It’s game night, finally. Your buddies are on their way over. Your wife finally let you off the hook (or maybe you picked a game she wants to play…or maybe you’re wife’s a gamer. Or maybe you are the wife. Or maybe… okay, whatever. Forget the wife thing) and you’re about to break into a few hours of board gaming bliss.
Of course, a key element of every game night, let’s not forget, is the snacks. Those yummy, delicious things that replace your normal blood with sugar and caffeine. Good snacks can elevate a great game night into an AWESOME game night.
So, what’s your favorite snack to have on hand for game night? Or do you like to keep the condition of your games so pristine that you have banned all forms of salt and grease from the gaming table?
@Futurewolfie answers:
My number one “snack” to have at the table is probably pop. Yes, I am from the north. You can call it soda or soda pop or coke or whatever. I’m just saying. Nothing gets you through three to four hours of gaming like a tasty, caffeine-loaded beverage. Yeah it’s unhealthy. Yeah my hobby is extremely sedentary. What of it? You know what tastes great? Vanilla Coke. That’s my favorite. I also recently discovered a non-caffeinated beverage in a can from the makers of Pepsi (yes, I have both Pepsi and Coke products in my house; get over it) called “Manzanita Sol.” That’s Spanish for Little Apple Sun (or maybe Baby Apple Sun? I dunno. I’m not Spanish). Anyway, like 90% of the population of my little town that is named for its location relative to Chicago is Spanish-speaking and/or of Latino descent, so there are a lot of special Latino-y products on the grocery store shelves. Like tasty carbonated apple-flavored drinks.
Incidentally, I had a roommate in college whose last name was Latino. He was a white boy, though. He draws comic books these days.
Anyways, my wife makes a mean homemade salsa that is both tasty and delicious, and it’s got quite a kick. I like scooping it with Ritz Crackers. Best snack in the world.
@FarmerLenny answers:
I’m not a no-snacks-at-the-table kind of gamer, but my favorite gaming snacks are those that don’t leave residue on the fingers. I’ve mentioned that I’m a sleever, and with good reason. My games don’t need to remain in “pristine” condition, but I prefer not to have card text obfuscated by fake Dorito cheese, nor do my cards need to carry the extra sheen that pizza grease brings to the table. For this reason, I think a good gaming snack is pretzels or, my personal favorite, Combos.
Also, I will say that snacks greatly improve a game night, especially if you’re playing a loooooooong game like Android. In fact, I don’t think I would have made it through the one game I played had I not had an ample supply of snacks at my elbow. Snacks are one of the antidotes to my grumpiness toward players suffering (or rather causing their fellow players to suffer) from Analysis Paralysis. I have made it an incontrovertible rule that there are always treats at my book clubs. Game nights should be no different.
Discussion7 Comments
I’m with FarmerLenny on the residue. I really don’t want snacks that leave something behind at the table. To that end I usually just do pop (as a Minnesotan, I call it “pop” too) to fill my need for junky calories. Worst case all I have is condensation on my fingers which the handy clothes that I wear can take care of.
How about a game, then a break for food and beverages (generically speaking just “coke”, by the way, just sayin’), then back to gaming? Another consideration with snacks and drinks at the table is not just in soiling the game components, but also simply the extra clutter can often get in the way…
Mountain Dew and Pizza
A Jason clone?
I like the game / snack break / game methodology.
My favorite snack is determined as much by the season as the game. I prefer Hot Apple Cider at this time of year. Also, a refreshing Lemonade or related bug juice in the warmer months. Tampico produces a shocking green-colored Kiwi Strawberry punch which is my absolute favorite! Both of these pair well with sliced cheese on crackers.
My group routinely has soda at game night, but usually no food snacks. The best snacks (like chips and dip, or pizza) are greasy and don’t go well with games. Like Jason, typically we eat in between games.
My friends like Monster energy drinks. Do NOT let them spill on your board. It’s like watching a toon from Who Framed Roger Rabit being immersed in Dip.
Qtip: I remember the delicious Tampico you used to bring along. That stuff is addictive.
GeekInsight: That sounds like a good policy. Oh no! Monster sounds like it’d be awful to get out of bits. (Then again, I’ve never had an energy drink. I just imagine they’re sludge.)