What’s in Your Secret Snack Stash?

I have a confession to make. I have a secret snack stash. It’s an entire storage compartment in my bed’s headboard, dedicated to snacks. I was 3 months into pandemic life when I realized I needed something to get me through the days.  And so, much like 43% of Indians as cited in Mondelēz International’s Second Annual State of Snacking™ Report, I created a secret snack stash.

If there is one thing I have learned from Mufasa, my Golden Retriever, it’s how to enjoy treats and the little moments in life. The joy the furball derives from secret snacks and being my companion in doing things he and I both know I shouldn’t be doing has never failed to bring a smile to my face.

And let’s be honest with ourselves, snacks taste best when they’re concealed, or eaten when no one is watching you. Do the calories really count if no one watches me gobble down an entire bar of Cadbury Dairy Milk in one sitting? No, Muffy does not count as a witness because he’s always on my side. Also, I made a place for his treats in my stash. So now, we’re partners in crime.

I cannot deny it was a bummer when my mum found my secret stash because Muffy developed a habit of walking to it and wagging his tail after every 2 hours, asking for his treat. Some partner he turned out to be! I had to surrender two of my Oreo packets and three of my Dairy Milk bars to her. She refused to believe that these snacks were what helped me take my mind off the issues of the world. I even tried to show her the report, trying to convince her that 80% of Indians found moments of peace in their day via snacks.

Needless to say, she closed the laptop and walked away with my snacks.

I was determined to keep my snack stash well-stocked though. After all, it not only served to satiate my midnight cravings when I stayed up way past my bedtime finishing a book, it also served as a reward for a job well done. That was another thing I decided to adopt from Muffy, by the way. If treats could help him learn good behaviour, surely, it could help me stay motivated to work from home.

I realized that I was one of the 81% of Indians who believed that snacking was the one thing that would be a part of their post-pandemic life – whenever that happens. Keeping that in mind, I began my mission to find food options for a secret snack stash in India.

To keep my mum happy, though I added my Dairy Milk, I also added some nuts, dry fruits, crackers, and dark chocolate. The stash also helped me think of recipes I could make if I had only my snack stash as ingredients. The hot chocolate I made with the chocolate and dry fruits was just lip-smacking amazing! I shared it with mum, of course. I’m nice that way.

A year on, I’m happy to report my snack stash has grown and it continues to keep me motivated to do my work and take each day as it comes. How about you? What was your biggest source of comfort during the pandemic? Did you have some favourite snacks to keep you going?

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