A question that plagues many young adults hit me the other day as I stood in line at Starbucks. I stared into the glowing case that holds the glorious birthday cake flavored cake pops and asked myself, why is it that food always tastes so much better on a stick? I pondered this question for a while and truly couldn't think of a better answer than "because." So, I turned to my friends for guidance, and they helped me see the light as to why food instantly becomes superior when it is put on a stick.
No Utensils, No Mess
If you’re like most people, doing the dishes is not your favorite pass time. In order to cut back on your accumulation of utensils, look no further than the skewer. Easy clean up is key when cooking because you’re giving yourself more time to do what you love…or maybe don’t love (homework).
Fun Factor
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Not only does skewering your food cut down on the clean up time, but it also elevates your food game, something I like to call the “fun factor”. Sticks simply elevate the status of any and every food. Why eat the typical cube shaped cake when you can have it in lollipop form? Why have caprese that you have to laboriously slice when you can use cherry tomatoes and bocconcini and put them on a stick? You thought pancakes were good? Level up when you make mini pancakes with syrup baked in then line them up on stick and alternate strawberries and bananas between the pancakes.
It’s Portable
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On the go? Don’t want to get your hands dirty? Once again, putting your food on a stick is the solution. Corn dogs are the perfect example. They were made for the convenience of people to help them be able to pick up food and then carry on with their days...hassle free! Want a fruit salad but you have to get to class? Simply get a skewer and stack on the fruit. Problem solved.
Retronasal Olfaction
Retronasal olfaction is the scientific reason as to why food tastes better on a stick. Retronasal olfaction means that taste is largely reliant on one’s sense of smell. For example, if you are blindfolded and plug your nose then are asked to identify what kind of food you are eating, you will probably have a hard time identifying the food.
However, once you unplug your nose, you will most likely be able to identify the food. For this reason, if you eat food off of a stick, the food is getting closer to your nose which will enhance the flavor. Moral of the story? Food ACTUALLY tastes better on a stick.
T-Bo Said So
If you’re a real Nickelodeon kid, you know exactly who I’m talking about. T-Bo was iconic in the food-on-a-stick world, and this article simply would not be complete without acknowledging his contribution to promoting this form of food.
Now that you know why food on a stick is simply superior to all other non-skewered foods, what are you waiting for? Go treat yourself to a cake pop, Popsicle, chocolate covered banana, or even a kabob.