Upon Further Review, Peanut Butter & Pickle Sandwiches Are The Official Snack Of Summertime
Summers on the Jersey Shore. Is there anything in life that gets any better than that? Rhetorical question, but the answer is a resounding no.
The sun in the sky. The sand at your feet. That salt water air wafting all around you. It's a perfect combination. But sometimes you start to get a little hungry after spending your day on the beach. Sometimes you're looking for a delicious little treat that has that same perfect combination to fuel your little belly.
Sure, you could go with a frozen treat like a popsicle to help you beat the heat. You could go with some fresh fruit if you're looking for a healthier option to refresh and cool you off. But let's say you just got done playing a few games of beach volleyball. Maybe you just spent the last half hour swimming across the current to catch a few waves. You need something a little more substantial. And you also want something a little off the beaten path.
Enter the peanut butter & pickle sandwich into the snack of the summer race.
Now to preface this, I'm a big time pickle man. And I'm never one to shy away from how much I love pickles.
I think it's childish behavior to not like pickles. Some are certainly better than others, but any set of tastebuds should be able to enjoy the subtle complexities of the standard kosher pickle. But the point I'm getting at here is that I'd be perfectly content with just snacking on some pickles throughout the day, but it doesn't quite fuel you up on their own.
Now you think about what makes the PB&J such an elite sandwich. A sandwich that can be enjoyed by young and old. You bring it to lunch with you in 1st grade, and you can still rip one for lunch 30 years later. You've got the saltiness of the peanut butter perfectly balanced with the sweetness of the jelly. Salty and sweet, a tale as old as time.
But we are humans. And humans always want more. We always want better. And how to we make the basic PB&J even better? By adding the saltiness, the tanginess, and the crunchiness of those pickle chips into the mix. Salty and creamy peanut butter, sweet jelly, salty and tangy and crunchy pickles. It's a mother fucking symphony of flavor and texture. Keep it a little chilled in your cooler on the beach and bone apple tea.
Perfection is unattainable. But this sandwich is close. So let's just step back and allow the peanut butter & pickle sandwich to rightfully claim its throne as the snack of summer '21.