’s so wrong!!

  97. 97.

    WaterGirl

    October 2, 2025 at 11:37 pm

    yeah, there must be a bucket of orange dye in each bag.

  98. 98.

    J. Arthur Crank

    October 2, 2025 at 11:49 pm

    @Craig:

    In 7th grade a friend of a cute girl came up to me and said, ‘ my friend thinks you’re cute, but that Pringles thing is gross.’ I stopped doing the dip thing.

    It is good to see that you had your priorities straight as a young man.

  99. 99.

    pieceofpeace

    October 2, 2025 at 11:50 pm

    @WaterGirl:  Have you tried Lakrids(sp?) licorce with a chocolate coating, from Amazon?  Divine, and expensive enough to not eat many at once.

    I also like dark chocolate, which must be over 70% for the nutritional value.  Trader Joes has a nice selection.

    Recently, I’ve switched to Nicciolatta with cocoa which is very yummy, and a mini scoop or 1 teaspoon of it satisfies a need for sweet comfort.

    When applicable, I choose the best (of anything) for last, except for music.

  100. 100.

    cain

    October 2, 2025 at 11:53 pm

    I got a problem. See, I thought I had a bit of a drinking problem meaning that while I never drink till I get drunk I do seem to have a problem stopping after 1.  The thing is, I don’t have a natural inclination to have a drink. I just get bored. At the same time, I thought I should do something else..
    Now I have a new problem. I’m addicted to lemonheads. I’m sorry. I think I just have a thing where I’ll just over do anything. But sugar.. lawd.​
     

    eta – oooh.. #100

  101. 101.

    cain

    October 2, 2025 at 11:54 pm

    @WaterGirl: ​
     
    This is why the blogfather needs to add emoji reactions. :)

    /runs

  102. 102.

    mvr

    October 2, 2025 at 11:58 pm

    @WaterGirl: So if we’re not just talking about food, here’s a related phenomenon involving the order one takes one’s pleasures: I tend to put my semi-obligatory reading (refereeing, editing, grading, commenting on drafts) before my own work – reading papers I want to read or writing.  This leads to me not being as productive as a lot of other academics in my field.  Some of that just because there is always more where that kind of obligatory work comes from but also because the lack of fun of that work leads to more procrastination.  It hasn’t hurt my career (much), but I do think it has sometimes made work less fun.

  103. 103.

    Kayla Rudbek

    October 3, 2025 at 12:01 am

    @WaterGirl: the local pizza chain &pizza is doing a limited time of Oreo dippers (taking their base pizza dough, stuffing it with ground up Oreos, baking it and dusting it with powdered sugar andpizza.com/menu-listing/)

    I ordered some for the Tuesday night bike riding club and they vanished in a few minutes, along with the vegan knots and the pina colada knots.  Next time I won’t bother with ordering a pizza, and I will just get knots (maybe two orders of vegan knots and then try some of the other dessert knots)

  104. 104.

    randy khan

    October 3, 2025 at 12:01 am

    For nuts, I try to avoid picking the ones I like best (cashews, almonds), but do not always succeed.

    On the really good/mediocre question, I am more likely to stop sooner if it’s not a great cookie or whatever.  I get uninterested pretty fast if something isn’t good.

  105. 105.

    mvr

    October 3, 2025 at 12:03 am

    @marklar: Iffy reward schedules also are harder to quit.  Which explains lots of long lasting bad relationships and why I keep fly fishing.

  106. 106.

    Kayla Rudbek

    October 3, 2025 at 12:03 am

    @RevRick: I prefer to alternate type of nut and the side of my mouth that I use for chewing on the nut.  I do the same thing with mixed candy flavors like Skittles or M&Ms.

  107. 107.

    pieceofpeace

    October 3, 2025 at 12:11 am

    @cain:   Hey #100, I’m an ‘odd’ (with numbers) person, so will take #99 as a personal jackpot.

  108. 108.

    Eolirin

    October 3, 2025 at 12:15 am

    Albanese gummies are like crack. How do you not eat them all at once? That being said, they’re still only the second best gummies I’ve ever had.

    Kasugai’s stuff is in a completely different universe than everything else. But it’s import only.

  109. 109.

    cain

    October 3, 2025 at 12:21 am

    @pieceofpeace: I’ve always celebrated #2, but those were during the good ol days. Too grim these days!

  110. 110.

    eclare

    October 3, 2025 at 12:22 am

    @frosty:

    When I finish a can of nuts I like to lick my finger so I can lick the salt remnants off of my finger.

  111. 111.

    eclare

    October 3, 2025 at 12:25 am

    @WaterGirl:

    Jeni’s is the best, but my favorite is the Earl Grey Tea flavor.  Tip:  do not read the nutrition label.

  112. 112.

    iKropoclast

    October 3, 2025 at 12:26 am

    @Jackie: I can’t stand the cheesy fingers mess

    Pour them directly from the bag into your mouth. Problem solved.

  113. 113.

    piratedan

    October 3, 2025 at 12:27 am

    binge items for me, vary from candy to savory, you just never know when the hankering is going to hit and what it may be for…. for moi, it can be anything like the old caramel cremes or root beer barrels to something like ruffles with Laura Scudder green onion dip mix that has been made and refrigerated overnight.  I’ve gone thru ritual phases with hot pork rinds, BBQ potato chips, Bugles, UTZ bar snacks, Gardetto’s assortments to flavored rice  crackers…. in short, my taste buds are a hot mess.

    I’ve learned to not be judgemental, you like what you like.

    just happy that we live in times where you don’t HAVE to eat the same thing every day courtesy of globalism….

  114. 114.

    Jackie

    October 3, 2025 at 12:29 am

    @dww4:

    For those who are in the  FTFNYT coterie you should be watching Lawrence O’Donnell right now. He has been giving them hell for their double standard in covering Dems and The GOP.  Specifically on this 3rd Day of the Disaster-in-Chief The NY Times has been absolutely silent.

    WHOA! Watching now. O’Donnell is almost spitting – he’s so angry and disgusted with the NYT! Thanks for the heads up.

  115. 115.

    eclare

    October 3, 2025 at 12:30 am

    @WaterGirl:

    For me it’s the bbq twisty Fritos.  But all of my dogs have loved Cheetos.

  116. 116.

    Jackie

    October 3, 2025 at 12:34 am

    @iKropoclast:

    @Jackie: I can’t stand the cheesy fingers mess

    Pour them directly from the bag into your mouth. Problem solved.

    LOL! I think using chopsticks would be a better option than having to pick up all the puffs missing my mouth and hitting the carpet – which I’d have to pick up – thus defeating the purpose…

  117. 117.

    eclare

    October 3, 2025 at 12:36 am

    Awesome.  Living Color doing “Cult of Personality” on Kimmel tonight.

  118. 118.

    Jackie

    October 3, 2025 at 12:39 am

    @eclare: Alas, I don’t have a dog – which would solve the mess from dumping Cheetos directly into my mouth from the bag as @iKropoclast so helpfully suggested!

  119. 119.

    eclare

    October 3, 2025 at 12:41 am

    @Jackie:

    And the good thing about dogs, they are not picky, puffs or crunchy, they are open to either!

  120. 120.

    iKropoclast

    October 3, 2025 at 12:42 am

    @Jackie: Haha, I suppose. I suppose it’s too much to suggest you don’t miss?

  121. 121.

    Jackie

    October 3, 2025 at 12:45 am

    @iKropoclast: I wasn’t blessed with a big, wide mouth :-(

    The Cheetos Puffs don’t come in lunchbox sized bags.

  122. 122.

    WTFGhost

    October 3, 2025 at 12:50 am

    @Jackie: One word: chopsticks!

    @Omnes Omnibus: I think you meant sweet tarts!
    Skittles, sorted by color, are sorted by *flavor*.
    M&Ms are just sorted by *meme*.

  123. 123.

    WTFGhost

    October 3, 2025 at 12:54 am

    @eclare: Oh, the honey-BBQ fritos! I remember the night I was stoned, and a bit drunk, and I knew I was gobbling them, and the next morning whole bag was gone! I was horrified by my piggishness, its effects on my blood sugar, and so forth.

    It was only much later, the next day, when I tried to pour myself some water, and I realized what had happened to them.

    I’d realized I was gobbling them too fast. To keep from gobbling the bag, I’d dumped them all in my water pitcher!

    I’d rarely felt so good to realize I’d wasted a bunch of food.

  124. 124.

    Ishiyama

    October 3, 2025 at 12:56 am

    Jelly beans are good. The black ones are best.

  125. 125.

    WTFGhost

    October 3, 2025 at 12:58 am

    @WaterGirl:maybe I’m not crazy!

    Frankly, I’ve never taken comfort in any singular similar example. Isn’t there an internet rule to the effect of, there’s never just *one* person who is into Vulcan-Klingon-Hobbit fanfic involving the Star Blazer’s Star Force?

    If you have to think “maybe (you are) not crazy,” you really are thinking too much about the question.

  126. 126.

    Kristine

    October 3, 2025 at 1:02 am

    @frosty: Great Lakes. Especially the Michigan Cherry Barbecue.

  127. 127.

    Ruckus

    October 3, 2025 at 2:10 am

    @WaterGirl:

    This is what makes humanity.

    We are different in so many ways, with some having the concept that they are the top of the heap, it’s just that often that it’s either a heap of money or a heap of something very smelly that you want nothing to do with. And sometimes it’s difficult to tell the difference. We are different than other animals, in that we can communicate in many ways and can leave public records and stories, to delight, enlighten and inform others. Or not. We generally live a fairly long life, often having rather surprising bits and pieces, sometimes rather far out of average. And yet some seemingly never actually grow the hell up – over decades. Oh well it is humanity, in all it’s bits, pieces, sides, intelligence, and stupidity.

  128. 128.

    mrmoshpotato

    October 3, 2025 at 4:07 am

    I just want gummy bears now.  (Gummy LifeSavers would be good too.)

  129. 129.

    p.a.

    October 3, 2025 at 4:44 am

    BBQ chips of any style; regular, but especially kettle, even baked.  Not so much honey-q.

    Peanut, cashew, pecan brittles oh boy!

  130. 130.

    lowtechcyclist

    October 3, 2025 at 6:28 am

    Another deep question to ponder. Let’s say you sometimes have before you awesome chocolate chip cookies (or whatever food is a favorite) and sometimes the chocolate chip cookies are just adequate.

    So here’s the question. Do you eat more of the cookies when they are awesome? Or more when they are just adequate? Or it makes no difference to you at all?

    It very much makes a difference to me.  When it comes to goodies and snack foods and whatnot, as a middle-aged person trying to watch his weight, the question implicit in how much of such stuff I eat (or whether I eat it at all) is, is this food yummy enough to be worth the price in calories?

    So if that cookie is just kinda ‘meh’ I might just eat that one bite and throw the rest of the cookie away. I’ll save that opportunity to consume a bunch of extra calories for some food that’s really worth those calories.  But if it’s really good, OTOH, I might have a few of them: this is what I’ve saved those calories for, and I’m going to indulge.

    Last night I ate one-third of a pumpkin pie I’d baked last year and froze, that I’d pulled out of the freezer the day before.  It was just so good, and every bite was worth it.  That’ll be reflected in this morning’s scale number, I’m sure, but I’m OK with that.  But I’m not happy with myself if the food that made the numbers go up was something that I didn’t really enjoy that much – I’ll be thinking, that was dumb.

  131. 131.

    pluky

    October 3, 2025 at 7:43 am

    Pepperidge Farms Double Dark Chocolate Milano cookies smeared with Teddy’s peanut butter. To die for!

    And, as a kid, a highlight of visits to my NYC cousins was Wise potato chips. The scorched bits were the best.

  132. 132.

    marklar

    October 3, 2025 at 7:46 am

    @mvr: “Iffy reward schedules also are harder to quit.”

    Ah, but these studies are based on altering the magnitude of the reinforcer, not the reinforcement schedule!

  133. 133.

    Mart

    October 3, 2025 at 8:24 am

    We sort our gummies by mg, not by color.

  134. 134.

    Chris T.

    October 3, 2025 at 8:31 am

    I try to avoid treat-collections where there are some I don’t like. But if there are some I do like more, I will often try to save at least one for the end.

    With M&Ms, they all taste exactly the same, but my CDO (“OCD but with the letters put in alphabetical order”) often compels me to make a small collection of all-different-colors and eat those together. If I do that consistently, I find out which colors are more common and which are rarer.

    (It’s usually random per container)

  135. 135.

    WaterGirl

    October 3, 2025 at 9:03 am

    @Kayla Rudbek: Wow, they are taking living on the edge to a whole new level.

  136. 136.

    WaterGirl

    October 3, 2025 at 9:04 am

    @randy khan: The opposite of me.  Interesting.

    @mvr:

    Which explains lots of long lasting bad relationships

    My first laugh of the morning!

  137. 137.

    WaterGirl

    October 3, 2025 at 9:06 am

    @Eolirin:

    I have never heard of Kasugai’s.  What kind of store does one find those in?

  138. 138.

    WaterGirl

    October 3, 2025 at 9:10 am

    @Mart: LOL

    the other gummies :-)

    I did specify gummy bears up top, with the assumption that the other gummies do not come in bear shapes.  Is that a fair guess

    edit: thanks to all for making this a fun late night thread!

  139. 139.

    dnfree

    October 3, 2025 at 10:03 am

    I absolutely eat any mixed food in order from least favorite to most favorite.  That’s also why I eat the crust of my sandwich first and the middle second.  Save the best for last!

  140. 140.

    pieceofpeace

    October 3, 2025 at 12:38 pm

    This was totally fun, WaterGirl.

    We’ll probably want more of a similar nature as we traverse the rocky terrain ahead of us.

  141. 141.

    pieceofpeace

    October 3, 2025 at 12:40 pm

    @dnfree:   Never considered this, but will try it out!  Maybe I used to do it with Hostess Cupcakes?

  142. 142.

    JaneE

    October 3, 2025 at 2:31 pm

    Hard candies by preference not gummies. Favorites last, but I try to buy single flavors if they are available.  No crunching,  they last longer.  Really good cookies get rationed.

  143. 143.

    Eolirin

    October 3, 2025 at 6:43 pm

    @WaterGirl: They’re a Japanese import. I’m not sure exactly where to direct you besides like Amazon or something.

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