Ages ago I had a difficult time with the music of Bob Dylan and Miles Davis - I simply couldn’t figure these guys out. Genius is often misunderstood.

With repeated listenings, however, I learned to relax and let the music speak to me instead of trying to smother it with my own expectations. In the light of maturity (albeit an increasingly myopic light) I can’t conceive of a world without the music of these two musical legends.

Some things are worth a second listen, a second look.

Or, in the snack world, (can you see this coming?) a second taste.

Noble intentions in tow, I would venture back to the land of Mariani after my initial encounter with their Chocolate Yogurt Raisins.

The bag called to me from the supermarket shelf with a siren song, epic images of Homeric grandeur filling my head with promises of exotic adventure and threats of thrilling mayhem. Mariani Mediterranean Apricots.
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To be honest, fruit rolls (or rollups, which always sounds to me like the stomach-crunching calisthenics I was ordered to perform in seventh grade) have never thrilled me. Maybe it’s because my kids occasionally request them, and most of the offerings on the market are so sickly sweet and utterly sticky (say that ten times fast) that they’re more trouble than they’re worth. On the rare occasions I ate a Fruit Roll-Up, I always felt as though I were consuming artificially sweetened and flavored industrial adhesive, and paying for the privilege.

So, it was with much trepidation that I received a large box of assorted Jovy Fruit Rolls containing enough flattened and rolled fruit to feed a small army of hungry children and nervous adults.
I was pleasantly surprised by this product and enjoyed nearly every flavor. Consider me a convert to Jovianism.
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There comes a time in every snacker’s life – for me, once or twice a week – when she contemplates the desirability of healthier eating habits. And then decides, nah, the hell with it.

During the brief interval between those two states of mind, I tried this fancy brand of fruit leather. When I was a kid growing up in New York, I used to love the apricot fruit leather that was sold in big sheets rolled into a cone-shape. It was a vaguely Middle Eastern ethnic delicacy at the time. Now, of course, this idea has gone mainstream and morphed into all those fruit leather and Fruit Roll-Up sorts of thing that is sold in all kinds of flavors and advertised to moms who, tragically, think that their kids should eat healthy snacks.

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I sometimes feel blessed that my neighborhood seems to have more Trader Joe’s stores than any other. The ever-growing chain is great for unique, yummy and convenient foods at great prices. Typically, I stop by the store for a quick lunch or dinner. However, I often walk away with more than I’d planned – for TJ’s aisles are lined with all manner of tempting, ready-to-eat snacks. Most of Trader Joe’s stock consists of in-chain generic brands. In addition to keeping prices low, this strategy results in many products that can’t be found elsewhere - offering the adventurous snacker nearly endless opportunities to try new things.

Today, I walked away with some Trader Joe’s 100% Dried Fruit Bars. I’d noticed the snacks, seemingly TJ’s answer to a Fruit Rollup, on my last few visits. Though the flavors looked interesting, I’d abstained from purchase. This morning, however, a sign on the fruity snacks’ display rack caught my eye. “We’re sorry,” it explained, “but our warehouse is out of this product.” Out of the product? That sounded serious. I needed to take some home – it could be my last opportunity to taste the delicacies! The fifty-cent fruit bars were available in four flavors – Apricot, Raspberry, Passion Fruit, and Cape Gooseberry. Naturally, I grabbed one of each.

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