Review: Rold Gold Three Cheese Pretzel Thins & HOW DO YOU DEAL WITH STRESS???GAAAAAAAAAH
Junk Food Nation, I will be lucky if I make it past the next few days without having a serious meltdown. My life as an attorney has, shall we say, GONE EFFING NUTS lately. I literally sat, like a cartoon character, in my office yesterday with stacks of paper surrounding me. I didn’t know where to turn first. I started to hyperventilate.
Coping with stress at work is something I’m used to – basically I shut down emotionally, I stop speaking, and I look straight ahead while knocking out my work. My focus is interrupted by many visits to the bathroom (when I stress I apparently have the bladder of a hamster) and, of course, stuffing everything and anything into my gaping pie hole. Chips. Crackers. Candy. My nails. Whatever my metabolism decides to do when I’m stressed – it’s aided/hindered by thousands of stress-fueled calories. I’m sooooooooo healthy.
Anyways, this is just to say: bear with me over the next few days if I’m a little MIA on Twitter, Facebook, or this blog. Trust me when I say I’d rather be eating junk food and telling you about it.
Question for you for the comments below: How do YOU deal with stress? Are you a calorie popper like me? Exercise freak? Shut down napper? Let me know!
Today’s junk food: Rold Gold Three Cheese Pretzel Thins!
Rold Gold Three Cheese Pretzel Thins: The Money Shot
So, I guess these Rold Gold Three Cheese Pretzel Thins are new? I’d never seen them before, except for on The Impulsive Buy, but I’d had numerous pretzel thins in my blogging lifetime. I guess it was about time for Rold Gold to get on board. SUCKS TO YOUR ASSMAR, SNACK FACTORY!
Rold Gold Three Cheese Pretzel Thins
As you’ll see from the back of the bag (SPOILER ALERT), these Rold Gold Three Cheese Pretzel Thins apparently combine cheddar, mozz, and jack cheese. Wait, that’s the mozz cheese pictured in the foreground? Oh thank God – I thought it was a radish. Or clay. Or a moon rock. I dunno, I’m not a scientist. DON’T JUDGE ME.
Rold Gold Three Cheese Pretzel Thins
See, I TOLD YOU these Rold Gold Three Cheese Pretzel Thins contained mozz, jack, and cheddar. So good, I’ll fall in love? WHOA, slow down, Rold Gold…you gotta buy me some pretzel thins first.
Rold Gold Three Cheese Pretzel Thins
Rold Gold Three Cheese Pretzel Thins
Rold Gold Three Cheese Pretzel Thins contain lots of cheese cultures. Cultures are good, right? Aids digestion, right? #ClearlyWrong
Rold Gold Three Cheese Pretzel Thins
When I opened this bag of Rold Gold Three Cheese Pretzel Thins, I was struck by a …well, buttery smell. Not like movie theater popcorn butter…but definitely a buttery smell. Hmm, weird. No real cheese smell. Time to taste.
Rold Gold Three Cheese Pretzel Thins
I crunched on a few of these Rold Gold Three Cheese Pretzel Thins, and I was struck first by how salty these were. Not club-you-over-the-head salt crystal salty, but still – lots of sodium supporting this flavor powder.
The next flavor I got was that weird buttery taste. I licked the pretzel thin and smacked my lips a little…there was definitely a general savoriness that came from the onion powder, and a creaminess from the buttermilk and sour cream, but I couldn’t really discern what cheese flavor I was tasting. I realize that “three cheese” sort of means that the cheese flavors blend together, but the cheese flavor was more of a general creaminess than anything else. I’m not sure I tasted the separate cheddar, mozz, jack cheeses – at all.
The pretzel thin wasn’t as pretzel-y as other pretzel thins I’d had – they didn’t have that sort of burnt bitter pretzel skin taste that I’ve become used to. These were lighter, crispier, still pretzel like with none of the bitter.
All in all, not a bad snack! My main critique is that these were less “three cheese” and more “creamy savory salty with a hint of cheese.” I probably wouldn’t buy them again just simply because 1) a bit salty, and 2) nothing really WOW about these. Still, a decent addition to the Rold Gold line, and due to the success of the underlying pretzel thin, I’m curious to see how the other flavor offerings from Rold Gold are.
PURCHASED AT: Giant
COST: $3.00 on sale
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,
Junk Food Guy
Discuss - 21 Comments
During my law journal executive board interviews, I was asked by the assembled board how I dealt with stress. “I drink,” I said. They were a little taken aback by my honesty, and I was told later by some friends that the editors penalized me for being both amusing and honest (someone who makes light of this enormous responsibility clearly cannot be trusted!). But was I really supposed to tell them I exercise? It wasn’t a phone interview – they could see me, and I didn’t think they’d appreciate being blatantly lied to.
@Shorneys: “Bathroom?”
After eating these I feel like I have pored a whole carton of Morton’s salt down my gullet. I think I prefer the Snack Factory ones for this reason alone.
@Ibagoalie: Oh good – I’m glad I wasn’t crazy when it came to the salt. These were sodium packed, huh?
How do I deal with stress? I have a suite of methods (does this mean I have a lot of stress?):
1. Exercise regularly (but try not to push too hard when stressed, it can backfire)
2. Try to have lots of healthy food around so I can shove that down my gullet when I get the stress munchies
3. Don’t stress out if that doesn’t work
4. Try to spend some time sitting still with music playing, maybe with eyes closed, listening intently to the music
5. Take time to connect with friends and loved ones (get out of my own head)
6. Bake cookies!
@Lindemann: BAKE ME COOKIES!
That sucks about the stress, JunkFoodGuy. As long as we’re all being honest… At home when I deal with stress, I will swear at the top of my lungs & start pounding my bed mattress with my fists a few times. That’s usually all it takes & I gotta be careful so I don’t set off my bleeding ulcers. So that alone makes me careful to reduce stress by avoiding it. I don’t know what I would do in an office, tho. I suggest getting some hand grippers. First some cheap $5 ones from the store to start, and once you get used to that & break them (they will) then order a 100 pound gripper online. It’ll make your fingers, wrists & forearms stronger & cure Carpal tunnel syndrome. I use mine to relieve some stress or while watching TV or waiting at a red light.
I take it we’re all non-smokers here. Maybe some push-ups or go outside & run around the block or scream on the roof or in the car. I’ll scream improvised profanity-laced song lyrics in the car 😛
@MP: Hand grippers is a great idea. Hm
@JFG My advice is not to over-squeeze them, because then the metal will crack that much faster. Also don’t rep too much the first few weeks or so, because you’ll pull a muscle (I had this big vein sticking out in my palm). If you order heavy duty grippers from a place like Iron Mind or Iron Company (I.C. replaced my broken 100 lb ones for free) & there’s a discount involved, get a 100 & 150 pound one. The cheap $5 ones from the store are I believe 50 pound grippers & a great place to start.
And my G-rated stress reliever, I actually find sewing repair (like holes in socks, shirts, jeans, caps, etc) good to relieve stress. Concentrating on keeping a straight stitch, not poking myself with the needle & the repetition of the exercise. I guess you could keep a needle, thread & a rag in a drawer, pull it out & start sewing rows (or a Nats or Yankees cap logo) on it 😛
Hang in there with the stress and with work! I hope things ease up soon. As for combating stress, I listen to music, do Pilates and yoga, read a book – anything that I really enjoy. It’s key to de-stress with activities you actually enjoy. No need for extra stress when trying to stay calm.
@Liz: Thanks, that is good advice – doing things I actually enjoy. Like…eat junk food? 🙂
There are only a few things I need for stress….a treadmill, a bag of animal crackers (stauffers brand only) and some wine….not all at the same moment. I also bake as if there was an army of sugar freiks waiting in my kitchen. Good luck with your stress, three more wake ups until FRIDAY!!!
@Sarah: Why NOT wine on the treadmill?
If I’m at work, I’ll step outside for fresh air. Walking around the neighborhood can help. Walking and reading a book can help.
Power down the phone for the night before you turn in for bed. The messages can wait.
@Elisa: That’s exactly what I did yesterday – took ten minutes to go outside, walk around the block in the snow. It actually helped.
Apparently I bake relentlessly when stressed. This is a newer development.
@Dana: Go-to item to bake?
Based on what happened during a troubling period just before the 4th of July last year…anything and everything – bread, rolls, cookies, brownies, muffins, stromboli…cookies are easy and ingredients are most always on hand along with a seemingly endless string of new recipes to try, so they’re often a good go-to.
My coworkers don’t seem to mind the result when it hits the lunch room (with the possible exception of these: http://mallowandco.blogspot.com/2013/02/doritos-rice-krispy-treats.html
@Dana: Dorito Rice Krispy Treats = GAAAAH
I just discovered these little pretzel thins, as they were in the snack machine at work. A 1.75-oz bag claims to be a single serving (whereas the one posted in the review suggests one ounce per serving). The snack bag claims 200 calories and a whopping 820mg of sodium. It’s a shame about that high salt content, because they taste pretty decent. I’ll try the Snack Factory ones.
Hey JFG, you said you stare straight ahead and power through your work when stressed. You’d probably benefit from meditation, since you’re already prone to the laser-focus thing. I’m not saying to neglect your work, but when you have some time to yourself, just get comfortable and friggin’ stare for awhile. If you need to focus on something, focus on the ambient sounds. Some people say to focus on a word. If your mind wanders or you start remembering a song or whatever, just go back to your focal point. Do this for 15 minutes, at least. It sounds retarded, maybe, but it is helpful. There are plenty of studies on meditation to confirm its benefits.
Of course, it’s November now and you wrote this article way back in March. But hey, life always has plenty of stress around the corner.
@Rick: Oh, it doesn’t sound dumb at all. I am ON BOARD with meditation. Thanks for writing this comment!