The Why Files: Pickle in a Bag

For the true warrior, the reward often lies in the challenge. Why climb Everest? Because it’s there. Why watch a five-hour marathon of “Roseanne”? Because I CAN.

These challenges test our very moral fiber. They crop up when we least expect them; hurling a wrench into our robotic daily lives and forcing us to stare Fate straight in her squinty little eye. So when I spied a rack of Van Holten’s “Sour Pickles” in my local convenience store, I knew I had to step up to the plate. It was do or die.

The snack is simple enough. It’s a single pickle, bobbing up and down in an amniotic sac of yellowish brine water, tempting you with its tangy goodness. Upon seeing it, my mind immediately filled with images of medical specimens. Suddenly, I was transported to the laboratory of a mad scientist circa 1890, and everywhere I looked, unsavory experiments floated in dusty glass jars.

Not an appetizing thought, but certainly a motivating one. Any snack that inspires that amount of imagination in a convenience store deserves a try.

Read more