Love, Loss, and Trail Mix
This article is part of the Dish-Covery series, where we uncover the stories behind your beloved flavors. Pulling back the curtain to look at culinary traditions that shape our modern palates.
Love and Trail Mix
This is not the Dish-Covery post that I intended to share today. At the beginning of February, I envisioned a tantalizing tale of romantic love wrapped around the irresistible fable of “Engagement Chicken” - a recipe for chicken roasted with lemons and fresh herbs nearly guaranteed to solicit a proposal - or at least a solid commitment.
And although already married, I planned a luscious “Sadie Hawkins Day” roasted dinner to once again win over my love, as if the “Michelin Star” chicken paprikash hadn’t already done the trick.
Instead I am sharing a story of love, loss, and trail mix.
Many years ago, my husband was moved by my homesickness for spring holidays past to hide 12 plastic eggs around our apartment. This was pure joy for me; I love scavenger hunts. Each discovery of an egg found hidden in our bookshelf or in the refrigerator’s egg section (or embarrassingly in plain sight), I shouted A-HA! in my best Sherlock Holmes imitation. And I found each egg filled not with chocolate, but with trail mix.
“Why trail mix?” I asked.
“Because that’s how my dad did it,” he said.
And I have to admit that I was convinced. Trail mix is humble but tasty with sweet and salty in every bite. Its helps take the edge off hunger without feeling bloated and regretful. Trail mix became our thing, and I loved that he blended a bit of his childhood with mine.
Throughout his childhood, his dad was fiend for healthy foods and snacks. The kids have the shared memory of drinking hot cans of Kern’s Nectar drinks and munching on trail mix on long family road trips. I get a chuckle at how this kind of shared misery makes for great sibling bonding.
I can’t say that I’m surprised by that as my family had a similar 70s-era crunchy granola attitude about what was acceptably healthy and what was not.
American Trail Food
Trail mix finds its roots intertwined with indigenous cultures and early American settlers. Centuries ago, indigenous tribes crafted nourishing mixtures of foraged nuts, berries, and seeds to sustain them during arduous journeys and hunts. This ingenuity laid the groundwork for the energy-rich snacks we know today.
As North American pioneers traversed vast expanses of wilderness in the 19th century, they took inspiration from Native American food ingenuity and concocted their own versions of trail mix, combining dried fruits, nuts, and dried fruits. Innovations featuring chocolate came much later.
Trail mix gained immense popularity among outdoor enthusiasts, hikers, and campers throughout the 20th century as Americans explored the great outdoors. The 1960s and 1970s especially saw trail mix transition from a niche product to a mainstream snack. Its appeal extended beyond outdoor enthusiasts, capturing the attention of health-conscious consumers seeking nutritious on-the-go options.
Supermarkets, convenience stores, and vending machines began stocking a variety of trail mix blends, reflecting the evolving tastes and preferences of snack enthusiasts. Modern trail mix recipes boast an array of ingredients, from traditional nuts and dried fruits to innovative additions like granola clusters, pretzels, and seeds. I swear that trail mix blends just keep getting better, and it’s so easy to make up a blend with all your favorite flavors.
Loss
Every time my husband and I share some trail mix, I think of Dave, my father-in-law. I imagine the boredom and exultation of those long road trips, and I can hear his voice giving us some fatherly advice on the benefits of Himalayan salt, the advantages of cooking with butter rather than margarine, or the proper way to make coffee (with a French press and never a Keurig machine!).
Dave passed away recently. We are still reeling with the loss, but I’ll remember him with great affection and respect.
Happy trails, Dave, until we meet again.
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I love what you’ve written. I recently and associate so many wonderful food memories with her. Remembering our food experiences together seems to be a part of processing the grief.
I remember “surviving” long trips, both backpacking and car, with trail mixes.
I’m so sorry for the loss of your father-in-law, Kim. May his memory be a blessing.