W2: My Epic Pawpaw Fail

I almost died yesterday. 

Maybe “died” is a little dramatic. And also “almost.”

But I did get stranded on the side of the road for three hours while on the way to the Pawpaw Festival. 

It’s a long story for another time/blog post/memoir, but basically this is what happened: I had borrowed a friend’s car to get to the festival, and on the way, the car stopped working. The verdict involved low oil, mislabeled shift positions and complicated vehicular vernacular, but a tow truck eventually saved us.

What was I thinking the whole time? (Other than “This is super scary and oddly reminiscent of how a cheap, gory horror film may start out” and “Forget J.J. Abrams- I’m going to have to marry a car mechanic because I know nothing about cars”?)

How can I make this adventure/disaster into a blog post about food?

Well, for one, we were hoping to get to try some pawpaw concoctions. Other than that, there was a limited amount of food in supply – half a chocolate chip banana nut muffin, some leftover light cream cheese from Nikki’s bagel and half a thermos of delicious coffee from Whit’s … not nearly enough material to craft a full-blown post. 

Am I jealous of the people in this pawpaw eating contest? ...Maybe. Photo from Ohiopawpawfest.com.

However, my nearly near-death experience did get me thinking about food – as in, if I were to be stranded somewhere for hours on end in the middle of nowhere (read: Ohio), what would I want to pack to snack on?

Nuts come to mind. Maybe it’s because I feel constantly surrounded by squirrels in Athens, but I’ve recently taken a liking to nut medleys. I’m a fan of the classic peanut, but I also like almonds and walnuts. They’re better when covered in chocolate (because what isn’t better when covered in chocolate?), but I snack on them plain, too. Plus, they’re super healthy.

Pretzels. I’ve always been a big fan of pretzels. Not the strange, covered-in-mustard-seasoning kind, but regular, salty, Rold Gold pretzels.  

Candy. I’m a healthy person, true, but in times of stress (i.e. being stranded on the way to a pawpaw festival) I need a dose of sugar. My exact choice would depend on the particular situation (like whether or not it was a thousand degrees outside, making melted or spoiled food all the more likely), but gummy bears have always been a road trip snack contender. I try not to think about how they’re basically just little processed bits of sugary evil in cute bear form. They’re still delicious. And adorable.

Provided with a cooler, I’d try to bring fruits and baby carrots and hummus, but you can’t plan for roadside mishaps. 

I’m jealous of those of you who actually made it to the festival, but I know I should also look at my unexpected Saturday afternoon detour positively. 

At least no one was hurt. At least we weren’t too far outside of Athens. At least it wasn’t raining or unbearably hot.

And, most importantly, at least I’d already had my coffee that morning.