Friday, September 20, 2013

Food Custom: Mustard On Pretzels

I think it's so interesting how people from different parts of the globe have various ways of eating things.

Take for instance…mustard on pretzels.

I was born in Philadelphia (the pretzel capital of the U.S.), where dipping a soft pretzel into mustard or squirting some on top is a daily occurrence. You will often see people walking down the street, munching on a pretzel with a big glob of mustard dripping from their chin.

*Please note: Philadelphia is all about the CARBS (bread, pasta, hoagies, and steak sandwiches)

However, when my family moved to Florida in 1973, I recall a time when I purchased a pretzel somewhere, and when I asked for mustard they said, "Mustard on a pretzel? How strange!"

I was actually shocked that they were shocked.

They reacted as though I had suggested something so freakishly bizarre like, putting sardines on top of ice cream.

But in all fairness, I remember living in Amsterdam, Holland for a summer and noticed how they ate French fries dipped in mayonnaise. OMG…when I first saw that I wanted to GAG because the only time I would eat mayonnaise was in a club sandwich – I was never a big mayo fan. Yet after coaxing myself into trying it, I fell in love with the custom. So much so that when I came back to the States, I started eating my French fries that way. And not only dipping them in mayonnaise, but tartar sauce as well.

Yeah, I know, tartar sauce with French fries?!? Hey, don't knock it until you've tried it. It's so yummy! Especially if the fries are real crispy.

Anyhoo...

A few weeks ago, I visited my favorite pretzel establishment, Philly Pretzel Factory, and purchased some Rivets, which are little bite-size pretzel nuggets. They're so cute, you just want to kiss them before eating them. They are the perfect size for dipping into a cup of mustard. And if you’re lucky, you will catch them just as they come out of the oven while they're still warm, which is what happened to me that day.

Here, take a look...

(If you have a moment, please visit their website because it's so cleverly designed, you can play around with all the buttons and make things happen in the oven)

Aren’t they cuter than hell? And I love the little plastic container they came in to keep them cozy and warm.

I sat there in a state of nirvana, as I dipped those warm little Rivets into yellow mustard and popped them into my mouth.

It was one of those simple but glorious eating-moments, when you’re so grateful to have taste buds on your tongue because they start doing a happy dance.

But then after I finished, I suddenly got a craving for something sweet. Like a dessert of some kind.

So I decided to eat one of my own favorite food customs.

This…

Have a deeelicious weekend everyone!

X

P.S. I will be working a lot of hours today and tomorrow, therefore I will be slower in responding to comments and visiting your blogs. Thank you so much for your patience and understanding....x