In for a pickle? Pucker up, Buttercup!

What comes to mind when you hear the words, "Pucker up, Buttercup"? If your mind immediately went to all things romantic, you probably envisioned puckering up to receive sweet kisses from the object of your affection. Gag. Take those romantic thoughts somewhere else. It's too hot outside, and I am not in the mood. I guess you could say, I'm feeling a little sour.

Since I mentioned sour, can we talk about those weirdos who are obsessed with everything sour? What is that about? I remember going bowling with some of our family in Texas. My niece walked up to the snack bar, ordered a shot of pickle juice, and slung it back like a shot of whiskey. Do you know what a pickle shot is? It's the brine (juice) left in the jar after they sell all of the pickles. From a business standpoint, I thought it was genius. Drinking pickle juice for no reason? Yuck.

Recently, I began hearing raves about Clancy's Dill Pickle-flavored popcorn available at our Cape Girardeau Aldi. One reason I enjoy Aldi is because they have an ever-changing selection of items they call "finds" which are low-priced enough to justify trying them just for fun. My first thought was that dill pickle popcorn sounded disgusting -- something those pickle loving weirdos would really love -- but my curiosity got the best of me, and I picked up a bag on my next shopping trip. Much to my chagrin, I was immediately addicted. I ate the entire bag by myself and later returned to pick up a couple of more bags. I munched on one throughout my stressful day at work. Then, they were out of stock. I mentioned them to a colleague, basically an angel in office attire, and the following week I returned to my office to find a brand-new bag awaiting me at my desk. It really shouldn't have come as a surprise. I love popcorn and often have it instead of breakfast. I'm not sure what I was expecting, but the it had a salty yet subtle dill pickle flavor that excited my palate.

I started to wonder if maybe I might secretly be one of those pickle-loving weirdos. We never think it can happen to us, right? Surely not me. Then, my friend Darren Burgfeld told me I needed to try Golden Flake dill chips. He said they were the "best dill chips on the planet." In fact, he loved them so much he wrote a song about them called "Flava Nugget" where he describes them as a "bag of joy." [Note: Burgfeld is a member of Cape Girardeau band The Tone Def All-Stars.] I was really getting excited at this point, and I made a couple of trips to Food Giant but had no luck finding them. I did find several brands of pickle-flavored chips. My favorite was probably Jay's Krunchers Kettle Cooked Kosher Dill chips. I enjoyed the thick and crunchy texture of the chip with just the perfect hint of dill flavoring. Over the next couple of weeks I tried various pickle-flavored products: pork rinds and pretzels I found at Schnucks, peanuts I picked up at The Cracker Barrel Store, sunflower seeds from a Cape Girardeau convenience store, and even Popsicles recommended by a pickle-loving colleague.

I was not a fan of the pork rinds, I enjoyed the pretzels and peanuts, and the sunflowers had a strange chemical taste I just couldn't get past. The Popsicles were where I finally drew the line, and my investigation ended. I took one taste, and it was just too much sour for me to handle. Overload. I waved the white flag. I threw in the towel. If you or someone you love enjoys pickles, you should definitely pick up a bag of Bob's Pickle Pops from your favorite grocer and give them a try. If you want to cautiously delve into the pickle madness I would suggest beginning with Clancy's Dill Pickle popcorn. Of course, if you happen to come across a bag of the elusive Golden Flake Dill chips feel free to send it my way because I still want to know what a "bag of joy" tastes like. Just thinking about it is enough to make a person pucker up.

Clancy's Dill Pickle Flavored Popcorn,Submitted by Mary Ann Castillo