JFG Nation, I’m back from South Carolina! It’s a lovely place, and this was the first time I’d ever been to Columbia, South Carolina. Home of the Gamecocks! Here’s what I learned while spending five days in South Cackalacky:

1. Breakfast always comes with a trough of melted butter to just add to whatever you want:

As seen in South Carolina breakfast: BUTTER TROUGH #iifym

A photo posted by @junkfoodguy on May 3, 2016 at 5:24am PDT

Potatoes need a little butter? Grab the ladle. Grits feeling a little dry? Pour some on. Donuts need a little moisture? How about a bowl of butter to dip them in? The uses go on and on…

2. Similarly, there is always a bowl of brown sugar around for your oatmeal, cereal, coffee, buttered toast, etc. I like to grab a big handful and use it s a facial scrub. Super easy, and tastes great in case you swallow it!

3. When school is out, Columbia, South Carolina is DEAD. Like, so quiet I could hear people two blocks over cough. I think even people who were trying to mug me were surprised that I was even THERE. 

4. Not all gas stations have Powerball, apparently. I went into one which I was sure contained the winning ticket, and the dude behind the counter told me he applied for it and hoped to have Powerball to sell next month. NEXT MONTH?? Dude huge jackpots are going by every day – how are you only trying to sell lottery tickets NOW? This place sold Red Velvet Oreos, 50 flavors of Gatorade, and more weed pipes than I care to admit but no Powerball? Get with it, chief.

5. Open container laws. As in, there apparently AREN’T any in SC. After dinner the second night I was in town, the waitress told me that she still had the cap to the bottle of wine I had purchased. I crooked an eyebrow and said, “Cap? For what?” 

“For the wine.”

Me: ……“For…the wine? For what?”

Waitress: “To take it with you.”

<silent staring at each other for a good 15 seconds>

Me: “Wait, what?”

Apparently, in SC, if you have an open bottle of wine, you can just take it with you out of the restaurant when you want to leave. That may seem common for some of you, but let me tell you, that ish doesn’t fly here in DC/MD/VA. Your ass will be pulled over and in jail for open container violations faster than you can say Reisling.

I of course took the bottle, yelling, “SUCKER” as I left the restaurant.

6. Chicken Fried Steak. What is this, and why was it always available as an entree AT BREAKFAST?

7. There is a Waffle House on every corner.

8. Apparently, when traversing an indoor rock climbing wall, it’s unnecessary to apologize to the gym staff for what they are about to witness. Spiderman, I was not.

9. Similarly, if you screw up a box jump at the same U of SC gym, and kick the box with a loud clang that resonates throughout the weight room, people will stare at you.

10. The food court at the Columbia airport doesn’t have enough wine glasses. After a colleague and I asked what was taking our drink order so long, the waitress explained she was waiting for more wine glasses to be finished they could be washed out so that our order could be fulfilled. Uh what? Eventually my colleague received her glass of wine in a champagne flute, and I got mine in a shallow ashtray. Classy! What are we celebrating?

If you have any thoughts about what I learned in SC, let me know in the comments below. Especially if you’re from the South or Columbia specifically. 

Today’s junk food: Snyder’s of Hanover Sweet & Salty S’mores Pretzel Pieces!!

Snyder’s of Hanover Sweet & Salty S’mores Pretzel Pieces are the next in the line of Snyder’s Sweet & Salty that I have enjoyed thoroughly. And with S’mores-flavor saturating the market right now, it’s only natural that Snyders would join in the fray.

S’mores is an interesting flavor to make “Sweet and Salty.” The previous three flavors, Maple Bacon, Salted Caramel, and Cinnamon Sugar, all had some element that dovetailed into the salty side of things…but S’mores? Interesting…

When I first opened this bag of Snyder’s of Hanover Sweet & Salty S’mores Pretzel Pieces, I could smell some deep butteriness and lots of cocoa aroma…

Each of the Snyder’s of Hanover Sweet & Salty S’mores Pretzel Pieces was COATED in chocolate/cocoa powder. These were your standard nice and crunchy pretzel pieces from Snyder’s, blasted with powder.

I popped a few into my mouth and crunched – The pretzel pieces were nice and buttery, and exhibited a hint of honey flavor. I think that’s what Snyders was going for – a honey-ish sourdough pretzel piece that basically reminded me of graham flavor (but not quite). An homage to graham, if you will. Like a graham cracker mixed with a pretzel.

As for the chocolate/marshmallow flavor of these Snyder’s of Hanover Sweet & Salty S’mores Pretzel Pieces? Well, these pretzel pieces tasted AWESOME, but I’m not quite sure if it tastes like a S’more.

The chocolate flavor was DEEP. Plus, the chocolate powder was definitely cut with a little bit of creaminess – maybe to represent the marshmallow? The powder was clearly meant to encompass both the chocolate and marshmallow flavors. It does a decent job of it, although I wonder if I was stretching in my head too far to try and taste both flavors. Perhaps it was the slight tang of the sourdough pretzel that was throwing me off a bit.

As a salty/sweet snack, these were REALLY good – reminded me a lot of the Sweet & Salty Fudge Combos, my self-proclaimed “Best Snack” of 2015. Despite all of my criticisms, I couldn’t stop eating these. A good addition, Snyders – not sure if they truly are “S’mores” flavor, but they are a tasty snack nonetheless.

 

 

 

PURCHASED AT: Giant, Van Ness, DC

COST: $3.69

Thoughts? Please comment below or hit me up on Twitter @junkfoodguy or LIKE my Facebook Page and message me there. I also have Google+!! Let’s hang out.

Sincerely,

The JFG