@famwelch I would often use the pumpkin seeds (aka pepitas) from either TJs or Costco. Also good on salads and stuff. But in either case, big bags, not convenience store prices. So those are often in my reserved stock. After all, I just spent $100 on fuel.
@Kyeh I knew someone would agree with me. Also Cash Flow dictates the Type & how far! here lately it is local SciFi cons! Which are a Blast, (I know most of the folks that attend!) Plus they recharge you to be ready to face the Mundane World!
@chienfou oh yeah Buc-ees is the one place I would get hot food. I don’t think it’s a convenience store; more like a theme park. Availability of abundant fuel pumps, all with Diesel! And a huge number of Tesla Superchargers which I would use on a cross-country trip if I use that instead of my big truck. But none out West as far as I know.
They just opened one north of Denver that’s right at the exit to my father-in-law’s house.
@accelerator Disturbed that that is even a thing! Except in Japan. I remember on a company trip in Japan we could get things like that, and also cans of beer and sake (I wasn’t driving…).
We had a beautiful drive up to Nikko and other sights in the area. I’d highly recommend it and want to go back. But probably not drive on the wrong side of the road. Better to sit in the back and enjoy some canned sake.
@accelerator The mini-marts in Japan and also in Hawaii have those triangle-shaped rice things wrapped in seaweed with various fillings. A good decent snack. Haven’t seen one in years since I haven’t been to those places. The ones in Hawaii usually had SPAM for historical reasons to complex to get into here.
@accelerator@pmarin Spam musubi! I had a Japanese-American friend from LA who loved it, so I guess it’s a thing there, too.
Also interesting - in Japan, and other Asian countries, 7-11 is way fancier than it is here. More like Buc-ees, or the one I just learned about - Country Store, thanks to @jouest.
@pmarin I have actually had fresh and delicious sushi rolls from gas stations on Maui. I would often stop on the way to work at the telescope site on Haleakala and pick up a couple to eat on the long drive up the volcano. I live in NM now and don’t believe that fresh sushi could be had at a gas station here.
@ItalianScallion yeah I will take a pack of cans of sparkling (not sweet) water. Some of the Trader Joe’s ones with flavors are OK but some are a bit bizarre.
But bottom-line is I rarely buy anything at the convenience stores; I carry it all with me. Costco supplies; Trader Joe’s. On long trips across the country would sometimes hit up a Costco to re-stock.
What’s the latest on gas station/truck stop coffee? There used to be a legend that it was actually very good. In recent years and several attempts I’m going to say that’s no longer the case, if it ever was. So I basically don’t even risk it anymore.
Oh yeah on portable beverages, I will usually carry a few cold-brew cans of coffee. I don’t mind a little bit sweetened but not too sugary. Good when you need an afternoon shot. But check the caffeine level some are as high as 200mg a can. In that case I limit myself to part of a can — hard to do because it’s so good.
@pmarin In my experience gas station and truck stop coffee has never been good and I’d guess it never will be. Isn’t the point of coffee on the road (for most people) to keep you awake, energized, etc.? Cheap coffee not brewed well and not kept fresh will do that well enough because cheap coffee uses low-grade coffea robusta beans which are higher in caffeine and cost considerably less than coffea arabic beans. Lots of Americans don’t really care about coffee quality (Exhibit A: Maxwell House, Folgers, Hills Bros. et al), so that’s good enough.
And beware that a 12-ounce cup of brewed coffee can contain 120 to 180mg of caffeine, robusta being on the high end.
Smarties, but they’re hard to find on the road. Some kind of candy that provides constant small doses of sugar. Broke too many teeth on Runts, so not those any more.
I am seldom tempted to purchase anything I see on what is essentially a pit stop, though I am virtually surrounded on all sides by temptations in fancy packages.
I am not as a rule an impulse buyer, so the goodies on the overstuffed racks and particularly surrounding the convenience store checkout counter, though colorful have no hold over moi.
I do have me weaknesses as I am indeed mortal and a GRITS (Guy Raised In The South). I’m a sucker for boiled peanuts, but only if cooked outside over an open wood fire (no gas burner fired kettles, crockpots, or Instapots, please) in an old 55-gallon drum, or better yet an old black cast iron washpot, or whatever, so that they have that certain j’en ai des quai of woodsmoke.
This requirement virtually eliminates 99.9999% of goodies found in a convenience store pit stop, as there is no slick, colorful packaging, no visual appeal, no eye catching display, just a cup, usually Styrofoam, of gray-brown liquid with various indescribable tannish lumps afloat within.
On the very rare, rare occasions where I find such I’ve been noted to actually turn around and drive back if I pass someone cooking peanuts over a wood fire. I am usually shocked at the prices asked for the quantities sold, but understand that boiled peanuts don’t grow on trees.
It is possible to purchase canned boiled peanuts. Walmart and Sam’s Club sells them. But don’t be fooled into thinking that those are representative of the prime boiled peanut. They’re edible and good for a snack, even to share with friends, but are only a shadow of what they are when found on the hoof in the wild, so to speak.
Oh you can boil them in a slow cooker, an instapot, or even a pressure cooker, but if you want to real old fashion perfection of the kind with that slight bit of smokiness, you need to do it outside over an open wood fire.
And if you’ve ever boiled some yourself, you know that it takes some gumption to git up and git 'er done for the 4-7 hours required tend the far 'n bo’l them goobers ta purfekshun.
But when I do find 'em, those delectable, if a bit soggy, salty wonders, why I couldn’t eat all the boiled peanuts I could eat for supper if I started before breakfast. Yew cain’t hep but lik 'em, dontchaknowed?
@Jackinga@Kyeh@yakkoTDI Absolutely. But not from cans at Wal-mart. Two best stories; both have old guys for some reason:
Outskirts of Savannah GA, there was a roadside boiled peanut stand in a dirt parking lot. Yes they were great.
Northern GA were going to do a river rafting trip, I’d have to look up exactly where. An old guy (what is it with the old guys? I am one now) was selling his boiled peanuts by the road but I think he had a cabin there) They were very good too. He had a story about he lives there but his wife comes and goes at various times of year. I thought it was strange and then 20 years later ended up in the same situation. But I can’t make boiled peanuts.
Almost always cheddar pretzels combos and if I need something besides water and I don’t want coffee it’s Dr Pepper or clearly Canadian. If I do on the rare chance buy candy it’s either Twix, whachamacallit, or mambas.
@ItalianScallion Yes I like them both but at the cost of a half gallon of ice cream I don’t buy them in convenience stores. I wait until I have a coupon at the grocery store.
@ItalianScallion@Kidsandliz I like to get stuff at convenience stores that I wouldn’t get normally, like odd frozen treats (Bomb Pops, Strawberry Shortcake bars) or novelty chip or soda flavors. I want to find the Creamy Coconut Dr. Pepper!
@chienfou@Kyeh Bad news: according to the Dr. Pepper website, there is no such thing as Coconut Cream Dr. Pepper althought they do have limited edition concoctions like Vanilla Float, so maybe it did exist at one time.
Update: ITS BACK!!! As of May 7th, it "has already been spotted at a variety of stores in Missouri, New Mexico, Idaho, Arizona, and Utah.
@chienfou@ItalianScallion Yeah, it’s supposed to be around until July, but so far I haven’t found any around here. I suspect a lot of greedy resellers swoop in and resell them because they’re “limited edition.” Pisses me off.
@demosthenes know what you mean but when I headed out in my truck/camper I was packed with all that stuff. Especially in “Covid years”never went into a store. Saved both money and time.
Great username… are you a Greek Philosoper?
A few weeks ago we discussed Diogenes here.
Slim Jims
Sunflower seeds
Cats on a road trip eating snacks.
@kittykat9180 I’d be thinking salmon or tuna snacks, if not too spicy or salty.
@pmarin who knew that cats love chocolate.
@kittykat9180 @pmarin Yeah, chocolate is verboten. My cat likes potato chips, I let him have a very small piece or two if I’m eating them.
Piecea Pizza, plz.
I second the sunflower seeds.
@famwelch I would often use the pumpkin seeds (aka pepitas) from either TJs or Costco. Also good on salads and stuff. But in either case, big bags, not convenience store prices. So those are often in my reserved stock. After all, I just spent $100 on fuel.
@2many2no But not enough good flavour.
Hot case?
@brennyn I think burgers, hot dogs, nachos.
Well that is a Secret. sometimes even to me, till the last minute… then I decide!
@mycya4me Same here - definitely depends on the weather and my mood.
@Kyeh I knew someone would agree with me. Also Cash Flow dictates the Type & how far! here lately it is local SciFi cons! Which are a Blast, (I know most of the folks that attend!) Plus they recharge you to be ready to face the Mundane World!
Usually a granola or protein bar.
Beef jerky.
@lordbowen
/image Eddie Murphy beef jerky time meme
Pepperoni. Tillamook if they have it.
Cheese cubes and pickles.
@chienfou oh yeah Buc-ees is the one place I would get hot food. I don’t think it’s a convenience store; more like a theme park. Availability of abundant fuel pumps, all with Diesel! And a huge number of Tesla Superchargers which I would use on a cross-country trip if I use that instead of my big truck. But none out West as far as I know.
They just opened one north of Denver that’s right at the exit to my father-in-law’s house.
@pmarin
We have 2 in AL now.
@chienfou Never been to one, They are not in me area yet! But a Rumor that they will be!
Gas station Sushi.
@accelerator Disturbed that that is even a thing! Except in Japan. I remember on a company trip in Japan we could get things like that, and also cans of beer and sake (I wasn’t driving…).
We had a beautiful drive up to Nikko and other sights in the area. I’d highly recommend it and want to go back. But probably not drive on the wrong side of the road. Better to sit in the back and enjoy some canned sake.
@accelerator The mini-marts in Japan and also in Hawaii have those triangle-shaped rice things wrapped in seaweed with various fillings. A good decent snack. Haven’t seen one in years since I haven’t been to those places. The ones in Hawaii usually had SPAM for historical reasons to complex to get into here.
@accelerator @pmarin Spam musubi! I had a Japanese-American friend from LA who loved it, so I guess it’s a thing there, too.
Also interesting - in Japan, and other Asian countries, 7-11 is way fancier than it is here. More like Buc-ees, or the one I just learned about - Country Store, thanks to @jouest.
@accelerator @jouest @pmarin Oops, I mean Country Fair.
@pmarin I have actually had fresh and delicious sushi rolls from gas stations on Maui. I would often stop on the way to work at the telescope site on Haleakala and pick up a couple to eat on the long drive up the volcano. I live in NM now and don’t believe that fresh sushi could be had at a gas station here.
Pringles. Always Pringles. And plain sparkling water. Sometimes a Dove bar (dark chocolate and vanilla ice cream).
@ItalianScallion yeah I will take a pack of cans of sparkling (not sweet) water. Some of the Trader Joe’s ones with flavors are OK but some are a bit bizarre.
But bottom-line is I rarely buy anything at the convenience stores; I carry it all with me. Costco supplies; Trader Joe’s. On long trips across the country would sometimes hit up a Costco to re-stock.
What’s the latest on gas station/truck stop coffee? There used to be a legend that it was actually very good. In recent years and several attempts I’m going to say that’s no longer the case, if it ever was. So I basically don’t even risk it anymore.
Oh yeah on portable beverages, I will usually carry a few cold-brew cans of coffee. I don’t mind a little bit sweetened but not too sugary. Good when you need an afternoon shot. But check the caffeine level some are as high as 200mg a can. In that case I limit myself to part of a can — hard to do because it’s so good.
@pmarin In my experience gas station and truck stop coffee has never been good and I’d guess it never will be. Isn’t the point of coffee on the road (for most people) to keep you awake, energized, etc.? Cheap coffee not brewed well and not kept fresh will do that well enough because cheap coffee uses low-grade coffea robusta beans which are higher in caffeine and cost considerably less than coffea arabic beans. Lots of Americans don’t really care about coffee quality (Exhibit A: Maxwell House, Folgers, Hills Bros. et al), so that’s good enough.
And beware that a 12-ounce cup of brewed coffee can contain 120 to 180mg of caffeine, robusta being on the high end.
Smarties, but they’re hard to find on the road. Some kind of candy that provides constant small doses of sugar. Broke too many teeth on Runts, so not those any more.
Nothing.
I am seldom tempted to purchase anything I see on what is essentially a pit stop, though I am virtually surrounded on all sides by temptations in fancy packages.
I am not as a rule an impulse buyer, so the goodies on the overstuffed racks and particularly surrounding the convenience store checkout counter, though colorful have no hold over moi.
I do have me weaknesses as I am indeed mortal and a GRITS (Guy Raised In The South). I’m a sucker for boiled peanuts, but only if cooked outside over an open wood fire (no gas burner fired kettles, crockpots, or Instapots, please) in an old 55-gallon drum, or better yet an old black cast iron washpot, or whatever, so that they have that certain j’en ai des quai of woodsmoke.
This requirement virtually eliminates 99.9999% of goodies found in a convenience store pit stop, as there is no slick, colorful packaging, no visual appeal, no eye catching display, just a cup, usually Styrofoam, of gray-brown liquid with various indescribable tannish lumps afloat within.
On the very rare, rare occasions where I find such I’ve been noted to actually turn around and drive back if I pass someone cooking peanuts over a wood fire. I am usually shocked at the prices asked for the quantities sold, but understand that boiled peanuts don’t grow on trees.
It is possible to purchase canned boiled peanuts. Walmart and Sam’s Club sells them. But don’t be fooled into thinking that those are representative of the prime boiled peanut. They’re edible and good for a snack, even to share with friends, but are only a shadow of what they are when found on the hoof in the wild, so to speak.
Oh you can boil them in a slow cooker, an instapot, or even a pressure cooker, but if you want to real old fashion perfection of the kind with that slight bit of smokiness, you need to do it outside over an open wood fire.
And if you’ve ever boiled some yourself, you know that it takes some gumption to git up and git 'er done for the 4-7 hours required tend the far 'n bo’l them goobers ta purfekshun.
But when I do find 'em, those delectable, if a bit soggy, salty wonders, why I couldn’t eat all the boiled peanuts I could eat for supper if I started before breakfast. Yew cain’t hep but lik 'em, dontchaknowed?
@Jackinga They look and sound so unappealing!
But I’ll try them if I ever get the chance.
@Jackinga @Kyeh
This is true but they are delicious!
@Jackinga @Kyeh @yakkoTDI Absolutely. But not from cans at Wal-mart. Two best stories; both have old guys for some reason:
@Jackinga @Kyeh @pmarin @yakkoTDI
Nope. Always looks like something you’d find in a cat litter box to me…
Almost always cheddar pretzels combos and if I need something besides water and I don’t want coffee it’s Dr Pepper or clearly Canadian. If I do on the rare chance buy candy it’s either Twix, whachamacallit, or mambas.
The Allsups bean and cheese burrito is an absolute must!
@katjabee Remind me not to ride with you… unless you have a convertible.
I always look for biltong then get sad and buy an energy drink.
Ice cream. Except usually what is in these kinds of stores is too expensive and too crappy.
@Kidsandliz I find Dove or Haagen Daz bars to be good enough, although a bit pricey.
@ItalianScallion Yes I like them both but at the cost of a half gallon of ice cream I don’t buy them in convenience stores. I wait until I have a coupon at the grocery store.
@ItalianScallion @Kidsandliz I like to get stuff at convenience stores that I wouldn’t get normally, like odd frozen treats (Bomb Pops, Strawberry Shortcake bars) or novelty chip or soda flavors. I want to find the Creamy Coconut Dr. Pepper!
@Kyeh
WHAT? I didn’t even know that was a thing!
Creamy Coconut Dr. Pepper? That’s worth a road trip just to find this! Thanks @Kyeh!
@ItalianScallion @chienfou Except I’ve only read about it and never yet found it - so frustrating!
@chienfou @Kyeh Bad news: according to the Dr. Pepper website, there is no such thing as Coconut Cream Dr. Pepper
althought they do have limited edition concoctions like Vanilla Float, so maybe it did exist at one time.
Update: ITS BACK!!! As of May 7th, it "has already been spotted at a variety of stores in Missouri, New Mexico, Idaho, Arizona, and Utah.
@chienfou @ItalianScallion Yeah, it’s supposed to be around until July, but so far I haven’t found any around here. I suspect a lot of greedy resellers swoop in and resell them because they’re “limited edition.” Pisses me off.
It’s the overpriced beef jerky for me
Beef jerky always. And then I get angry at it behind 3x as much as at a grocery store and buy it anyways.
Also usually a cold canned coffee
@demosthenes know what you mean but when I headed out in my truck/camper I was packed with all that stuff. Especially in “Covid years”never went into a store. Saved both money and time.
Great username… are you a Greek Philosoper?
A few weeks ago we discussed Diogenes here.
@pmarin
Hanging out in a “forum”?? Would have to be a Roman impostor…